My research focus concerns the general study of inflammation in the context of disease with a more specific focus on factors that modify transcriptional regulation. The three major disease states in which I work include arthritis, diabetes, and cancer. Inflammation represents the body’s response to danger which may involve infection, acute tissue damage (trauma), or chronic tissue damage (inflammatory diseases). Cells such as macrophages and dendritic cells play complex roles in this process; first acting as soldier and then as healer. The process by which this occurs involves the genomic reorganization of the cell and is poorly understood. Other cells of the body contribute signals which strongly affect this process in a manner that is intensely situational. Within this complexity, we are focused on both understanding the signaling circuitry that comes into play and the identification of targets for therapeutic intervention. Additionally, I have formed a close collaboration with Uday Kompella and together we are generating nano-formulations which deliver transcriptional modulators to diseased tissues. We are currently focused on the delivery of siRNA therapeutics to specific cell types via the molecular programming of these formulations.
