Director Of Research Computing

As Director, my overall goal is to enhance our research mission through planning, designing and implementing computer-based systems within the Hershey Medical Center and the PSU College of Medicine. More specifically, my focus will be to establish procedures and systems that will:

• Use technology to increase collaboration among researchers, both within COM/HMC/PSU and with external partners, and to increase overall efficiency of the research enterprise within the COM/HMC.
• Foster innovative collaborative relationships with biotechnology industry and life sciences research organizations (e.g. the Life Sciences Greenhouse).
• Provide access to sophisticated research computing services and resources, especially those available through PSU at University Park.
• Provide tools for investigators to obtain and analyze clinical data to identify research opportunities and to improve clinical practice.

In April 2003, we introduced FRED, our Faculty Research Expertise Database. FRED is a searchable electronic database that acquires, maintains, and provides information regarding the research interests and publications of investigators at Penn State/Hershey.

Assessment of Cellular Permeability

I collaborate with Drs. David Antonetti, Thomas Gardner and other member of the Penn State Retina Research Group in studies designed to access the regulation of cellular permeability. The blood vessels of the retina, like other tissues with strong permeability barriers, are characterized by the formation of tight junctions. These junctions seal cells together forming a strong tissue barrier to macromolecules, such as proteins and lipids, as wells as water and ions. Diabetes is associated with a loss of these normal permeability barriers, leading to retinal edema and blindness. Diabetes causes an increased expression of a number of growth factors in the retina including VEGF and PDGF. VEGF is a well-characterized vascular permeabilizing agent and we have found PDGF can also effect barrier permeability. In collaboration with C&L Instruments, we have developed novel optical techniques to dynamically assess changes in cellular permeability under highly controlled experimental settngs.

Calcium and Control of Mitochondrial Respiration

The overall goal of this work is to clarify the role of calcium in the coupling of respiration to the energy demands of the heart. Interest in this area has come from the well-documented observation that the energetics of the heart, as measured by the phosphorylation potential or phosphocreatine and ATP levels, are not significantly affected by wide fluctuations in cardiac output and oxygen consumption. These observations have cast doubt on the classical notion that respiration in this tissue is controlled by the availability of ADP to mitochondria. These observations, together with the more recent finding that calcium serves as an activator of key mitochondrial dehydrogenases, has prompted a search in several laboratories for alternate signals that may control mitochondrial respiration. Our studies utilize the isolated perfused rat heart preparation, as well as isolated cardiac cells and mitochondria. We have developed advanced fluorescence-based optical techniques for monitoring calcium and NADH in the intact heart using custom multiwavelength fluorometers designed in our laboratory.