Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

• Faculty Research Areas
• Curriculum
• Admissions Criteria and Online Application
• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Graduate Student Handbook

The Graduate Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology offers interdisciplinary biomedical research training leading to the Ph.D., M.D./Ph.D., or M.S. degrees.

Research areas include:

• Regulation of gene expression
• RNA processing
• Cell survival mechanisms
• Anti-cancer drug discovery
• Regulation of signal transduction by nutrients and metabolites
• Drug-receptor interactions
• Carcinogenesis
• Oxidant-induced cellular stress
• Ion channel pharmacology
• Structure/function relationships of proteins
• Molecular genetics of visual and auditory development
• G protein-mediated signaling in retina photoreceptors

Underlying diseases studied include:

• Atherosclerosis
• Blindness
• Cancer
• Deafness
• Diabetes

A major goal of this program is to foster your ability for independent thought. To this end, our faculty cultivates an open, collegial relationship with one another and with our students. Close collaboration, the sharing of ideas, and open inquiry are a critical complement to sound technical training, and to the development of independent thinking.

Research courses provide a comprehensive exploration of protein chemistry and molecular biology. You, with the help of your mentor, will design a program to suit your research needs and career objectives. Laboratory experience is central to the graduate experience, and you will also have the opportunity to engage faculty and other students in the Health Sciences Center through seminar programs, journal clubs, and research forums.

Instrumentation include an affymetrix genechip reader, fluorimeters, an electroparamagnetic spin resonance (epr) spectrometer, and a mass spectrometer. A recombinant DNA core facility houses an oligonucleotide synthesizer, a DNA sequencer, a phosphorimager, a fluorimager, an X-ray processor, and a full complement of instruments and reagents necessary for conducting molecular biological experiments. Specialized instrumentation is available for studying initial rates of enzyme reactions.

Lisa Salati, Ph.D., Graduate Director
Email: lsalati@hsc.wvu.edu
(304) 293-7759