Professor
Research Medicine, Biochemical & Molecular Biology
Keck School of Medicine of USC
Research Topics
- Organelle Stress & Liver Diseases;
- Hepatotoxicity of HIV Drugs and Alcohol;
- Alcoholic Hyperhomocysteinemia;
- Tackling Alcohol Intoxication with Nanotechnology
Research Images
Research Overview
Alcohol is harmful to our body and driving under the alcohol influence (DUI) increases crashes and fatalities resulting in huge economic loss. After its consumption, alcohol is readily distributed throughout the body in the blood stream and crosses biological membranes, which affect virtually all cellular biological processes. Alcohol abuse induces numerous pathological responses including endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and mitochondrial stress. ER stress, a condition under which unfolded protein accumulates in the ER, contributes to alcoholic disorders of major organs including liver, pancreas, heart and brain. Utilizing in vitro and in vivo models as well as cutting edge technologies, we study mechanisms that trigger ER stress and injury. Identified mechanisms are directly or indirectly related to alcohol metabolism, which include toxic acetaldehyde and elevated homocysteine, oxidative stress, perturbations of calcium or iron homeostasis, alterations of SAM to SAH ratio, and abnormal epigenetic modifications. Interruption of the ER stress triggers will have therapeutic benefits for alcoholic disorders.Enzyme Nanocomplexes as Antidotes for Alcohol Intoxication
Nature Nanotech. 2013; 8:187
ER stress, Cyclin D, ERĪ± variants, and Liver Tumorigenesis
J Gastro. Hepatol. 2013; 28(3):576