UC Davis Department of Dermatology Research

The UC Davis department of dermatology is rapidly expanding its research endeavors. Currently ranked tenth among all dermatology departments in the country in terms of total NIH awards, UC-Davis expects to continue to strengthen its research programs with its new faculty additions. The chair of the department, Dr. Fu-Tong Liu, is internationally known for discovering several of the galectin family members, which play key roles in many physiological and pathological processes. He leads the new research emphasis at UC-Davis.
     Research conducted within the UC Davis department of dermatology continues to make important contributions to science and medicine. Dr. Sergei A. Grando has recently shown that skin-cell migration is modulated by distinct muscarinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptor subtypes. Dr. R. Rivkah Isseroff is also interested in characterizing skin-cell migration. Her group has recently uncovered some important intracellular pathways that help regulate this process. Dr. Yoshikazu Takada's group is deciphering how different molecules termed integrins allow for cell migration. Their results are important pieces to our understanding of cancer and angiogenesis.      The department is also a pioneer in the field of telemedicine and bioinformatics. Dr.Arthur Huntley was the first to use the internet to share medical knowledge and has set up telemedicine services for much of Northern California.