Our research topics
Sjögren’s Disease Project:
Sjögren’s disease is an autoimmune disorder characterized by exocrine gland dysfunction, occurring primarily in post-menopausal women. Patients often experience profound fatigue, migraine headaches, vasculitis, arthritis, and joint/muscle pain, with 10% developing B cell lymphomas, which could be deadly. One of our current projects is determining how SARS-CoV-2 could induce SjD-like phenotypes in patients.
We employ several cutting-edge technologies in our research.
Single-cell transcriptomics
Spatial transcriptomics
Single-cell immune receptors profiling and expression
Near single-cell proteomics
Antibody discovery with SCAN (Single-Cell antibody Nanowells)
Rational In-silico drug design (collaboration with Dr. David Ostrov)
Development of animal models for Sjögren’s disease.
Venom Project:
An ongoing collaboration between the Nguyen Lab and the Emergency & Critical Care Services at the University of Florida Small Animal Hospital, where we developed a novel assay for the detection of Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) in the blood of snake-bitten dogs to identify whether envenomation by coral snakes has occurred and whether anti-venom should be administered. Our current projects involve developing anti-venom and small-molecule drugs that could inhibit the major deadly components of snake venoms.
Dolphin Cancer Project
Dolphins can develop cancers known as squamous cell carcinomas, which arise in cells comprising the thin, outermost layer of skin (epidermis) and lining internal body cavities such as in the mouth and the tongue’s surface. Our current project is to identify and test repurpose small-molecule drugs that could stop the proliferation of cancer cells. Our ultimate goal is to develop a cocktail of anti-cancer drugs that could improve the lives of dolphins.
