BIOCHEMISTRY

Description

This is a challenging and broad-based graduate program of research and coursework leading to the M.S. or Ph.D. degree. The aim of the graduate program is to train scientists to identify, address, and solve biomedical problems at the molecular level.

The themes of molecular structure, molecular mechanisms, and molecular regulation are recurrent throughout the diverse research areas represented by the biochemistry faculty.

Biochemistry (Ph.D. & M.S.)
(Individual Program Requirements)

 In addition to the core curriculum, every student carries out relatively short research projects in three different laboratories of the student’s choice. These research experiences not only give the student broad research training, but also help the student to select a thesis adviser by the end of the first 12 months.
In the second year, the student begins thesis research and takes several advanced courses, tailored to the student’s individual interests.

All students participate in student seminars and are encouraged to attend seminars in the Department and the University.

The average duration of study for a Ph.D. degree is five years. A minimum of two years of full-time study is required for a master's degree.

All students must successfully complete the core curriculum prior to completing the following program-specific requirements.

BIOC-502	Biochemistry 1st Laboratory Rotation
BIOC -503	Biochemistry 2nd Laboratory Rotation
BIOC -504	Biochemistry 3rd Laboratory Rotation
MCBG-507	Macromolecular Structure and Function
BIOC-508	Experimental Approaches to Biochemical Problems
BIOC-509	Biochemical Basis of Disease
BIOC-511	Scientific Writing for Biomedical Researchers: Grants and Papers
BIOC-600	Biochemistry Thesis Research

Research Faculty

Michael J. Bouchard, Ph.D. Hepatitis B virology and hepatic cancer; HBx protein and hepatitis viral replication; calcium signaling and its role in cellular transformation.

Irwin Chaiken, Ph.D. Receptor recognition and activation mechanisms; protein recognition in disease pathogenesis; protein mimetics; biomolecular design for therapeutics and biotechnology; designed molecular sensor interfaces and biosensor technology.

Jane Clifford, Ph.D. Regulation of gene expression, cellular proliferation and the cell cycle; effect of viral infection on gene expression.

Bradford Jameson, Ph.D. We are studying the role of serotonin receptors as a growth factor signal in T and B cell activation as well as in neoplastic cells. We are using serotonergic drug panels to develop new treatments for autoimmune disease and cancer.

Marilyn Jorns, Ph.D. Enzyme structure-function relationships; flavin- and folate-dependent enzymes; molecular basis of genetic diseases.

Patrick J. Loll, Ph.D. X-ray crystallography and structural biology; integral membrane protein structure; structure-based drug design; polyglutamine diseases; antibiotic resistance.

Alexander V. Mazin, Ph.D. Mechanisms of DNA double-stranded break repair in humans and in yeast; role of homologous recombination in tumorigenesis; functions of Rad5, Rad54, and Rad51 proteins.

Joseph Nickels, Ph.D. Signaling mechanisms regulating meiosis, sterol biosynthesis, and glucose metabolism in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Eishi Noguchi, Ph.D. Genome maintenance mechanisms relevant to cancer biology, including DNA replication and cell cycle checkpoint controls; investigation of replication fork progression and protection using the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and mammalian  tissue cultured cells as model systems.

Mauricio Reginato, Ph.D. Signal transduction mechanisms underlying matrix and growth factor regulation of breast epithelial biology and cancer; apoptotic signaling and differentiation.

Akhil Vaidya, Ph.D. Understanding basic molecular functioning of malaria parasites with a view to developing new antimalarial drugs.

Keith Vosseller, Ph.D. Proteomic and biochemical studies on the post-translational regulation of signal transduction through site-specific modification of proteins by O-GlcNAc and phosphorylation.

Michael M. White, Ph.D. Structure-function analysis of ligand-gated ion channels.

Adjunct Faculty at Fox Chase Cancer Center

 
Peter D. Adams, Ph.D. The influence of chromatin structure on genome stability and cell proliferation and its impact on cancer, tissue aging and cancer therapy.

Alfonso Bellacosa, M.D. DNA repair of mismatched bases and the cellular response to DNA damage. Identification of early genetic alterations in tumorigenesis.

Jonathan Chernoff, M.D., Ph.D. Signal transduction by small G proteins and their effectors and the role of these proteins in regulating cytoskeletal structure, tumor invasion, and metastasis; regulation of insulin signaling.

Roland Dunbrack, Ph.D. Computational structural biology, including homology modeling, fold recognition, molecular dynamics simulations, statistical analysis of the PDB, and bioinformatics.

Andrew K. Godwin, Ph.D. Bench to bedside science: personalizing medicine to improve the care of patients with cancer. Basic and translational studies to 1) identify genetic factors and understand how they contribute to hereditary and non-hereditary forms of breast and ovarian cancer, 2) evaluate the mechanisms of action of novel molecular-targeted therapies used in the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumors, and 3) identify biomarkers of cancer risk and response to therapy using genomic and proteomic approaches.

Erica Golemis, Ph.D. Understanding points of communication between the cell cycle machinery and cell shape controls, with particular reference to how these processes are simultaneously disrupted in cancer; the HEF1, HEI10, and HEI-C proteins, which function in cell cycle-cell attachment control pathways.

Elizabeth Petri Henske, M.D. The genetics and cell biology of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), an inherited disorder characterized by seizures, mental retardation, and benign tumors; inhibition of mTOR by the TSC gene products.

Maureen Murphy, Ph.D. The mechanism of induction of apoptosis by the p53 tumor suppressor protein; coding region polymorphisms in p53, and their influence on apoptotic function.

Teaching Faculty

Denise Ferrier, Ph.D.

Gerry Soslau, Ph.D.

John Swaney, Ph.D.

Biochemistry Program Guidelines

The following document describes the academic policies and procedures pertaining to graduate study in the Biochemistry Program.

The booklet contains current standards that are revised periodically by faculty in the Biochemistry Program, and procedures and general rules of the Office of Biomedical Graduate Studies. 

Biochemistry Policies

Application

The application for graduate admission is here.

Biochemistry Program
Contact Information

Patrick J. Loll, Ph.D.
Graduate Program Director
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Drexel University College of Medicine
245 N. 15th Street
Mail Stop 497
Philadelphia PA 19102
Tel: 215-762-7706
E-mail: pat.loll@drexelmed.edu

OR

Tia Dorsey
Academic Coordinator
Biomedical Graduate Studies Programs
Drexel University College of Medicine
2900 Queen Lane
Philadelphia, PA 19129
Tel: Toll Free (within US): 1-866-6BIOMED (1-866-624-6633)
Tel: (outside US): 215-991-8573
Fax: 215-843-5810
E-mail: tia.dorsey@drexelmed.edu

2900 Queen Lane
Philadelphia, PA 19129

1-866-6BIOMED (1-866-624-6633)
biograd@drexel.edu

"Biochemistry provides the only experimental basis for causal understanding of biological mechanisms." -Sydney Brenner