Center for Gene Regulation in
Health and Disease (GRHD)

Breaking News: Dr. Kondratov's funding success and his breakthrough research have been featured in Crain's Cleveland Business!!

The Cleveland State University Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease focuses on research to improve understanding of biological processes and how malfunction of these processes results in various diseases. This research has significant potential to improve our understanding of the mechanisms and specific molecules that control reproductive health and those that control the aging process as well as implications for the diagnosis and treatment of many of the most common diseases found around the world, including heart disease, neurological disease, infectious disease and cancer.

Vision Statement:
To enhance and integrate research focused on Gene Regulation in Health and Disease leading to better understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling these processes and the identification of therapeutic targets.

Mission Statement:
The Mission of the Center is:

• To develop and support research focused on Gene Regulation in Health and Disease.
• To encourage and provide support mechanisms for the acquisition of extramural funding.
• To encourage and provide support mechanisms for the dissemination of research results.
• To create mechanisms to acquire resources to support research and student training focused on Gene Regulation in Health and Disease.
• To develop and expand partnerships with relevant public and private community entities with similar interests.
• To develop and promote Cleveland State University’s reputation as a local, national and international leader in Gene Regulation in Health and Disease.

Sep. 19, 2011:
Congratulations to GRHD member Dr. Valentin Boerner for winning a three-year R15 Federal grant (NIH) to study "Control of pairing and recombination during meiosis".
Dr. Boerner is an expert in the mechanism of chromosome segregation during gamete formation, a key factor for reproductive health in humans.

Sep. 15, 2011:
Congratulations to GRHD member Dr. Roman Kondratov for winning a $1.4 million 5-year Federal (NIH) R01 grant to study "Circadian clock and dietary restriction".
Dietary restriction is powerful intervention that delays the development of age-associated pathologies and increases lifespan in many organisms including humans. Dr. Kondratov's laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms of dietary restriction and its interaction with the circadian clock.

Sep. 14, 2011:
Congratulations to our newest GRHD member, Dr. Andrew Resnick, for receiving an NIH AREA award (R15) titled "Fluid flow may be an environmental modifier of ADPKD disease progression".
Research in his project will shed light on the autosomal dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease, which affects 1 in 1000 Americans, and for which no cure currently exists (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycystic_kidney_disease).

Aug. 24, 2011:
Congratulations to GRHD member Dr. Aimin Zhou for winning a two-year R15 Federal grant (NIH) to study "The role of RNase L in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases".
Dr. Zhou is an expert in RNase L, an important player in our body's defence against viruses, inflammation, and cancer. In the recent past, three other GRHD members, Drs. Mazumder, Sun and Li, also won large NIH grants. Together, these highly competitive awards recognize and consolidate GRHD's overall mission to understand and cure human ailments through modern biomedical research.