Overview

Banner

The Center for Molecular Chaperone/Radiobiology & Cancer Virology uses animal models of human disease to study the effects of environmental stresses on organisms.

Stresses include but are not limited to fever, radiation, chemicals, viral infection and pregnancy.

Faculty

Left to Right: Nathan Yanasak, Tetsu Kamitani, Anil Cashikar, Ahmed Chadli, Nahid Mivechi, Dimitrios Moskofidis and Anatolij Horuzsko

Faculty

Nahid F. Mivechi, PhD, Director

Professor, Radiology

  • Role of heat shock transcription factors and molecular chaperones in pathways involved in tumorigenesis & metastasis.
  • Role of molecular chaperones in stem cell function.
  • Role of heat shock transcription factors and molecular chaperones in neurodegenerative diseases

Office: CN-3153
Email: nmivechi@augusta.edu
   
Faculty

Ahmed Chadli, PhD

Assistant Professor, Medicine

  • Targeting the molecular chaperones for basic and therapeutic purposes.

  • Dissecting the Hsp90 chaperoning machine and its role in human diseases.

  • Exploring other cellular roles of GCUNC45

Office: CN-3151
Email: achadli@augusta.edu
Faculty

Anatolij Horuzsko, MD, PhD

Associate Professor, Medicine

  • Understanding the molecular, biochemical, and immunological functions of HLA-G and its potential use in organ transplantation in animal models of human disease
  • Biology of immune receptors on Dendritic and T cells that promote immunological tolerance

Office: CN-3154
Email: ahoruzsko@augusta.edu
Faculty

Tetsu Kamitani, PhD, MD

Professor, Medicine

  • Ubiquitin Proteasome System (protein degradation) and its relations to inflammation, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease.

  • Post-translational modification with ubiquitin, SUMOs, and NEDD8.

  • Role of NUB1 in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease.
  • Role of Ro52 in autophagy pathway.

Office: CN-3141
Email: tkamitani@augusta.edu
Faculty

Demetrius Moskophidis, MD

Professor, Medicine and Virology

  • Viral pathogenesis (Arenaviruses and Orthomyxoviruses). Regulatory of immune response during acute and persistent viral infections.
  • Function of stress proteins (molecular chaperones) in animal models (knockout/transgenic mice) of human disease.

Office: CN-3143
Email: dmoskophidis@augusta.edu
Faculty

Nathan Yanasak, PhD, Director, Small Animal Imaging

Assistant Professor, Radiology

  • Refinement of diffusion-weighted imaging for improved performance in
    the clinic, through the development of noise-reduction and benchmarking
    techniques.
  • Application of diffusion-weighted techniques for the imaging of
    neurological disorders in both animal models and humans, especially
    stroke and multiple sclerosis.
  • Use of functional MRI (fMRI) to study the impact of sickle-cell
    anemia on cognition.

Office: CN-3140
Email: nyanasak@augusta.edu