School of Medicine
Showing 1-10 of 44 Results
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Soichi Wakatsuki
Professor of Photon Science and of Structural Biology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsUbiquitin signaling: structure, function, and therapeutics
Ubiquitin is a small protein modifier that is ubiquitously produced in the cells and takes part in the regulation of a wide range of cellular activities such as gene transcription and protein turnover. The key to the diversity of the ubiquitin roles in cells is that it is capable of interacting with other cellular proteins either as a single molecule or as different types of chains. Ubiquitin chains are produced through polymerization of ubiquitin molecules via any of their seven internal lysine residues or the N-terminal methionine residue. Covalent interaction of ubiquitin with other proteins is known as ubiquitination which is carried out through an enzymatic cascade composed of the ubiquitin-activating (E1), ubiquitin-conjugating (E2), and ubiquitin ligase (E3) enzymes. The ubiquitin signals are decoded by the ubiquitin-binding domains (UBDs). These domains often specifically recognize and non-covalently bind to the different ubiquitin species, resulting in distinct signaling outcomes.
We apply a combination of the structural (including protein crystallography, small angle x-ray scattering, cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) etc.), biocomputational and biochemical techniques to study the ubiquitylation and deubiquitination processes, and recognition of the ubiquitin chains by the proteins harboring ubiquitin-binding domains. Current research interests including SARS-COV2 proteases and their interactions with polyubiquitin chains and ubiquitin pathways in host cell responses, with an ultimate goal of providing strategies for effective therapeutics with reduced levels of side effects.
Protein self-assembly processes and applications.
The Surface layers (S-layers) are crystalline protein coats surrounding microbial cells. S-layer proteins (SLPs) regulate their extracellular, self-assembly by crystallizing when exposed to an environmental trigger. We have demonstrated that the Caulobacter crescentus SLP readily crystallizes into sheets both in vivo and in vitro via a calcium-triggered multistep assembly pathway. Observing crystallization using a time course of Cryo-EM imaging has revealed a crystalline intermediate wherein N-terminal nucleation domains exhibit motional dynamics with respect to rigid lattice-forming crystallization domains. Rate enhancement of protein crystallization by a discrete nucleation domain may enable engineering of kinetically controllable self-assembling 2D macromolecular nanomaterials. In particular, this is inspiring designing robust novel platform for nano-scale protein scaffolds for structure-based drug design and nano-bioreactor design for the carbon-cycling enzyme pathway enzymes. Current research focuses on development of nano-scaffolds for high throughput in vitro assays and structure determination of small and flexible proteins and their interaction partners using Cryo-EM, and applying them to cancer and anti-viral therapeutics.
Multiscale imaging and technology developments.
Multimodal, multiscale imaging modalities will be developed and integrated to understand how molecular level events of key enzymes and protein network are connected to cellular and multi-cellular functions through intra-cellular organization and interactions of the key machineries in the cell. Larger scale organization of these proteins will be studied by solution X-ray scattering and Cryo-EM. Their spatio-temporal arrangements in the cell organelles, membranes, and cytosol will be further studied by X-ray fluorescence imaging and correlated with cryoEM and super-resolution optical microscopy. We apply these multiscale integrative imaging approaches to biomedical, and environmental and bioenergy research questions with Stanford, DOE national labs, and other domestic and international collaborators. -
Claire E Wakefield
Professor of Pediatrics (Quality of Life and Palliative Care)
BioI am a medical psychologist and researcher dedicated to improving quality of life for children affected by serious illness, as well as their families. My research spans pediatric palliative care, precision medicine, psycho-oncology, and global health, and is grounded in a deep commitment to compassionate, patient-centered care. I have published more than 325 journal articles and am named as Chief Investigator on competitive research grants totaling more than $55M.
I serve as Continental President of SIOP Oceania and as a Director on the Board of the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP), advocating for children with cancer across 14 countries. I advise the World Health Organization on global childhood cancer initiatives and am a proud member of the Presidential Task Force on Advocacy for the Society of Pediatric Psychology. I am passionate about building national and global capacity in pediatric palliative care and ensuring that every child and family receives not only the best medical treatment, but also the emotional and psychological support they need. -
Rebecca D. Walker
Clinical Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsInterests include international development in emergency care, healthcare disparities, wilderness medicine, human rights, administration
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Dennis Wall
Professor of Pediatrics (Clinical Informatics), of Biomedical Data Science and, by courtesy, of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsSystems biology for design of clinical solutions that detect and treat disease
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James Wall
Clinical Professor, Surgery - Pediatric Surgery
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsHealth Technology Innovation
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Brian A. Wandell
Isaac and Madeline Stein Family Professor and Professor, by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering, of Ophthalmology and of Education
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsModels and measures of the human visual system. The brain pathways essential for reading development. Diffusion tensor imaging, functional magnetic resonance imaging and computational modeling of visual perception and brain processes. Image systems simulations of optics and sensors and image processing. Data and computation management for reproducible research.
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C. Jason Wang, MD, PhD
LCY: Tan Lan Lee Professor and Professor of Pediatrics (General Pediatrics) and of Health Policy
BioDr. Wang is the Director of Center for Policy, Outcomes and Prevention. Prior to coming to Stanford in 2011, he was a faculty member at Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health. His other professional experiences include working as a management consultant with McKinsey and Company and serving as the project manager for Taiwan's National Health Insurance Reform Task-force. His current interests include: 1) pandemic preparedness; 2) role of generative Ai on child health and development; 3) use of mobile technology in improving quality of care; 4) assessing and improving the value of healthcare, and 5) healthcare delivery innovations and payment reforms.
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Li Wang
Assistant Professor of Biology
BioLi is a developmental neurobiologist with interdisciplinary training in genomics, proteomics, and neuroscience. His research seeks to understand how cellular and synaptic diversity arises during human brain development and evolution, and how these same mechanisms may be hijacked in diseases such as brain cancer.
Li received his B.S. from Fudan University in China, where he studied synaptic plasticity during critical periods in the visual cortex. During his Ph.D. with Dr. Huda Zoghbi at Baylor College of Medicine, Li explored the molecular basis of neurodevelopmental disorders, uncovering how mutations in key proteins like SHANK3 and MeCP2 disrupt neural function. His postdoctoral work with Dr. Arnold Kriegstein at UCSF expanded this focus to human brain development at single-cell resolution. He generated multi-omic atlases and cross-species proteomic maps that revealed novel progenitor cell types and human-specific synapse maturation programs, with implications for cognition and brain cancer. Li directs the Human Brain Development Lab (https://www.liwanglab.org) at Stanford University, where he continues to investigate human brain development with a focus on stem cell lineages and synaptic diversity.
Li has received many awards, including the NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, the Trainee Professional Development Award from the Society for Neuroscience, the Keystone Symposia Scholarship, the Dennis Weatherstone Predoctoral Fellowship from Autism Speaks, and the Dean’s Award for Excellence from Baylor College of Medicine. -
Marie Wang
Clinical Professor, Pediatrics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsEvaluation and management of the febrile young infant and infections in hospitalized children; promotion of appropriate antibiotic use.
