Jennifer R. Anthony
Terpenoids comprise the largest and most diverse family of natural products. They are a rich source of therapeutic and commercially useful compounds. The Anthony lab focuses on production of terpenoids in E. coli. Our interest lies in characterizing the enzymes that catalyze synthesis of these compounds, and in optimizing these enzymes for high-level production in E. coli. Another focus of our lab is characterizing the physiological consequences of expressing these heterologous pathways in E. coli.

Tilman Baumstark
Positive strand RNA viruses; assembly of the viral replication complex, role of RNA structure and RNA-protein interactions; yeast as a model host system.

Ara DerMarderosian
Isolation and identification of bioactive substances from natural products, including plants and animals from terrestrial and marine sources. Studies of the medical value of foods (nutraceuticals). Genetic and chemical identification of drug plants.

James Johnson
Molecular mechanisms regulating gene expression and gene product function; analysis of protein factors and DNA structures which regulate gene activity in Escherichia coli K 12 and Staphylococcus aureus; microbial sulfur metabolism.

Margaret Kasschau
Cell biology of invertebrates. Dynamics of cells from the invertebrate immune system. Evolution of RGDS binding sites in lower organisms.

William R. Law
Our lab is exploring the hypothesis that a balance between enzymatic and allosteric (non-enzymatic) influences of adenosine deaminase on adenosine actions plays a major role in regulating macrophage and cardiac cytokine signaling. This has implications in such diverse arenas as sepsis, ischemic and non-ischemic heart failure, and diabetes.

Daniel Marenda
A cell's decision to divide or to differentiate is one of the central properties that defines how that cell will function within the greater context of a developingtissue.  This crucial decision is therefore subject to precise control by a number ofdifferent mechanisms.  My research focuses on one of these mechanisms: How thelocalization of the Mitogen Associated Protein Kinase (MAPK) protein, a central memberof the Ras signal transduction pathway, contributes to this decision.

Vandana Ahuja-Miller
Immunology of infectious diseases.

Alison Mostrom
Conservation of neotropical migratory species in Pennsylvania; social behavior and communication of Carolina chickadees in Pennsylvania; social behavior of an orb-weaving spider in Mexico.

Suzanne Murphy
Analysis of early expression of the ras oncogene in NIH3T3 fibroblasts. Specific emphasis has been placed on alterations in signal transduction pathways.

Mary Beth Murray
Receptors. Protien-protein interactions.

Lois H. Peck
The influence of visual spatial training on science achievement; the impact of teacher development on improved science instruction; factors affecting attitudinal changes in preservice science teachers.

James Pierce
The use of Molecular Biotechnology and Bioinformatics in basic and applied research projects. Specific projects include: genome organization in marine invertebrates, population genetics of horseshoe crabs, DNA fingerprinting of herbal compounds and recombinant DNA methods development.

John Porter
(1) Secondary product and drug production by plants and enhancement through plant tissue, cell and organ cultures; (2) screening of plant/fungal extracts for anti-microbial activities; (3) plant-microbe interactions.

Margaret Reinhart
Invertebrate immune responses; reactions of earthworm coelomocytes to both naturally occurring and induced parasite infections.

Robert Smith
Plant tissue culture as a means of secondary metabolite production; developing models for organogenesis and embryogenesis in plant tissue culture. Anthelmintic screening of natural products using C. elegans as a model.

Kevin Wolbach
Community ecology of aquatic environments in the northeast United States. Functional morphology and hydromechanics of suspension feeding invertebrates, natural products found in vertebrates and invertebrates.