Basic Research

Ongoing projects in the laboratory of Dr. Caro’s lab include studies of the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulatory pathways of hypoxia-inducible factor, a critical component in glucose metabolism, oxygen transport and angiogenesis.  The understanding of the mechanisms that control the activity of HIF proteins may have an important role in new therapeutic approaches to ischemic diseases and tumor treatment.

Sickle cell disease is the most common structural hemoglobinopathy among African-Americans and its clinical picture is dominated by recurrent attacks of painful episodes.  The sickle gene is pleiotropic in nature causing a highly heterogeneous phenotypic expression.  Consistent with the longstanding interest of the Cardeza in erythropoiesis, ongoing studies in the laboratory of Dr. Surrey assess the regulation of the expression of globin genes during human erythropoiesis, hemoglobin assembly and degradation, and the use of microarray-based approaches to identifying genetic mutations in hemoglobin genes.