Dr. Hirschberg to Present at NIDCR

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), National Institutes of Health (NIH), has invited Dr. Carlos B. Hirschberg, professor and chair of the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, to present a lecture to the NIH community at the organization’s headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, February 7.

In his discussion "Novel Regulation of Posttranslational Modifications in the Golgi Apparatus: From Basic Sciences to Diseases," Dr. Hirschberg will speak about a group of transporters he discovered that play an important role in tissue development. Mutations in these transporters, he will explain, can lead to diseases in humans and cattle.

"Children with mutations in these groups of transporters have growth and mental retardation, periodontitis, and abnormalities in their toes," Hirschberg says. "This illustrates that physiology and pathology often do not have strict boundaries along the lines of NIH institutes and that basic science research as supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) [is] essential to elucidate the etiology of many diseases."

During his visit to the NIDCR, Dr. Hirschberg will meet with Drs. Larry Tabak, institute director, and Robert Angerer, scientific director, to discuss research.