University of Oklahoma Health

The section of Molecular medicine is a newly established basic researchoriented research entity within the Department of Medicine. Currentresearch focus of our section is to dissect molecular insights ofcardiovascular remodeling in obesity and obesity related diseasesincluding diabetes, hypertension, heart diseases, and stroke, withspecial emphasis on the regulation of these processes. Utilizing amultidisciplinary approach encompassing all aspects of modern biology,including structural biology, cell biology, protein chemistry,structure-function analysis of enzymes and receptors, regulation of therelevant genes, and in vivo studies using transgenic and gene deletionapproaches, scientists in the section of Molecular Medicine employphysical, chemical, biological and medical techniques to describemolecular structures and mechanisms, identify fundamental molecular andgenetic errors of disease, and to develop molecular interventions tocorrect them. Our multidisciplinary approach allows identification ofnew factors and the mechanisms that regulate over nutrition, obesity andinflammation and enables translation of these findings into anappreciation of their physiological role and clinical relevance. Inaddition to contributing to a fundamental understanding of thesesystems, the studies have clinical relevance to obesity andobesity-related cardiovascular diseases.