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https://emt.oregonstate.edu/users/andrew-annalora
My research probes the structure, function and evolution of nuclear hormone receptors (NR) and cytochrome P450 (CYP) genes involved in human toxicology and the progression of diseases ranging from cancer and kidney disease to hypertension and obesity. My laboratory focuses primarily on mammalian genes involved in vitamin A and vitamin D metabolism, including CYP1B1, CYP3A5, CYP24A1 and CYP26A1, each of which can become overexpressed in human tumors, making them important therapeutic targets for a range of human disorders. My graduate and post-doctoral work was focused primarily on characterizing the structure/function of mitochondrial CYP genes, including CYP11A1 and CYP24A1, which provided me with expertise in heterologous protein expression systems and the purification of recombinant proteins for biochemical, biophysical and x-ray crystallographic studies that underpin the structure-based drug development (SBDD) process. As a faculty member in the Dept. of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology at Oregon State University, I have shifted my focus to exploring the role of alternative gene splicing in human health, and I hope to develop new approaches for modulating both NR and CYP gene function using antisense approaches to gene therapy. Validation of this methodology may inspire the next generation of RNA-based therapeutics that circumvent toxicity issues associated with conventional, hormone-based, small molecule drugs. In recent years, I have also gained substantial experience designing and implementing 2D cell-culture assays to probe gene expression, mechanisms of toxicity and PK/PD parameters for novel therapeutic leads. I also have an extensive background in computational bioinformatics, molecular modeling and docking, untargeted metabolomics and LC/MS analysis of both vitamin D and corticosterone metabolites.
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