The University of Arizona College of Medicine has a profound influence on a wide range of efforts dedicated to solving medical mysteries. Its commitment to statewide, collaborative research initiatives in five specialized areas promises a still wider impact, holding hopes for prevention, new therapies and cures for many thousands of Arizonans and others.
ARIBI is a virtual institute that solidifies an advanced-imaging research community across the UA campus and the state. Its mission is to promote interdisciplinary research in biomedical imaging, in which the physiological structure, function and molecular phenotype of organelles, cells, and tissues can be measured non-invasively in vivo. Because imaging applications are readily translatable from basic to clinical science, the advances fostered by ARIBI will have direct impact on health care.
Researchers are working to discover molecules that play a key role in cancer formation and cell migration. Using non-invasive biomarkers and spectroscopic methods, researchers are investigating cancer cell and tumor physiology and metabolism. Emphasis is on non-invasive biomarkers, believed to be the key to individualizing anti-cancer therapies, and on developing multivalent agents to target specifically the surface of cancer cells.
Reaching epidemic proportions across the United States, diabetes is particularly prevalent in Arizona. In laboratory and clinical studies, the Diabetes Research Program investigates the development of diabetes and how it affects both cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. The focus of the program includes: how blood sugar is transported from the blood into muscles, where it is used for energy; how hormone systems involved in blood pressure regulation affect diabetic blood vessels and kidneys; and how blood cells are altered in diabetes, leading to a greater incidence of stroke.
The Molecular Cardiovascular Research Program (MCRP) studies the underlying biological and molecular mechanisms of heart development, cardiac disease, stroke and other malfunctions of the cardiovascular system, emphasizing translational research that will benefit patients directly. The program is an integral part of the UA Sarver Heart Center. It seeks answers to such questions as: How do heart vessels and muscles form normally during development, and how do these processes go wrong and result in disease? Why do some people's hearts last for a lifetime while others' stop beating at a youthful age? What makes some people suffer from hypertension in spite of a healthy diet and plenty of exercise? How can tissue engineering be used to repair the damage from a heart attack?
Studying neurodegenerative disorders which underlie diseases of the human nervous system, research in neuroscience ranges from molecular mechanisms of single nerve cells to complex neural systems, emphasizing genetic manipulations. Initial research interests include Parkinson's disease, degenerative eye diseases and chronic pain and emphasize translational efforts to prevent occurrence and improve diagnosis, treatment and outcome. Other research areas include epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, schizophrenia and depression.
UA College of Medicine
1501 N. Campbell Avenue
PO Box 245017
Tucson, Arizona 85724
Tel: (520) 626-4555
UA College of Medicine – Phoenix in partnership with ASU
550 E. Van Buren Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85004
Tel: (602) 827-2001
Fax: (602) 827-2074