ABOUT THE LAB

Life threatening human diseases drastically alter cellular homeostasis triggering cellular dysfunction, tissue damage, and death. Proteases are the major executioners of cell death, and are blocked, in part, by endogenous inhibitors such as serpins. Our laboratory focuses on the interplay between cell stress (e.g., infection, hypoxia, hyperoxia, and electrolyte disturbances), protease activation, and serpin blockade.

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ABOUT THE PIs

> Clifford J. Luke, Ph.D.

> Stephen C. Pak, Ph.D.

> Gary A. Silverman, M.D., Ph.D.

VIDEOS

OUR PROJECTS

High molecular weight serine proteinase inhibitors (serpins) are a superfamily of proteins involved in a breadth of biologic roles, such as blood clotting, fibrinolysis and angiogenesis. However, the function intracellular serpin sub-family (SerpinIC) is much well less described, partly due to the lack of functional mutations in humans, but have been implicated in cancer, angiogenesis and cell death.

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