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College of Medicine: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
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  • Faculty
    • Primary Faculty
      • Nancy J. Rusch, Ph.D.
        • Rusch Laboratory
      • Alexei G. Basnakian, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc.
        • Basnakian Laboratory
      • Lisa K. Brents, Ph.D.
        • Brents Laboratory
      • Michael Berquist II, Ph.D.
      • William E. Fantegrossi, Ph.D.
        • Fantegrossi Laboratory
      • Abdelrahman (Abdel) Y. Fouda, B.Pharm., Ph.D.
        • Fouda Lab Research Team
      • Jack A. Hinson, Ph.D.
      • Shuk-Mei Ho, Ph.D.
      • Mahmoud Kiaei, Ph.D.
        • Kiaei Laboratory
      • Yuet-Kin “Ricky” Leung, Ph.D.
      • Lee Ann MacMillan-Crow, Ph.D.
        • MacMillan-Crow Laboratory
      • Jeffery H. Moran, Ph.D.
        • Center for Drug Detection and Response
          • CDDR Organizational Structure
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          • Synthetic Cannabinoid Research and Public Health Information
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          • Commercial Collaborators
      • Andrew Morris, Ph.D.
      • S. Michael Owens, Ph.D.
        • Owens Laboratory
      • Shengyu Mu, M.D., Ph.D.
      • Philip T. Palade, Ph.D.
        • Palade Laboratory
      • Nirmala Parajuli, DVM, Ph.D.
        • Parajuli’s Laboratory
      • Eric C. Peterson, Ph.D.
        • Peterson Laboratory
      • Paul L. Prather, Ph.D.
        • Prather Laboratory
      • Sung W. Rhee, Ph.D.
        • Rhee Laboratory
      • Ngai Chung Neville Tam, Ph.D.
      • Galen R. Wenger, Ph.D.
      • Huiliang Zhang, Ph.D.
      • Fang Zheng, Ph.D.
        • Zheng Laboratory
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  • Areas of Research
    • DNA Damage and Toxicology Core
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Basnakian Laboratory

Research Team

BasnakianAlexei G. Basnakian, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc. (Principal Investigator)
I am mostly interested in apoptotic endonucleases, the key enzymes regulating irreversible cell death after cell injury and during diseases. The nine known endonucleases seem to act by fragmenting DNA independently from each other. Our latest studies show the crosstalk between the endonucleases through several mechanisms. When necessary, tissues can protect themselves by inactivating endonucleases, while in other cases, the endonucleases activate each other and cooperate. By learning the mechanisms of this regulation, we hope to find universal cures of many human diseases including organ failures and cancers.

Alena Savenka, M.S.Alena Savenka, M.S. (Research Assistant)

Alena Savenka, M.S., has worked in this laboratory and the DNA Damage and Toxicology Core since 2008. Her responsibilities include tissue processing and embedding, cryosectioning,  immunostaining for light and fluorescent microscopy, and TUNEL assay.  She also performs imaging using epifluorescence and confocal microscopes as well as quantitative image analyses.

Todd FiteTodd Fite (Research Assistant)

Todd Fite has worked in this lab since 2010. His responsibilities include breeding knockout mice colonies and performing all of the animal studies conducted in this lab. He also performs various surgeries to create different animal models.

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Mailing Address: 4301 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205
Phone: (501) 686-7000
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