Neurobiology
Many themes of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) are woven into the department’s research contributions in neurobiology. Faculty in BMB study the molecular processes that underlie the development of the nervous system, as well as how these processes can go awry due to genetic variations or infectious diseases. Faculty research in neurobiology reaches from human clinical studies to model organisms and cell-based studies, using methods that include molecular, genetic, biochemical, and computational methods to advance neurobiology research at Penn State.
Santhosh Girirajan's Research Interest: Genetics of
neurodevelopmental disorders.
Ying Gu's Research Interest: The utilization of biochemical,
molecular genetics, and spectroscopic approaches
to decipher mechanisms of cellulose biosynthesis.
Wendy Hanna-Rose's Research Interest: We use genetic and
metabolomics approaches in C. elegans to
model inborn errors of metabolism and probe
the molecular links between metabolic
perturbations and animal behavior and physiology.
Zhi-Chun Lai's Research Interest: Growth Control and
Cancer Genetics.
Melanie McReynold's Research Interest: The understanding of the
biochemistry behind aging,
and its intersection with stress, with the
long-term goal of identifying strategies that
promote healthier aging.
Robert F. Paulson's Research Interest: The mechanism of
tissue regeneration using the response to anemia
as a model system.
Melissa Rolls' Research Interest: The Rolls lab aims to understand
how neurons generate axons and dendrites with different
microtubule organization, and how neurons respond to injury.
Current projects focus on mechanisms that control microtubule
polarity and dynamics and mechanisms that promote neuronal
regeneration.
Lorraine Santy's Research Interest: We study the
signal transduction and vesicular trafficking
processes that promote migration in epithelial
cells. We seek to understand the role
of these processes in normal homeostasis and in
pathological processes.
Scott B. Selleck's Research Interest: Nervous system development
and molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders.