Richard K. Assoian
Professor of Pharmacology
Member, Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Department: Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics
Contact information
Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Publications
Education:
B.A. (Natural Science)
Johns Hopkins University, 1975.
Ph.D. (Biochemistry)
University of Chicago, 1981.
B.A. (Natural Science)
Johns Hopkins University, 1975.
Ph.D. (Biochemistry)
University of Chicago, 1981.
Post-Graduate Training
Post-doctoral Fellow, Laboratory of Chemoprevention, National Cancer Institute, NIH, 1981-1983.
Staff Fellow/Senior Staff Fellow, Laboratory of Chemoprevention, National Cancer Institute, NIH, 1983-1986.
Permanent linkPost-doctoral Fellow, Laboratory of Chemoprevention, National Cancer Institute, NIH, 1981-1983.
Staff Fellow/Senior Staff Fellow, Laboratory of Chemoprevention, National Cancer Institute, NIH, 1983-1986.
Description of Research Expertise
Overview of laboratory research: Mechanobiology of aging and cardiovascular diseaseRick Assoian is interested in understanding how cells sense changes in the physical properties of their microenvironment and how they convert this information into chemical signals, behavior and function. His particular focus has been to understand how changes in the stiffness of the extracellular matrix (ECM) affect adhesion receptor signaling, the actin cytoskeleton, intracellular forces, and fate decisions (such as proliferation and differentiation) in arterial aging and disease. Early work with Michael Sporn at NIH included the purification and characterization of transforming growth factor-beta.