Brett D. Keiper

Brett D. Keiper is a Professor and Graduate Program Director in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University. He serves on the Graduate Council Executive Committee and administers the Phosphor-Imaging/Fluorescence Imaging (PhIFI) Core Facility, which provides critical imaging services for research laboratories across ECU.

Dr. Keiper earned his B.Sc. from Juniata College in 1985 and his Ph.D. from Brandeis University in 1991. He completed postdoctoral training at Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals in Vienna, Austria, and at LSU Health Sciences Center, where he later served as a Research Assistant Professor before joining East Carolina University.

His research focuses on mRNA regulation in germ cells, embryos, and tumors, with particular emphasis on how translation initiation factors control cell differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis. Dr. Keiper's lab primarily uses C. elegans as a model organism to investigate how mRNA selection mechanisms during development can be leveraged to understand and potentially treat diseases like cancer. The transparent nature of C. elegans and its rapid reproduction make it ideal for studying these fundamental biological processes.

Analysis of Dr. Keiper's recent publications reveals a consistent focus on translational control mechanisms, particularly the roles of eIF4E isoforms in germ cell development. His work spans from basic molecular mechanisms of mRNA regulation to potential applications in cancer biology, with a strong emphasis on how cells make fate decisions through selective protein synthesis.

• National Science Foundation Mid-Career Award (MCB-2119959, 2021-2025): 'MCA: Post-nuclear granules traffic mRNAs through helicases and initiation factors to set their translational fates.'
• Visiting Scientist Fellowship at Mount Desert Island Biological Labs (SCRF 2021-2023): 'Selective control of mRNA translation by eIF4Es, eIF4G, and Vasa during germ cell development.'
• National Science Foundation grant as co-PI (MCB-1714264, 2022-2025): 'Regulatory mechanism for cellular dedifferentiation in C. elegans germline.'

Dr. Keiper actively mentors students and researchers in his lab, focusing on how new proteins lead to new cell fates through selective mRNA translation. His work has significant implications for understanding RNA virus functions, birth defects, and cancer progression. The lab's research methods combine biochemical approaches, microinjection, genetic analysis, and bioinformatics to unravel the complex mechanisms of translational control during development.