Welcome to the Trebak Lab!
Calcium Signaling in Health and Disease

Mohamed Trebak, Ph.D. and his cohort research calcium (Ca²⁺) signaling in mammalian cells in the Vascular Medicine Institute, The University of Pittsburgh. The laboratory is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the activation and regulation of calcium channels and in the alteration of calcium channel expression and function during disease. The laboratory uses biochemical, biophysical and molecular imaging approaches to unravel the signaling mechanisms of native Ca²⁺ permeable channels in cancer cells, vascular and airway smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells. The focus of the laboratory is in two classes of plasma membrane Ca²⁺ channels: the transient receptor potential (TRP) channels and STIM/ORAI proteins, originally identified as the components of the store-operated Ca²⁺ entry (SOCE) pathway. More recent interests of the laboratory include the mitochondrial Ca²⁺ uniporter (MCU) and the mitochondrial Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchanger (NCLX). The laboratory seeks to understand the remodeling in expression and modes of activation of these channels and transporters and the downstream signaling pathways and cellular functions they impinge on during cancer cell proliferation and invasion, vascular and airway smooth muscle remodeling and endothelial cell dysfunction. These molecular and cellular approaches are complemented by the use of animal models of disease and tissue-specific transgenic and knockout mice. The ultimate goal is to provide the rationale necessary for the use of these Ca²⁺ transport proteins and mechanisms as targets for disease therapy.

The Trebak laboratory is seeking qualified and highly motivated postdoctoral fellows and senior scientists. If interested, please send your CV to Dr. Trebak (trebakm@pitt.edu)