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B.Sloane
Welcome to the web site of the Department of Pharmacology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan. By following the links on this page, you can learn about the history of the Department, the current research interests of our faculty members (encompassing cancer biology, neuroscience, and other subdisciplines in pharmacology), the accomplishments of our current and past students, and resources of interest to pharmacologists. You will also find links to the many exciting activities to be found in Detroit and Michigan. We hope you enjoy your virtual tour of the Department and look forward to hearing from you.

Bonnie F. Sloane, Ph.D., Chair

 

News

Graduate Program
Cool Research

Dr. Dora Cavallo-Medved has been awarded a Canadian Seeds4Hope grant to use three-dimensional imaging of live cancer cells in order to understand the molecular pathways associated with lymphatic invasion of inflammatory breast cancer.   More....

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Drs. David Kessel and Larry Matherly have received 2009 College Teaching Awards.

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Dr. Isabela Podgorski has been awarded a Department of Defense grant to identify biomarkers that will help to explain racial differences in prostate cancer risk and lead to more effective diagnosis and treatment. More...

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Dr. Angelika Burger was recently awarded the 2009 Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute Heroes of Breast Cancer Scientific Distinction Award for her demonstrated leadership in breast cancer research. More...

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Dr. Gregory Kapatos was recently awarded the Gowland Hopkins Award for his significant contributions to the field of pteridine biochemistry. Dr. Kapatos received the award and was the keynote speaker at the 14th International Symposium on the Chemistry and Biology of Pteridines and Folates held in Korea in June

 

Congratulations and best wishes to Dr. Eric Hales (Wu Lab) who successfully defended his doctoral thesis "The Chromosome Architectural Role of Leu0 in Transcriptional Translation" on December 17th.

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Congratulations also to three recent graduates from the program – Drs. Qing Zhong (Lash lab - 2008), Jonathan W. Wojtkowiak (Mattingly lab - 2008), and Christopher A. Jedeszko (Sloane lab - 2009). 

Dr. Zhong is now a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Renu A. Kowluru, Professor of Ophthalmology and Anatomy and Cell Biology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and the Kresge Eye Institute.  Dr. Wojtkowiak is a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Robert J. Gillies at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, FL.  Dr. Jedeszko is pursuing his postdoctoral training with Dr. Robert S. Kerbel in the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto.

The Department is also pleased to announce that Dr. Jay I. Koepke (Terlecky lab – 2006) has been named Professor of Biology at Edison State College in Naples, FL.

 

Cell biology and Neuroscience:
Reversible modifications provide an important means for regulating protein function, which is essential for cellular responses. Until recently, phosphorylation has been the major focus of such protein post-translational modification studies. A recent paper by Nick Davis and colleagues reveals another regulated proteome — neuronal proteins modified by the 16-carbon fatty acid palmitate. In a technical tour-de-force, they have detected not only the palmitoylated neuronal proteins identified previously, but several hundred new candidates, including proteins involved in neurotransmitter availability and responsiveness, the growth and retraction of neuronal processes, and synaptic adhesion.   More…

Neuroscience: Understanding the molecular consequences of drug addiction may contribute to the development of better treatment strategies. A recent study by Mike Bannon, Greg Kapatos and colleagues has identified the profile of changes in gene expression in the ‘pleasure center’ of chronic heroin abusers, comparing findings to previous data involving human cocaine abusers. More…