Faculty

Full-Time Faculty

Dr. Suresh K. Alahari
Fred G. Brazda Professor
(salaha@lsuhsc.edu)

• Biochemistry of cell adhesion; the mechanism of action of Nischarin in tumor cell migration and invasion.

• The roles of ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins (SUMO and ISG15) in cancer and neurodegenerative disorders [Ataxia Telangiectasia (A-T), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)], and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

• Ubiquination; the roles of ubiquitin and ISG15 conjugation in cellular regulation.

Dr. Sunyoung Kim
Professor
(skim3@lsuhsc.edu)

• The biophysics of protein structure & how protein structure determines protein function.

Dr. Edward Wojcik
Associate Professor
(ewojci@lsuhsc.edu)

• Animal cell division, mitosis, and cancer by studying cytoskeletal processes during cell division, including centrosome duplication and the regulation of microtubule motor proteins.

• A structural approach focusing on the molecular mechanisms by which IQGAP1 and Tiam1 destabilize cell-cell junctions.

Dr. Wayne V. Vedeckis
Professor Emeritus
(wvedec@lsuhsc.edu)

*emeritus

• Steroid hormone action; structure, function, and genomic interactions of glucocorticoid receptor proteins; steroid hormone regulation of proto-oncogene expression and cellular proliferation

Adjunct Faculty

Research Areas
The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is an integral part of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, which includes the Schools of Allied Health, Dentistry, Graduate Studies, Medicine, and Nursing. The Department offers MS, PhD, and MD/PhD degrees. Students, postdoctoral research scientists, research faculty, and visiting faculty members make significant contributions to the Department's activities. The faculty within the Department have strong, diverse research interests including the following:

• Cancer Biology
• Cardiac Stem Cell Development
• Cell Metabolism
• Cell Signaling
• Proteomics
• Structural Biology