Our Mission
"Our group mission is to enhance research and its translation by catalyzing synergistic interactions among multiple basic and clinical researchers."Cell Architecture and Dynamics is governed by the cytoskeleton, a complex network of interlinking filaments and tubules that are essential for establishing and maintaining cell shape and mechanical integrity. The cytoskeleton is highly dynamic and responsive to an array of internal and external signals necessary to mediate key cellular processes, including adhesion, polarity, motility and division. These processes play key roles during development, nutrient absorption, organogenesis, fertility and neurotransmission.
Our interdisciplinary work is focused on understanding the fundamental mechanisms controlling the cytoskeleton, and how cytoskeleton perturbations result in a variety of pathologies, such as vascular, kidney, and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as inflammation, fibrosis, blindness, deafness, Usher's syndrome, male infertility, neurodegeneration and cancer.
The goal of the Cell Architecture and Dynamics group is to exchange ideas, share reagents and methods, improve research infrastructure, and foster collaborative work, both within and outside the University, and most importantly, provide a focused research effort to generate and expand core facilities. Our overlapping interests and complementary expertise have positioned us well to build an excellent interdisciplinary team to secure this additional funding and raise the research profile of the University of Toledo.
The labs within the Cell Architecture and Dynamics group have been uniquely successful in obtaining external funding and in publishing research in high profile journals. For the most part, these labs have functioned in relative isolation in their various Departments. Although this highly focused approach to research can be successful, it leaves out entire areas of investigation and funding. A narrowly-focused approach to research is also exacerbated by limited access to cross-disciplinary resources and expertise, ultimately compromising project development, and more importantly, the construction of new, multi-investigator, state-of-the-art equipment are core facilities that are essential to compete in today's research environment. Concern over these limitations and the realization that our university has a large cadre of cytoskeleton researchers brought us together to form the interest group early in 2018; it has been active since, with group members participating in a continuing series of collaborative discussions and presentations.