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Home — College of Medicine — Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy — Research

Research

Rosemary Mwithiga, left, with Azize Cerci..Genetics, Cell Biology, and Anatomy.

Research in the Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy spans basic and translational areas including genomics and bioinformatics.

Research in the department ranges from resolving fundamental molecular and cellular mechanisms to answering translational questions in diagnostics/prognostics and malignancy. Our department hosts laboratories studying mechanisms of DNA repair, chromatin, transcription, and cellular differentiation using multidisciplinary technologies and tools.

Immediately evident translational applications involve oncogene-induced replication stress, malignant B cell identification, biomarkers of disease states, relationships between cancer cell shape and function, and tumor metastasis.

Expertise within the department includes molecular biology, genetics, cell biology and bioinformatics. These unique and complimentary areas of expertise foster collaborations that advance our understanding of biology with a multitude of state-of-the-art approaches.

With a focus on mechanistic research, the department seeks to understand both the how and why of biological processes, as well as to determine the impacts on human health.

Research Labs

Band Lab
Seeks to delineate molecular mechanisms of early steps in transforming mammary epithelial cells to identify novel molecular diagnostic/prognostic markers and potential therapy targets of breast cancers.
Bhakat Lab
Investigates molecular pathways altering damage repair and gene expression in tumors, enhancing therapy resistance and recurrence. Develops interventions to prevent recurrence, metastasis, and enhance patient quality of life.
Brahma Lab
Investigates fundamental mechanisms regulating chromatin structure, how cells use these mechanisms to establish and maintain gene expression programs, and the implications of these mechanisms for human health.
Ghosal Lab
Examines the molecular basis of replication stress response in cancer and age-related disorders and unveils intricate mechanisms underlying disease progression and aging.
Gould Lab
Uses genetics as well as molecular and cellular biological approaches to understand how ER-alpha impacts B cell biology and the development of lupus.
Guda Lab
Nurtures a wide range of research projects related to Genomics, Bioinformatics, Systems Biology, and Personal Medicine. Analysis of breast, pancreatic, and glioblastoma cancer genomics data.
Gurumurthy Lab
Develops and improves mouse genome editing technologies. Two breakthrough technologies, Easi-CRISPR and i-GONAD, are now widely adopted at core facilities and laboratories.
Hewitt Lab
Employs multidisciplinary approaches to identify gene regulatory networks and cell signaling mechanisms that control blood production during development and/or regeneration following disease or injury.
Ramanathan Lab
Aims to uncover the principles that underpin how cells with divergent sizes pack into epithelial tissue and how alterations in cellular packing influence tissue homeostasis.
Rowley Lab
Aims to uncover the mechanisms driving the establishment and dynamics of 3D chromatin organization, specifically focusing on elucidating the processes of looping, insulation, and transvection.
Wan Lab
Focuses on bioinformatics, machine learning, and computational biology, especially in single cell analysis, multi-omics analysis, spatial transcriptomics, cancer research, intelligent healthcare, and precision medicine.

Centers & Core Facilities

The department hosts several UNMC cores and centers including Next Gen/Traditional Sequencing, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Core, Electron Microscopy Facility, and Mouse Genome Engineering Core.

UNMC Core Facilities