The Gibson laboratory employs mass spectrometry, protein and carbohydrate chemistry, and structural biology approaches to define the molecular details of a variety of biological processes that are important to aging and age-related diseases. Dr. Gibson’s work involves examining mitochondria, the “powerhouse” of the cell, in terms of its role in normal aging and dysfunction in conditions such as cancer and Parkinson’s disease. The lab is also involved in understanding the molecular basis of oxidative damage that results from aging, cancer and neurodegenerative disease. During fiscal year 2007, the Gibson lab joined CPTAC, a national consortium funded by the National Cancer Institute, to identify cancer biomarkers in human plasma using mass spectrometry and other proteomic technologies. Other research interests of the Gibson lab include Huntington’s disease, infectious diseases, and determining protein structures using mass spectrometry and chemical cross-linking. The Gibson lab is involved in many interdisciplinary projects with other Buck Institute faculty. “As a chemist, I see tremendous opportunities to study complex biological phenomena at the molecular level. Of particular interest to me as a scientist at the Buck Institute is to understand the biological and chemical intersections between age-related diseases and aging. What are the underlying chemical processes and their associated biological environments that allow for diseases such as Alzheimer’s and cancer to increase exponentially with age? It is as if these diseases were like opportunistic pathogens, sensing some combination of new environments and vulnerabilities. It is our ultimate goal, then, to determine what these variables and processes are, as well as to identify new targets for therapeutic intervention.” — Bradford W. Gibson, Ph.D.Bradford W. Gibson, Ph.D.,
Professor and Director of the Chemistry Core Protein expression in aging, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases
