Anthony Imbalzano

Anthony Imbalzano is a Professor at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology. He has held positions across multiple institutions, including the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the T.H. Chan School of Medicine.

Dr. Imbalzano earned his BA in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania (1986) and his PhD in Microbiology & Molecular Genetics from Harvard University (1991). He completed postdoctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital (1991-1996) and joined UMass Medical School in 1997 as an Assistant Professor, advancing to Associate Professor (2002-2008) and Professor (2008-present). His research focuses on mammalian SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling enzymes in cell differentiation and cancer, with a particular emphasis on muscle development and metabolic regulation.

His work spans chromatin remodeling, epigenetics, and gene expression, examining how ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers like BRG1 and BRM control myoblast and adipocyte differentiation. He studies the cross-talk between protein arginine methyltransferases (e.g., PRMT5) and chromatin remodelers, linking metabolic pathways to cellular identity.

Dr. Imbalzano’s recent publications highlight the roles of PKM isoforms in histone phosphorylation, BRG1 in Wnt signaling, and Prmt5 in TAD boundary gene expression. These studies integrate molecular biology, cell biology, and biochemistry to dissect chromatin’s role in development and disease.

He has received the Scholar of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society award (1999-2004). His lab at UMass Chan trains graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, offering rotation projects aligned with ongoing research themes.