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Nancy L. Allbritton

Professor, Physiology & Biophysics
School of Medicine

Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1987


M.D., Johns Hopkins, 1985

Phone: (949) 824-6493
Fax: (949) 824-8540
Email: nlallbri@uci.edu

University of California
D380 Med Sci I
Department of Physiology & Biophysics
Mail Code: 4560
Irvine, CA 92697

picture of Nancy L. Allbritton

Research
Interests
Signal transduction, Single-cell assays, Quantitative cellular analyses, Analytical chemistry
   
URL Allbritton Lab
   
Academic
Distinctions
1995 Searle Scholar Award
1995 Beckman Young Investigator Award
2003 UCI Midcareer Research Award
2004 College of Medicine Excellence in Teaching Award
   
Appointments 1988 Postdoctoral Fellowship, Herman Eisen, Dept. of Biology, M.I.T.
1989 - 1994 Postdoctoral Fellowship, Lubert Stryer, Dept. of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Stanford University
   
Research
Abstract
There is tremendous interest in understanding how cells receive and process signals in order to carry out a given cellular response, a field known as cellular signal transduction. The research objective of the Allbritton Lab is to quantitatively measure cellular signaling networks in order to understand the relationships of these intracellular pathways in controlling cellular physiology. In order to elucidate these complex interrelationships, measurements on individual cells must be undertaken. The Allbritton lab has pursued this task by bringing to bear diverse techniques from biology, physics, chemistry, and engineering to develop new analytical techniques to identify molecular circuits within a single cell. New methods involving selective laser-induced ablation and highly sensitive microanalytical separations have been developed by the lab for single-cell applications. This research has involved a number of biological systems, but is particularly focused on studies of enzymatic activity involved in cellular signaling. Recent work has addressed quantifying the activity of enzymes downstream of calcium activation, especially protein kinase C and calcium/calmodulin-activated kinase II. Studies are also addressing single-cell enzyme activation within a variety of pathways involved in growth, development and survival. An additional focus area of the lab is the development of new microfluidic technologies for chemical analysis of single cells. Novel microscale devices are being designed and tested to overcome challenges related to the separation and detection of multiple cellular analytes from single cells.
   
Publications Meredith, G.D., Wu, H.Y., Allbritton, N.L., 2004. Targeted Protein Functionalization Using His-Tags. Bioconjugate Chem. 15:969-82.
   
  Soughayer, J.S., Wang, Y., Li, H., Cheung, S.H., Rossi, F.M., Stanbridge, E.J., Sims, E.S., Allbritton, N.L. 2004. Characterization of TAT-Mediated Transport of Detachable Kinase Substrates. Biochemistry. 43:8528-40.
   
  Hu, S., Ren, X., Bachman, M., Sims, C.E., Li, G.P., Allbritton, N.L. 2004. Tailoring the Surface Properties of Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Microfluidic Devices. Langmuir. 20:5569-74.
   
  Hu, S., Ren, X., Bachman, M., Sims, C.E., Li, G.P., Allbritton, N.L. 2004. Surface-Directed, Graft Polymerization within Microfluidic Channels. Anal. Chem. 76:1865-1870.
   
  Li, H. Sims, C.E., Stanbridge, E.J., Allbritton, N.L. 2004. Quantitative Single-Cell Assay for Protein Kinase B Reveals Important Insights into the Biochemical Behavior of an Intracellular Substrate Peptide. Biochemistry. 43:1599-1608.
   
  Wagner, J., Fall, C.P., Hong, F., Sims, C.E., Allbritton, N.L., Fontanilla, R.A., Moraru, I.I., Loew, L.M., Nuccitelli, R.A. 2004. A wave of IP3 production accompanies the fertilization Ca2+ wave in the egg of the frog, Xenopus laevis: theoretical and experimental support. Cell Calcium. 35:433-447.
   
  McClain, M.A., Culbertson, C.T., Jacobson, S.C., Allbritton, N.L., Sims, C.E., Ramsey, J.M. 2003. Microfluidic Devices for the High Throughput Chemical Analysis of Cells. Anal. Chem. 75:5646-55.
   
  Hu, S., Ren, X., Bachman, M., Sims, C.E., Li, G.P., Allbritton, N.L. 2003. Cross-Linked Coatings for Electrophoretic Separations in Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Microchannels. Electrophoresis. 524:3679-88.
   
  Sims, C.E., Allbritton, N.L. 2003. Single Cell Kinase Assays: Opening a window onto cell behavior. Current Opin. Biotech. 14:1-6.
   
  Han, F., Wang, Y., Sims, C.E., Bachman, M., Chang, R., Li, G.P., Allbritton, N.L. 2003. Fast Electrical Lysis of Cells for Capillary Electrophoresis. Anal. Chem. 75:3688-96.
   
  Wang, Y., Hu, S., Li, H., Allbritton, N.L., Sims, C.E. 2003. Separation of mixtures of acidic and basic peptides at neutral pH. J. Chromatogr. A. 1004:61-70.
   
Graduate Programs Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics

Biomedical Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Chemistry

Cell Biology

   
Link to this profile http://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=2906
   
Last updated 10/01/2005
   
  (This faculty member is (or was) affiliated with UCI, but does not currently have an active appointment with UCI.)