Recent Publications of Interest:

From Dr. Asrar Malik’s lab: PAR1, PAR3, and PAR4 are characterized as G-protein coupled receptors that are activated by the coagulation protease, thrombin.  Here heterodimerization of PAR1 with PAR3 was shown to bias the selection of the intracellular G proteins in favor of G13 (upstream regulator of Rho GEFs) vs Gq (upstream regulator of phospholipase C{beta}).  Homodimerization of PAR1 however favored coupling to Gq.  The authors demonstrated differential physiological consequences as well.  They concluded "These results demonstrate a role of PAR3 in allosterically regulating PAR1 signaling governing increased endothelial permeability.  Because PAR3 is a critical determinant of PAR1 function, targeting of PAR3 may mitigate the effects of PAR1 in activating endothelial responses such as vascular inflammation. PNAS March 27, 2007; 104(13):5662-7.

PDF Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. article

From Dr. Asrar Malik's lab: Endothelial cell-restricted disruption of FoxM1 impairs endothelial repair following LPS-induced vascular injury, You-Yang Zhao, Xiao-Pei Gao, Yidan D. Zhao, Muhammad K. Mirza, Randall S. Frey, Vladimir V. Kalinichenko, I-Ching Wang, Robert H. Costa, and Asrar B. Malik. "These data suggest that impairment in FoxM1 activation may be an important determinant of the persistent vascular barrier leakiness and edema formation associated with inflammatory diseases." J. Clin. Invest., Sept. 1, 2006; 116: 2333 - 2343.

PDF Journal of Clinical Investigation article
PDF commentary

From Dr. Masuko Usio-Fukai's lab: Localizing NADPH Oxidase-Derived ROS, Masuko Usio-Fukai. "This review focuses on targeting of NADPH oxidase to discrete subcellular compartments as a mechanism of localizing ROS and activation of downstream redox signaling events that mediate various cell functions."
Sci. STKE, August 22, 2006 (349) re:8.

PDF Sci. STKE article

New Funding

Dr. You-Yang Zhao, Dr. Masuko Ushio-Fukai, Dr. Kishore Wary, Dr. Xiaoping Du, Dr. Dolly Mehta, and Dr. Alex Lyubimov have recently been awarded R01s from the NIH.

Dr. Anke Di has received funding from the Parker B. Francis Foundation.  The Greater Midwest Affiliate of the American Heart Association has announced new funding for six members of the department. Faculty members Dr. Tohru Kozasa and Dr. Masuko Ushio-Fukai are being awarded Grants-in-Aid. Graduate students Panagiotis Flevaris, Nicole Hajicek, Frank Kuhr, and Hong Yin will be receiving Predoctoral Fellowships.  This brings the total number of AHA funded individuals in the department to 14.

Department Ranking

The UIC Department of Pharmacology was awarded $10,846,443 in grants and contracts by the NIH for fiscal year 2005. The Department ranks 10^th nationally by dollars awarded medical school pharmacology departments.

Upcoming Conferences

2007

• Gordon Research Conferences
• American Society for Cell Biology, Dec. 1-5, 2007, Washington, DC
• The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
• AHA Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, April 16-18 2008, Atlanta, GA

Recent Awards - Congratulations !

• Dr. Asrar Malik was an awardee of The American Thoracic Society's Recognition Award for Scientific Accomplishment at the ATS 2007 meeting. This award "is given to individuals for outstanding scientific contributions in basic or clinical research to the understanding, prevention and treatment of lung disease. Those considered for the award would be recognized for either scientific contributions throughout their careers or for major contributions at a particular point in their careers.

• Dr. You-Yang Zhao has been selected for the EB 2007 Respiration Section New Investigator Award. This honor, conferred by the American Physiology Society, includes a certificate and a cash prize of $1,000. Dr. Zhao will be recognized at the Respiration Section Banquet on Monday, April 30, 2007 at the Indebleu Restaurant, 707 G Street, NW, Washington, DC. The Experimental Biology 2007 annual meeting is being held in Washington DC from April 28 - May 2.

Recent Graduates

• Congratulations to the 2007 Department of Pharmacology graduates Michael Broman, MD, PhD, Fadi Khasawneh, PhD and Angela Kwiatek, PhD. Dr. Broman was inducted in the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and Dr. Khasawneh received an award for winning first place at the recent Student Medical Research Forum during the forty-fifth annual University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine Honors Day.
  • Dr. Broman, resident at the University of Chicago in the Department of Medicine. 
  • Dr. Khasawneh, postdoctoral research associate at University of Illinois College of Medicine in the Department of Pharmacology.
  • Dr. Kwiatek, postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University in the Department of Urology.

Postitions of other recent graduates