Mission Statement

Overall Mission:

The overall mission of the SUMO Laboratory for Cellular and Molecular Biology is to pursue two main goals:  

• Contribute meaningfully to the advancement of biomedical sciences by producing world-class science that leads to publications in the top journals related to our area of expertise and developing new strategies to combat some of the most damaging diseases affecting humans. 

• Provide excellent training and mentoring to new generations of biomedical scientists, focusing on molecular and cellular biology.

These two goals are complementary and supported by Dr. Rosas-Acosta's belief that scientific research and education are the two most fascinating and worthy human activities.  

Research Goals:

The research currently underway in the SUMO Laboratory for Cellular and Molecular Biology pursues six main long-range goals: 

• Increase our understanding of how cells regulate the SUMOylation system under normal and stressful conditions. 

• Develop new model systems to study how the SUMOylation system is regulated and how it affects overall responses to stress. 

• Increase our understanding of the role of the SUMOylation system in chemotherapeutic resistance. 

• Develop innovative approaches/technologies to regulate the activity of the cellular SUMOylation system. 

• Advance our understanding of the interactions between the cellular SUMOylation system and various human viruses, focusing mainly on the influenza A virus.

• Apply the technologies and knowledge developed pursuing the objectives above to produce SUMO-targeted tools that enhance the activity of current chemotherapeutic and antiviral agents.