Biology Faculty

Philip Smaldino

Professor of Cell Biology

Phone:765-285-3675

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Room:FB 308

Education

University of Michigan - Postdoctoral Fellowship: 2013-2016
Wake Forest School of Medicine - PhD: 2008-2013
State University of New York at Buffalo - MS: 2006-2008
State University of New York at Fredonia - BS: 2002-2006

Overview

The Smaldino laboratory is broadly interested in G-quadruplex nucleic acid structures and the cellular enzymes that unwind them. G-quadruplexes are stable, ‘knot-like’ structures that form within guanine (G)-rich regions of DNA or RNA. These structures provide an essential layer of transcriptional and translational regulation in a healthy cell. However, when in excess or aberrantly unwound, G-quadruplexes can become pathological. We apply our expertise in G-quadruplex biology to study normal neuronal development and G-quadruplex-linked diseases including, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), dementia, and cancer. We leverage a combinatorial approach of biochemical assays, human cell culture models, and mouse models to study these topics.