Translational Physiology

In order to make a positive impact on human health, knowledge acquired from basic research must be translated into a practical application (e.g. gene therapy, medicine/vaccine, surgical procedure).

Members of this Area of Excellence are experts at evaluating the interacting signaling pathways that, in aggregate, produce a specific physiologic function or lead to a pathophysiological consequence.

While the multidisciplinary needs of this group possess a diverse suite of skills, all share a common focus on translation of the mechanisms of integrated physiological function to the understanding of disease processes themselves as well as potential therapeutic interventions.

Core technologies used in these efforts include those of molecular genetics, large-scale gene expression analyses, advanced cell culture techniques (3D, dynamic monitoring), and stem cell biology including “induced” pluripotent stem cell approaches.

Facilities such as the High-Throughput shRNA Screening Core at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the Drug Discovery Core at UC’s Reading Campus provide rare opportunities to identifying novel signal transduction pathways or screen new molecules against a 250,000 pharma-quality small molecule library for suitability as therapeutic targets.