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Assistant Professor of Pharmacology

Diversity & Inclusion Liaison, Pharmacology

Research Interests

Trained Mentor

  • Blood and vascular biology
  • Erythropoiesis
  • Iron metabolism
  • RNA regulation
  • Coagulation
  • Non-malignant hematology

Research Synopsis

The broad goal of our research is to understand basic mechanisms regulating erythropoiesis (red blood cell differentiation and maturation). Erythropoiesis begins in the bone marrow where hematopoietic stem cells differentiate through multiple stages of multipotent progenitor cells until ultimately committing to the erythroid lineage. Subsequent differentiation down this track involves coordinated gene expression, including RNA regulation, and accumulation of iron for heme biosynthesis and hemoglobin production.  Our current work focuses on a family of dual functional proteins (poly C binding proteins) which both regulate RNA processing and chaperone iron within cells. Using biochemical, cellular, and in vivo models we explore the cross talk between iron trafficking and RNA regulation mediated by poly C binding proteins and how these activities are modulated by disease.

Maria Aleman
  • Address

    170 Mason Farm Road

    4092 Genetic Medicine Building

    7365

    Chapel Hill, NC 27599