The Medical Student Research Program

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Janet L. Funk, M.D.
Research Associate Professor, Medicine
Member, BIO5

Department of Medicine

AHSC 6411, P.O. Box 245021
Phone: (520)626-3242
E-mail: jfunk@u.arizona.edu

EDUCATION:

-University of California, San Francisco, 1985 (M.D.)
-George Washington University, 1985-1988 (Internal Medicine Internship and Residency)
-University of California, San Francisco, 1992 (Endocrinology Fellowship)

HONORS/AWARDS:

-NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1991 (declined)
-Veterans Administration Career Development Award, 1991-94
-UCSF Academic Senate Individual Investigator Award, 1993-94
-NIH First Award for new young investigators, 1994-present

MAJOR AREAS OF RESEARCH INTEREST:

My area of research focuses generally on understanding the interactions of the endocrine system with the immune response, and more specifically on investigating the role of a newly discovered hormone (parathyroid hormone-related protein, or PTHrP) during the host response to infection and inflammation. Current research, which is funded both by the NIH and by the Arizona Arthritis Center, is focused on two models of infection and inflammation:

Animal and cell culture studies investigating the role and regulation of PTHrP during endotoxemia, a model for infection and sepsis. Studies to date have shown that PTHrP is induced in many vital organs during sepsis; can induce the hepatic acute phase response; and contributes to the lethality of endotoxemia (i.e., blocking PTHrP prevents death in animals treated with lethal doses of endotoxin).
Animal, cell culture, and clinical studies have just begun to investigate the potential role of PTHrP as a mediator both of the joint inflammation and the focal osteoporosis associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

Other projects may also be identified for student investigation, such as studying the role of PTHrP in breast cancer, an area that has been the focus of growing attention during the last five years.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

Funk JL. Oyarzo JN. Frye JB. Chen G. Lantz RC. Jolad SD. Solyom AM. Timmermann BN. Turmeric extracts containing curcuminoids prevent experimental rheumatoid arthritis. Journal of Natural Products. 69(3):351-5, 2006.

Funk JL. Chen J. Downey KJ. Davee SM. Stafford G. Blockade of parathyroid hormone-related protein prevents joint destruction and granuloma formation in streptococcal cell wall-induced arthritis. Arthritis & Rheumatism. 48(6):1721-31, 2003.

Funk JL. Migliati E. Chen G. Wei H. Wilson J. Downey KJ. Mullarky PJ. Coull BM. McDonagh PF. Ritter LS. Parathyroid hormone-related protein induction in focal stroke: a neuroprotective vascular peptide. American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory Integrative & Comparative Physiology. 284(4):R1021-30, 2003.

Funk JL. Wei H. Downey KJ. Yocum D. Benjamin JB. Carley W. Expression of PTHrP and its cognate receptor in the rheumatoid synovial microcirculation. Biochemical & Biophysical Research Communications. 297(4):890-7, 2002.

STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH RESEARCH:

Students choosing to work in my laboratory will benefit from having the opportunity to work closely with a young investigator in a new and relatively unexplored area of study, using basic techniques of cell biology and/or molecular biology. I would like to work with each student to identify and outline a specific research project, falling within the scope of my own research program, that would be of particular interest to the student and that would allow them to acquire basic research skills (both practical and conceptual) directed toward the goal of completing a piece of scholarly work suitable for publication.