Gary A. Weisman , PhD
- Curators' Distinguished Professor Biochemistry
- Principal Investigator Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center
Research
- Accepting new advisees Is accepting new doctoral advisees
Areas of expertise
- Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
Research Summary
Dr. Weisman’s laboratory studies the initiation of inflammatory disorders such as autoimmune, cardiovascular and Alzheimer’s diseases and cancer. They have found that blocking cell receptors that recognize the release of the molecule ATP from damaged cells prevents chronic inflammation, which preserves tissue function. In mouse models of autoimmune Sjögren’s disease, they have demonstrated that inhibiting these ATP receptors prevents chronic immune cell activation in salivary and lacrimal gland to enhance saliva and tear secretion, respectively. Recently, they demonstrated that blocking the ATP receptors also retards tumor growth in mice, and we are now testing whether these approaches will prevent these chronic disorders in humans.