Rashid Akhtar
Academic Appointment(s)
Education
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Ph.D., Biochemistry
University of London, 1974
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MS, Zoology/Animal Biology
Panjab Univ, 1964
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BS, Zoology/Animal Biology
Panjab Univ, 1963
Courses Taught Most Recent Academic Year
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MEDI 5162
Module 4: Gastrointestinal Uri
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MEDI 5155
Mod 2: Tissue and Musculoskele
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MEDI 5150
Module 1: Cell & Molec Basis
Teaching Interests
Signal transduction mechanisms. Interaction and regulation of signaling pathways. Biosynthesis and degradation of lipids and their metabolic regulation in living cells. Cholesterol and lipoprotein metabolism in health and disease. Metabolic disorders of lipid metabolism. Integration of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in different organ systems.
Research Interests
The biochemical mechanism by which growth factors promote corneal wound repair is not clear. The long-term goals of my interest is to investigate whether the phosphoinositide-derived second messengers play a role in corneal epithelial wound repair. Our hypothesis is that interaction of epidermal growth factor with its receptor activates at least three phosphoinositide-metabolizing enzymes, namely phospholipase C gamma-1, phospholipase D, and phosphoinositide 3-kinase in corneal epithelium. Currently, our efforts are focused on identification of target proteins that mediate the effects of these enzymes on DNA synthesis and cell proliferation in corneal epithelium. We believe data from these studies will enhance understanding of the mechanism involved in wound repair, and help design therapeutic drugs for better treatment of corneal wounds.
Diabetic complications in corneal wound repair.
