Biography
Dr. Ruan is a medical scientist with multidiscipline-training in clinical and basic medicine, and biomedical sciences, including Molecular biology, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Pharmacology and Medicinal Chemistry. His major research areas consist of the molecular and cellular regulation of lipid metabolites in inflammation, cancer and vascular diseases. Dr. Ruan's projects are competitive as evidenced by his Continuous receipt of grants since 1993, which have included three American Heart Association Grants (Received in 1993, 1995, and 2010) and six NIH grants (received in 1996 R01, 1999 PPG project 4 as PI, 2000 R01, 2004 (Aug) R01, 2004(Dec) R01, and 2009 RC1). In particular, Dr. Ruan's newly engineered hybrid enzymes (with triple catalytic functions that specifically control the biosynthesis of the vascular protective mediator, prostacyclin, and the inflammatory/carcinogenic mediator, prostaglandin E2) have received a great amount of attention from the public. Since 2006, his department's fusion enzymes’ discovery has been reported and featured by local, national, and international news, newspapers, web news, and have led us to file three patents. In addition, the growing interest in these enzymes has brought about invitations to present the discovery in national and international conferences. These activities and their communicable influences have directly and indirectly been transmitted to the Department, the College of Pharmacy and University of Houston, and thereby increased its awareness and recognition.
Research Interest
Medicinal chemistry, Pharmacology, Experimental Therapeutics and Pharmacoinformatics
Biography
Dr. Fatemeh Akhlaghi has received the Doctor of Pharmacy from University of Mashhad, Iran in 1990 and continued her studies receiving Doctor of Philosophy from University of Sydney, Australia in 1997.She has been the Post doctoral research associate in the University of Sydney, Australia in the year 1998.Later she worked as a Senior Clinical Scientist at University of Cambridge, United Kingdom and presently working for The University of Rhode Island as a Professor and Ernest Mario Distinguished Chair in Pharmaceutics.
Research Interest
Research interests include (1) the effect of diabetes mellitus on drug disposition and (2) pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of immunosuppressive agents used in organ transplantation.
Biography
Dr.Ziaeddin Shariat-Madar has received the Ph.D. from Medical University of Ohio and later worked as an Associate Professor of Pharmacology and as Research Associate Professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences.Presently he is Director of University of Mississippi Light Microscopy Core
Research Interest
Dr. Shariat-Madar is a biomedical scientist whose research has focused on the physiological role of plasma kallikrein kinin system (KKS), including application to human health and disease. We have been a major laboratory in the study of prolylcarboxypeptidase (PRCP), KKS activator, at the molecular, protein, cellular, and animal level. We aim to examine PRCP-induced KKS activation and its related function to better characterize its physiologic influence, such as blood pressure regulation, inflammation, and the metabolic syndrome. We are interested in an integration of the basic biochemistry of KKS with cell physiology which generates and maintains the local hyperacidity surrounding tumor and inflammatory cells.