Thomas Chi Lab
Hosting: Information Session & Interview Room
Department: Urology
Lab Description
Millions of people suffer from kidney stones, enlarged prostate, and bladder dysfunction every year. The mission of our Urology research group is novel discovery in these disease spaces to help identify fundamental mechanisms of etiology and translate them to cures. Urology is a surgical subspecialty field of medicine comprised of that rare combination of kind, innovative, and collaborative scientists that want to make an impact.
Our research faculty is comprised of three PhD, one MD/PhD, and four MD faculty who span the breadth of basic, translational, and clinical sciences. As a cross-disciplinary research team, we have expertise in the physiology of oxalate metabolism, cellular pathways of mitochondrial function, applications of bioinformatics, in addition to other domains. Working closely with the Department of Nephrology, we have NIH-funded TL1 fellowship opportunities to work in a range of dynamic labs with mentors committed to your success.
Applicant Information
We have created from human tissue an organoid model for enlarged prostates that has now demonstrated stromal biology mimicking benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a disease that affects 12.4M patients a year. With this project, we, alongside the applicant, plan to explore the pathophysiology of prostate enlargement to understand the genetic and hormonal influences that drive prostate growth at a cellular level.
Fun Fact about the PI
I am the new Chair of the Department of Urology. After having spent the last 25 years at University of California, San Francisco, the people at UAB inspired us to uproot our family and roots and move to Birmingham. Our group aims to transform the way we understand and treat urologic diseases and do it in the happiest lab on campus!