Gary L. Sanford, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry & Immunology Morehouse School of Medicine B.A., Miles College Ph.D., Brown University E-mail: sanford@msm.edu Office Phone: (404) 752-1504 Fax: (404) 752-1978

Research Interests

My laboratory is actively involved in three distinct areas of research: 1) investigating the cellular and molecular adaptation of endothelial cells to modeled microgravity; 2) studying the mechanisms of vasculogenesis during early embryonic lung development; and 3) the role of nitric oxide, COX-2 and galectin-3 in breast cancer metastasis. The first area of research will provide a better understanding of the underlying cellular mechanism(s) responsible for changes in the way vascular cells, and other cells functions under altered gravity environments (e.g., during space flights).

The second research area is to understand how extracellular mediators, e.g., laminin and fibronectin, are involved in a vasculogenesis process, and may contribute to the development congenital lung disorders. The last area of research is to assess the metastatic potential (adhesion, migration and invasion) of breast cancer cells in response to a COX-2 inhibition, addition of a NO-donor, or by exogenous galectin-3.

 Selected Publications

1. Sanford G. L., Harris-Hooker S., Lui J. and Bosah F.N.. Wound Healing Following Injury to Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Cultures Is Modulated by Culture under Hypergravity (1999). J. Grav. Physiol. 6:P29-P30.

2. Sanford, G.L., Ellerson, D., Melhado-Gardner, C.D., Sroufe, A. and Harris-Hooker, S. (2002). Three-dimensional growth of endothelial cells in the microgravity-based rotating wall vessel bioreactor, In Vitro Cell Develop.Biol., 38:493-504.

3. Dutt, K., Sanford, G., Harris-Hooker, S., Brako, L., Kumar, R., Sroufe, A., Melhado, C. (2003). Three-dimensional model of angiogenesis: Co-culture of human retinal cells with bovine aortic endothelial cells in the NASA bioreactor. Tissue Engineering 9:893-908.

4. Larkins T.L., Nowel M., Singh S. and Sanford, G.L. (2006). Inhibition of Cyclooxygenase-2 Decreases Breast Cancer Cell Motility, Invasion and MMP Expression. BMC Cancer 6: Article No. 181.

5. Kumar R, Harris-Hooker S and Sanford GL, (2007), The expression of growth factors and their receptors in retinal and endothelial cells co-cultured in the rotating bioreactor, 10th RCMI International Symposia on Health Disparities Special Supplement, Ethnicity and Disease (Submitted).