David M. Smith

David M. Smith is a Professor at the West Virginia University School of Medicine, holding dual appointments in the Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine and Neuroscience departments. He is also a member of the WVU Cancer Institute and affiliated with the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute.

• PhD from the University of South Florida School of Medicine
• Postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School

Research Focus: Molecular mechanisms of proteasome function, including substrate recognition, unfolding, and degradation. His work bridges fundamental enzymology with translational applications in cancer therapy and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Key Article Trends: Recent publications emphasize proteasome activation mechanisms, neurodegenerative disease models, and structural insights into ATPase function.

Grants: NIH R01 GM107129 (Mechanisms regulating proteasomal degradation), NIH R01 AG064188 (Proteasome function in Alzheimer's), and collaborations on projects like Protein-unfolding chaperones for blindness treatment.

Lab Personnel: Includes graduate students Thomas Bradley, David Salcedo-Tacuma, Giovanni Howells, and Md Qamrul Islam, along with research technicians and undergraduates. Training emphasizes biochemical, biophysical, and computational techniques.