MCWMedical College of Wisconsin · Biochemistry
Volkman Signaling Lab
Brian F Volkman · Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Research Focus
Dr. Brian Volkman’s lab at the Medical College of Wisconsin focuses on understanding the protein interactions and signaling mechanisms involved in chronic pancreatitis and the evolution of metamorphic proteins. His team investigates how specific chemokines like CCL28 influence inflammation in the pancreas, potentially leading to cancer, and develops new proteins that can switch their structure to perform different functions. The ultimate goal is to identify novel therapies that could mitigate chronic inflammation and improve treatments for pancreatic diseases.
chemokine signalingchronic pancreatitismetamorphic proteinsimmune responsedrug discovery
Research Aims
3AIM 01Investigate the role of CCL28 in chronic pancreatitis using animal models.
AIM 02Map the recognition elements of CCL28 by its receptor CCR10.
AIM 03Use structure-based strategies to design small molecule inhibitors of CCL28.
Skills the Lab Values
animal modelsNMR spectroscopymolecular modelingbiophysical measurementscell culturestructure-based drug designchemotaxis assaysprotein engineeringanalytical techniquesbiochemical assays
Output against the department
Publications375top 14% of dept.57th of 402
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations15ktop 32% of dept.127th of 402
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.