Our Departments Are Our Foundation The School of Biomedical Science is made up of six basic science departments and the division of anatomy within the College of Medicine. While fundamentally grounded in their disciplines, research activities within the departments are frequently interdisciplinary and collaborative, with the ultimate aim of understanding the biological bases of and processes involved in human disease. Each department has evolved focus areas, most frequently with emphasis on research that relates to specific diseases.

The Department of Biomedical Informatics is one of the few academic departments in the nation dedicated to the rapidly expanding field of biomedical informatics. The Department uses supercomputers, massive databases and sophisticated software to analyze information and translate it into new knowledge about disease prevention and treatment. Fast becoming an enterprise-wide, comprehensive information warehouse, Ohio State’s Department of Biomedical Informatics promotes research, planning and decision support for providing new, improved and cost-effective health services to patients and prepares students for research and teaching careers in the various areas of biomedical informatics.

The Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology & Medical Genetics investigates the genetics of disease susceptibility and studies microbial organisms that infect the human body, as well as how the human body responds to that infection. Some of the department’s leading disease research lies in the areas of cancer, HIV-AIDS, STDs and neurological diseases such as spinal cord trauma and multiple sclerosis. Plans are underway to accelerate research in the area of microbial pathogenesis and bacterial diseases and to examine the scientific underpinnings and effects on the body from biological agents used in bioterrorism.

Discoveries made in Ohio State’s Department of Neuroscience are leading to a better understanding of how the brain and the neurological system function and offers promise for improving clinical treatment for those who suffer from debilitating neurological conditions. Our scientists have made remarkable progress in the research of cell death, which renders useful implications for understanding diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. The Department’s state-of-the-art experimental facilities provide researchers sophisticated equipment and technology for investigating the mechanisms of neural diseases.

Research conducted in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry focuses on the molecular and biochemical bases of disease processes and contributes to the design of treatments applicable to many diseases including cancer, neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. Researchers in the department are studying the molecular mechanisms of cancer, experimenting with agents that can re-activate the genes that are suppressed in cancer patients, and exploring the medications that augment expression of a gene shown to prevent the fatal childhood disease spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The department is also actively recruiting faculty to study the molecular mechanisms and genetics that are crucial in developing strategies in the treatment of diabetes.

Research in the Department of Pharmacology focuses on improving therapy with the use of genetic-genomic information, leading to individualized medicine and early therapy or prevention. Disease-centered research includes cancer, cardiovascular diseases, mental illness, and drug addiction. The Department has established a program in pharmacogenomics, including a core laboratory for large-scale genotyping analysis. Collaborations have resulted in a novel approach for measuring and evaluating genetic variability associated with coronary artery disease, the leading cause of death worldwide.

Research in the Department Physiology and Cell Biology seeks to understand the pathophysiological consequences of human disease by examining the cellular, organ and organ system interactions in common diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases and neurological diseases. Current priorities include expanding the study of heart failure and establishing state-of-the-art confocal imaging facilities to study cell structure. Future goals include building the department into a major research center in heart failure and neurodegenerative diseases.