Research
The primary objective of Dr. Kelm’s research program is to uncover the molecular mechanisms responsible for the phenotypic reprogramming of disease- or injury-activated cell types of the heart, blood, and vasculature using a combination of biochemical, biophysical, cellular, and in vivo approaches. His laboratory has identified several structurally and functionally novel single-stranded nucleic acid-binding proteins, which repress the expression of genes responsible for the differentiation of certain muscle, stromal, and leukocyte cell types. Dr. Kelm’s laboratory is currently engaged in defining the biochemical roles of purine-rich element binding proteins A and B (Pur-alpha and Pur-beta) and Y-box binding protein 1 (YB-1) in facilitating the dysfunctional phenotypic modulation of vascular and myeloid cells in the context of arteriosclerosis and hematopoietic malignancy.