Sergei A. Grando

Sergei A. Grando is a Distinguished Professor of Dermatology at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) School of Medicine, where he serves as Director of the Immunobullous Clinic. His research focuses on the role of cholinergic signaling in immune cell function, particularly involving nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and their effects on B-cell activation, apoptosis, and inflammation. His work bridges immunology, pharmacology, and cellular biology, with implications for autoimmune diseases and cancer biology.

Grando's studies have examined the regulatory roles of nAChRs in B-cell differentiation markers (CD38, CD138), apoptosis pathways, and the interaction between nicotinic signaling and inflammatory markers like Cox-2. His research also extends to muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) in cervical cancer cells, linking cholinergic pathways to cellular motility and proliferation via ERK1/2 signaling.

He has secured NIH grants (R01 DE014173, R21 ES014384) supporting investigations into the cholinergic system's impact on immune dysfunction and carcinogenesis. Grando collaborates extensively, with co-authors including Chernyavsky AI, Arredondo J, and others, and his work has been published in journals like International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology and Journal of Neuroinflammation.