Research of Donald Abrams, MD
Dr. Abrams has long been interested in clinical trials of complementary and alternative medicine interventions for HIV/AIDS, cancer, and sickle cell disease, including evaluations of medicinal marijuana. He conducted an NIH-funded trial investigating vaporized cannabis in patients with sickle cell disease. The results of this study was published in 2020 under JAMA Network in the paper "Effect of Inhaled Cannabis for Pain in Adults With Sickle Cell Disease".
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Research of Frans Kuypers, PhD
Dr. Kuypers's research group studies aspects of membrane lipid organization and their relation to health and disease, specifically the membranes of red cells and their precursors. The long-term goal of the research group is to understand how the molecular structure of the proteins involved, as well as their interaction with each other and with their lipid environment, determines membrane lipid organization. Dr. Kuypers's lab has shown that membrane lipid organization in hemoglobinopathies, such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemia, can be markedly different and play an important role in the pathology of these disorders. By understanding the molecular basis for the maintenance of membrane lipid organization, and the resulting abnormal cellular interactions, strategies can be designed that target the treatment of disorders associated with altered plasma membranes.
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Research of Michael Potter, MD
Dr. Potter's research focuses on preventive health and the management of chronic illnesses in primary care settings. He also examines how the design of health care systems influences the care of people in the community.
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Research of Neil Powe, MD, MPH, MBA
Dr. Powe's primary intellectual pursuits involve kidney disease patient-oriented research, epidemiology, disparities, and outcomes and effectiveness research. His research unites Medicine and Public Health with the goals of saving and improving quality of human lives. It involves the knowledge of fundamental discoveries in biology and clinical medicine to advance the health of patients and populations affected by kidney disease.
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Research of Angela Rivers, MD, PhD
Dr. Rivers's lab focuses on whether the reduction of mitochondrial retention in red blood cells will provide safe and effective therapy in SCD. Her lab showed that mature red blood cells from individuals with SCD retain mitochondria at a higher level than individuals without SCD. The higher number of erythrocytes with mitochondria in blood circulation could potentially promote the elevated levels of reactive oxygen species, changes in oxygen metabolism and the cell lysis.
Oral presentations
1. Jagadeesh Ramasamy, PhD, Vinzon Ibanez, B.S., Kareem Al-Qadi, Helen Zhang, Jennifer Afranie-Sakyi, MD, Robert E. Molokie, MD, Donald Lavelle, PhD, Angela Rivers, MD, Ph.D., Cathepsin B, a Negative Regulator of Autophagy, Identified As a Novel Therapeutic Drug Target in Sickle Cell Disease. American Society Hematology(ASH)Dec 2020 San Diego, Ca
Posters
1. Ramasamy Jagadeeswaran, Vinzon Ibanez, Lenny K. Hong, Robert E. Molokie, Alan M. Diamond, Angela Rivers, "SELENIUM LEVELS IN SCD PATIENTS AND IMPACT OF SELENIUM DEFICIENCY ON A SCD MOUSE MODEL” American Society Pediatric Hematology Oncology(ASPHO) April 2021 Portland Oregon