Pharmacology

Lalima K. Madan, Ph.D.

madanl@musc.edu

The main goals of our research group are to better understand allostery and the control of phosphorylation-based signaling, especially in connection to cancer. We focus on two superfamilies of enzymes that control the ON/OFF phosphorylation-based signaling switches: Protein Phosphatases and Protein Kinases. Several members of these families are associated with a range of cancers and are important targets for molecular therapy. Methodology-wise, we combine contemporary computational approaches using GPU-based supercomputers with bench-based biochemical investigations using assays created with small molecule substrates and peptides. Our main goal is to comprehend the structure and dynamics so that we may investigate the functions and regulation of these proteins. We hope to identify previously unknown regulation mechanisms for these proteins, thereby opening new paths for their therapeutic implementation.

Please see my website for more details.

John P. O'Bryan, Ph.D.

obryanjo@musc.edu

Our laboratory is focused on understanding the regulation of cellular signaling pathways involved in cell growth and tumorigenesis. We are currently focused on the discovery of new ways to inhibit the RAS protooncogene, the most frequently mutated oncogene in human cancers. We are utilizing an unbiased approach that entails use of novel biologics that target RAS and then defining the mechanisms by which these biologics exert their inhibitory activity. We hope to translate these results into small molecule inhibitors of RAS that can then be transitioned into the clinic.

Please see my website for additional details of our work.

Joachim Uys, Ph.D.

uys@musc.edu

The current focus of the NIH-funded research in the Uys lab, is the role of oxidative stress and redox protein signalling in drugs of abuse. These drugs include alcohol, cocaine and heroin. There are numerous techniques and methods available to study how drugs of abuse interact with the redox system. Approaches such as western blotting, immunohistochemistry, proteomics and behavioral models of addiction are frequently used in the Uys lab. Previous Flex phase students investigated the role of phosphorylated proteins in models of alcohol relapse and GST proteins in cocaine seeking.

Uys MUSC Faculty Directory information
Uys Lab information in the Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics