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Participants

Technology Advisory Committee

Campus Profiles

Supported Graduate Programs

Program/Project Directors
Name
Contact Information
Site
Research Interests
 Key Technologies

Carole L. Cramer *
Exec Dir, ABI Professor
Research Abstract

 870-972-2025
ccramer@astate.edu
AR Biosciences Institute
ASU
  1. Plant-based production of vaccines and therapeutics
  2. Protein processing and subcellular trafficking
  3. Drug and protein delivery
  4. Transgene regulation
  5. Plant lectins
  6. Vaccine antigens, adjuvants, carriers
 - Transient expression in tobacco leaves
- Transgene design and expression
- Bioactivity & immune assessments

Ken Korth
Associate Prof
Research Abstract

 479-575-5191
kkorth@uark.edu
Plant Pathology
UAF
 - Molecular plant pathology,     
  Defense signaling
- Regulation of terpene 
  synthesis		 - Plant transformation
- Leaf volatile collection
  and analysis
- Insect growth assays
- Pathogen performance assays

Stephen C. Grace *
Associate Prof
Research Abstract

 501-569-3337
scgrace@ualr.edu
Biology
UALR
 - Metabolic profiling
- Phenylpropanoid synthesis
- Antioxidant characterization		 - HPLC, LCMS
- ESR Spectroscopy
- Chlorophyll Fluorescence
Participating Faculty
Name
Contact Information
Site
Research Interests
 Key Technologies

Nawab Ali *
Research Associate Prof
Research Abstract

 501-569-8003
nali@ualr.edu
Graduate Institute of Technology

UALR

- Receptor mediated signaling
- Inositol phosphate  metabolism
- Vesicular trafficking
- Apoptotic mechanisms

-Subcellular fractionation and localization
- Cell culture
- DNA sequencing
- Gene cloning, expression
- Metabolic labeling
- Microscopy, immunoassays
- protein-protein interactions
- Receptor-ligand binding

Julie Carrier *
Associate Prof
Research Abstract

 479-575-4993
carrier@uark.edu
Biological & Agricultural Engineering

UAF

- Biological engineering
- Biofuel production
- Nutraceuticals

- Centrifugal partition
  Chromatrography for mg to
  G phytochemical isolation
- Water-based extraction of
  phytochemicals
- Phytochem, testing for
  LDL-oxidation inhibition activity

Maureen Dolan *
Research Assistant Prof
Research Abstract

 870-680-4359
mdolan@astate.edu
AR Biosciences Institute
ASU
 - Plant-based bioproduction,
  molecular detection systems		 - Transient/stable plant
  protein production
- High-throughput DNA &
  protein screening
  technologies

Fiona Goggin *
Associate Prof
Research Abstract

 479-575-6751
fgoggin@uark.edu
Entomology

UAF

- Molecular plant-insect
  interactions

- Molecular techniques
- Virus-induced gene
  Silencing (VIGS)
- Microarray analyses
- Aphid and nematode
  performance assays

Qingfang He *
Associate Prof
Research Abstract

 501-569-8033
qfhe@ualr.edu
Applied Science

UALR

- Genomics, algal expression
  systems

-Algae culture and mass production
-Genetic engineering and molecular techniques
-Bioseparation
-Gene knockout
-Systems approaches
-Photosynthesis and stress responses

Xiuzhen Huang *
Assistant Prof
Research Abstract

 870-972-3978
xhuang@astate.edu
Computer Science

ASU

- Bioninformatics and  
  computational biology
- Comparative genomics
- RNA and protein
  Structure prediction
- Systems biology study
  for plant  species

- Real-life biological    
  Problem modeling
- Efficient bioinformatics
  approach design and
  development
- Biological data analysis
  by applying bioinformatics
  approaches

Argelia Lorence *
Associate Professor
Research Abstract

 870-680-4322
alorence@astate.edu
Chemistry (ABI)

ASU

- Arabidopsis genomics
- Plant metabolic engineering
- Antioxidants
- Vitamin C metabolism
- Inositol metabolism
- Specialized metabolism
- Phytoremediation

- Arabidopsis genetics and
  genomics
- Metabolite profiling
- Transgene design and
  Expression
- Biochemical assays
- Plant transformation
  (Agrobacterium-based, and
  biolistics)

Fabricio Medina-Bolivar *
Associate Professor
Research Abstract

 870-680-4319
Fmedinabolivar @astate.edu
Biology (ABI)

ASU

- Plant metabolic engineering
- Hairy root-based
  bioproduction of small
  molecules  and recombinant
  proteins
- Stilbenoids (resveratrol and
   natural analogues) and
   Sesquiterpenes
- Drug discovery
- Phytoremediation

- Hairy roots (establishment,
  culture, scale-up,
  bioproduction)
- Elicitation
- Transgene design and
  expression (hairy root
  Promoters)
- Analytics:  TLC, HPLC
- Large collection of hairy
  roots from several species
  of the Fabaceae, Solanaceae, etc.

Brett Savary
Research Associate Prof
Research Abstract

 870-680-4792
bsavary@astate.edu
Agriculture (ABI)

ASU

- Bioanalytical chemistry and
  proteomics
- Enzymes and biochemical
  technology of plant cell walls
- Plant-derived protein
  products

- Protein purification and
  characterization
- Polysaccharide structure and   composition
- MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry

Vibha Srivastava *
Associate Prof
Research Abstract

 479-575-4872
vibhas@uark.edu
Crop, Soil & Environ Sci

UAF

- Transgenics: Applications of
  site-specific recombination
  systems.
- Epigenetics: Role of DNA
  methylation and histone
  modification on gene
  expression.

- Rice transformation
 - Maize transformation
- Transgene construct:
  Cre/lox and FLP/FRT
  constructs.
 - Bisulfite sequencing
- ChIP assays
- Arabidopsis genetics
- siRNA analysis

Hong Li Wang *
Associate Prof
Research Abstract

 501-569-8983
hxwang@ualr.edu
Biology

UALR

- Plant molecular biology,
  genomics, transport proteins
- Plant seed development   (wheat and Medicago truncatula)
- Plant nutrition (minerals and phytochemicals)

-Light and Electron Microscopy (structure and histochemical studies)
-Proteomics (2D and Protein Chip)
-Immunolocalization

Daniel Berleant *
UALR
Associate Prof
Research Abstract

 501-569-3488
berleant@gmail.com
Information Science

UALR

- Bioinformatics
- Biotechnology futures

- Mining of biological texts
- Technology foresight
Robyn Hannigan *
ABI Affiliate		 617-287-4857
robyn.hannigan@umb.edu
Univ of Massachusetts
at Boston
UMB
 - Metallomics
- Hyphenated analytical
  techniques
- Organometal speciation
- Small molecule phase
  change chemistry
- Environmental fate & transport of small biomolecules
- Metals and disease 		- Hyphenated mass
  spectrometric technologies
- ICP-MS (LA, GC, LC)
- GC-MS/MS
- LC-MS/MS
- LA-TOF-MS
- HPLC-PDA, UV, F, ECD

Elizabeth Hood *
Distinguished Prof
Research Abstract

 870-680-8427
ehood@astate.edu
Biology, Agriculture (ABI)
ASU
 - Plant-based bioproduction,
  biofuels, industrial enzymes		 -Corn transformation and tissue culture
-Foreign gene expression in corn seed
-High through-put analysis
-USDA permitting
-Cell wall biology

Steven F. Jennings *
Professor
Exec Dir, MidSouth Bioinformatics Center
Research Abstract

 501-569-8216
SFJennings@ualr.edu
Midsouth Bioinformatics Center at UALR
UALR
 - Bioinformatics - 15 bioinformatics servers with 54  processing cores (shared memory servers and HPC/HTC clusters)
- UPS and tape backup
- commercial and open-source bioinformatics software

Jack Lay *
Dir, AR Statewide Mass Spectrometry Facility
Research Abstract

 479- 575-2080
jlay@uark.edu
Mass Spec Facility
UAF
 -  Mass spectrometry of
   proteins, peptides, natural
   products & small molecules		 - Structure Elucidations
- Exact Mass MS
- Protein Structure &
  HDX/MS

Brad Murphy
Professor
Research Abstract

479- 575-2670
jbmurph@uark.edu
Horticulture

UAF

- Plant-based therapeutics
- Nutriceuticals

- Transgene design and expression
- Plant transformation
- HPLC & GC analyses

Greg Phillips
Dean,
Dir, Agricultural Research
Research Abstract

 870-972-2085
gphillips@astate.edu
Agriculture (ABI)
ASU
 - Crop genetics improvement
  and crop transformation		 - Plant tissue culture
- Plant transformation
- Plant genetics
Pamela Weathers
ABI Affiliate		 508-831-5196
weathers@wpi.edu
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
WPI
 - Bioreactor design
- Medically active comp’ds
  from plants		 - Mist reactor culture of
  shoots and/or roots

Jianfeng   (Jay) Xu ***
Assistant Prof
Research Abstract

 870-680-4812
jxu@astate.edu
AR Biosciences Institute
ASU
 - Plant cell/tissue-based
  bioproduction of
  recombinant proteins
- Bioprocess
  engineering and
  bioreactor
- Renewable energy		 - Plant cell/tissue and algae culture
- Plant transformation
- Fermentation
- Anaerobic digestion
- Cell-free protein expression 

Mariya Khodakovs-Kaya
Assistant Prof
Research Abstract

 501-371-7506
mvkhodakovsk@ualr.edu
Biochemistry
UALR
 - Genetic improvement of stress tolerance and nutraceutical value of plants
- Genetic improvement of energy crops for biofuels
- Biotechnology of ornamental plants
- Plant molecular farming		 - Plant tissue culture
- Molecular cloning
- Plant transformation
- Yeast genetic
- HPLC, analysis of proteins
- Arabidopsis genetics
- Production of cell cultures in bioreactors
- Microarray

Sun Ok Lee ***
Assistant Prof
Research Abstract

 479-575-6921
sunok@uark.edu
Food Science
UAF
 - Human Nutrition
- Bioavailability of                                        phytochemicals
- Toxicology		 - HPLC, GC, LCMS
- Biological samples extraction
- Cell culture, animal and clinical study

Ganapathy Sivakumar*
Research Assistant Prof
Research Abstract

 870-680-4809
sivakumar@astate.edu
AR Biosciences Institute
ASU
 - Bioenergy and biobased
  products production from
  algae and biofuel crops
- Botanical insulin production
  from plant root culture		 - Air-lift bioreactor and pilot-
  scale photobioreactor
- Plant root and algal culture
- Alginator for algal oil
  extraction
- HPLC-MS

Latha Devareddy*
Assistant Prof
Research Abstract

 479-575-4474
ldevared@uark.edu
Food Science
UAF
 - Chronic diseases and  functional foods - Animal models, clinical trials, biomarkers

Anne Grippo *
Associate Prof
Research Abstract

 870-972-3493
agrippo@astate.edu
Biology (ABI)
ASU
  - Reproductive physiology,    toxicology
 - Cardiovascular toxicology, pharmacology
 - Endocrinology
 - Herbal, dietary supplements		  - Cardiovascular monitoring
 - Gamete culture, analysis
 - Analytics - HPLC

Richard Segall *
Associate Prof
Research Abstract

 870-972-3989
rsegall@astate.edu
Computer & Information Technology
ASU
  - Bioinformatics
 - Database Management		 - Data Mining
- Text Mining
- Web Mining

Burt Bluhm*
Assistant Prof
Research Abstract

 479-575-2677
bbluhm@uark.edu
Plant Pathology
UAF
 - Mycotoxicology    
- Molecular plant/microbe interactions
- Metabolic engineering		 - Functional genomics
- Forward and reverse genetics
- Metabolomics
- Fungal transformation

Vipin DP Nair *
Research Assistant Prof
Research Abstract

 870-972-3789
vnair@astate.edu
Chemistry (ABI)
ASU
 -Analytical method development
- Quality control herbal preparations/ pharmaceuticals/ nutraceuticals. 
-Drug metabolism and drug interaction studies- CYP 450 and P-glycoprotein interactions.
- Biopharmaceutical analysis- in vitro and  in vivo correlations
-Stability and degradation studies of drugs and finished products 		- GC-MS/MS
- LC-MS/MS
- CE-PDA, UV
- TLC/ HPTLC
- HPLC-PDA, UV, F, ECD, ELSD
- FT-IR
- DSC

JD Swanson*
Assistant Prof
Research Abstract

 501-450-5472
jswanson@uca.edu
Biology
UCA
 -Plant evolutionary development biology
- Systems Biology
-Cell-cell communication in growth and development		 -Functional biology, including in situ Hybridization and plant transformation
-Molecular cloning
-Scanning electron
-Light and fluorescent
-Microscopy
-Molecular mapping and DNA fingerprinting
* next to a name denotes recipient of P3 Seed Grant funds in either Round 1 or Round 2 of P3 Seed Grants
*** next to a name denotes new faculty hired through EPSCoR Start Up Funds