Biology Faculty Profiles

Mark E. Lee, Ph.D.

E-mail: marklee@spelman.edu

Title: Assistant Professor

Spelman: 2003

Degree(s) | Year Awarded:

Ph.D. (1996)
B.S., Morris Brown College (1990)

Course(s) Taught:

General Biology BIO 111
Biomolecules BIO 470
Senior Seminar BIO 485

Selected Publication(s):

In vitro and in vivo responses to interluekin-12 are maintained until the late SIV infection stage but lost during AIDS. F Villinger, SZ Bucur, NF Chikkala, SS Brar, P Bostik, AE Mayne, JW Adams, ME Lee, FJ Novembre, MK Gately, AA Ansari, CD Hillyer. AIDS Res Hum Retro, 2000, 16:751-763.

Recombinant human CD40 ligand inhibits SIVmac replication: A role for interleukin-16. ME Lee, SZ Bucur, TW Gillespie, JW Adams, AT Barker, EK Thomas, JD Roback, CD Hillyer. J Med Primatol, 1999, Special AIDS Issue, 28: 190-194.

Molecular cloning and expression of rhesus macaque interleukin-16 and its inhibition of simian immunodeficiency virus replication. ME Lee, JW Adams, F Villinger, SS Brar, M Meadows, SZ Bucur, DA Lackey, GT Brice, WW Cruikshank, AA Ansari, CD Hillyer. AIDS Res Hum Retro, 1998, 14: 1323-1328.

Current Grant Support:

Center for Biomedical and Behavioral Research Faculty Seed Award, 2005-06

Related Interest/Organizations:

Biology Club, Biology Book Club

Research Interests:

The primary focus of our laboratory program is the development of reagents suitable for use in vaccine development in primate models. Specific interests include the regulation of cytokines; use of RNA interference (RNAi) studies, specifically small interfering RNAs (siRNA) as a means of gene silencing. These and other nucleic acids are being delivered using the amaxa, Inc Nucleofection technology. This approach is being used for the development of reagents useful in investigations involving the rhesus macaque model of AIDS; the structural and functional relationships of the inhibitory effects of IL-16; and translation of these to cellular and cytokine therapeutic modalities.