• BIOL 105 - Concepts of Biology
• BIOL 222 - Cell Biology

My research interests center on inflammation, the response to injury and infection, and my goals are to elucidate the molecular mechanisms which regulate activity of an inflammatory mediator called leukotriene B 4 (LTB 4). This molecule is a chemoattractant for white blood cells such as neutrophils, and is implicated as a pathological mediator in diseases which include ischemia-reperfusion injury, glomerulonephritis, and asthma. The gene designated CYP4F3 (cytochrome P450 4F3) encodes an enzyme which inactivates LTB 4, and I am investigating the possibility that CYP4F3 functions to attenuate LTB 4 responses and limit inflammatory disease.
My research work is primarily at a molecular level and involves cell and molecular biology techniques. The current focus of this work involves an analysis of CYP4F3 gene expression, which combines tissue-specific promoters and alternative splicing. My specific objectives are to identify regulatory sites in the gene that control CYP4F3 transcription and exon selection. At a broader level, I am interested in the functions of a group of cytochrome P450s which form a 4F multigene family. In addition, I maintain a collaboration with the Massachusetts General Hospital where we are investigating the role of CYP4F3 in mouse models of inflammatory disease.