Rafael Garcia-Mata

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overview

  • I'm a Professor of Biology and a Harold C. and Charlotte L. Shaffer Chair in Biological Sciences. I have trained as a Cell Biologist, first as a PhD students at the University of Alabama at Birmimgham under the supervision of Elizabeth Sztul, and then as a postdoctoral fellow at UNC Chapel Hill under the supervsion of Dr. Keith Burridge. The research in the lab is centered in understanding the mechanisms of regulation of Rho family of small GTPases. Rho GTPases control many aspects of cell behavior, such as the organization of the cytoskeleton, cell migration, cell–cell and cell–matrix adhesion, cell cycle progression, gene expression and cell polarity. Our lab is particularly interested in the role of Rho GTPases during cell adhesion, migration and cell invasion in both normal and cancer cells. I have consistently funded by NIH and other sources throughout the years, and have published over 60 peer reviewed publications that haven been cited more than 7000 times. I have also contributed by doing outreach, including the SCOPE program and Toledo CellulART. I have co-founded the Cell Architecture and Dynamics group, which has been recognized as an area of strength by the University of Toledo. I have also contributed as grant and manuscripot reviewer, for many funding agencies and journals. Finally, I have a strong record of mentoring both graduate and undergraduate students in the lab.

selected publications

full name

  • Rafael Garcia-Mata

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Cumulative publications in Scholars@UToledo

research areas