Kenneth MyersÂ
Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
Biological Sciences
University of the Sciences
United States of America
Biography
Dr. Myers research is focused on proteins that regulate the dynamic behaviors of the microtubule cytoskeleton and thereby modulate endothelial cell branching and directional motility during vascular development, maintenance and angiogenesis. For more information, see www.myerslabusci.com.
Research Interest
My research interests focus on the mechanisms by which endothelial cells alter their microtubule dynamics to elaborate cell branches and thereby establish directed motility, as well as the response of microtubule dynamics to physical interactions with the extracellular matrix. My work combines high-resolution light microscopy and automated tracking of microtubule dynamics in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. To aid in understanding how the physical environment influences cell morphology I culture cells onto 3-dimensional collagen matrices, or onto micro-fabricated substrates of various shapes, and utilize these approaches to test hypotheses relevant to vascular development and diseases associated with endothelial cell angiogenesis.
Publications
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Myers KA, Tint I, Nadar CV, He Y, Black MM, Baas PW. Antagonistic Forces Generated by Cytoplasmic Dynein and Myosinâ€II during Growth Cone Turning and Axonal Retraction. Traffic. 2006 Oct 1;7(10):1333-51.
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Myers KA, Applegate KT, Danuser G, Fischer RS, Waterman CM. Distinct ECM mechanosensing pathways regulate microtubule dynamics to control endothelial cell branching morphogenesis. The Journal of cell biology. 2011 Jan 24;192(2):321-34.
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Caesar NM, Myers KA, Fan X. Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B vaccine development. Microbial pathogenesis. 2013 Apr 30;57:33-40.