The University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) has received a $500,000 grant from the UT System STARs Program to hire Biology researcher, Xuemin Xu. Currently employed at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, Xu holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from the Tokyo Institute of Technology.
Xu will join the UTPB College of Arts and Sciences as a professor of Biology. His past research has focused in the areas of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Disease.
Among Dr. Xu’s contributions to science and research is his contribution to the understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanism of Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegeneration. Xu’s research also covers the mechanism of apoptotic cell death found in Neurodegenerative Disease, specifically, Alzheimer’s disease and the protein-protein interaction and its role in intracellular signal transduction.
Xu’s current research projects include studying the pathological roles of presenilins and its associated protein PSAP in Alzheimer’s disease and in ALS. The goal of his research is to determine the normal functions of these genes in neuron development including differentiation and survival, and the pathological role of these genes in Alzheimer’s disease and ALS using molecular and cellular approaches and animal models.
The STARs grant will be used to set up a research laboratory, purchase equipment and hire graduate assistants needed to support Dr. Xu’s vital research.
“We want to welcome Dr. Xuemin Xu as our newest faculty member in the department of Biology. Dr. Xu brings a depth of research in the areas on Neurodegenerative Disease,” said Michael Zavada, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “His presence in the department will substantially strengthen our graduate program and allow our students to move into the medical field without having to leave the Permian Basin.”
“The infrastructure at UTPB is excellent and I will be able to set up a very good, effective laboratory,” said Xuemin Xu. “This is also a great opportunity for collaboration with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC).”
“Along with the support of Dr. John Doran, we are grateful for the assistance of the UT System STARs program which has enabled us to recruit world-class researchers to our community. The STARS program has been in existence since 2004 and, while during the initial ten years of the program we had not received one award; in the past two years we have been awarded five UT System STARs faculty awards totaling nearly $1.75 million, ” said Dan Heimmermann, provost and vice president of UTPB. “UT Permian Basin’s support for the local oil and gas industry is well-established and recognized, but the University also is committed to improving the health care of our region. Along with our Nursing program, the coming of Drs. Xu and Cui--whose research areas are neurobiology and cardiology—represent a major advance in fulfilling our mission.”
About the STARs Program: The Faculty STARs (Science and Technology Acquisition and Retention) Program has evolved and expanded from the original proposal approved by The University of Texas System Board of Regents in August 2004. The Faculty STARs, STARs Plus, Rising STARs, Translational STARs and Teaching STARs programs are described below.
In August 2004, the UT Board of Regents approved an allocation of funds to be awarded to institutions to help attract and retain the best-qualified faculty. This Faculty STARs program was funded through Permanent University Fund (PUF) bond proceeds Library, Equipment, Repair and Rehabilitation (LERR funds) to help purchase state-of-the-art research equipment and make necessary laboratory renovations to encourage faculty members to perform their research at U. T. institutions. The Board has allocated STARs funds to both general academic and to health institutions.
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