Summary:
Dr. Mark Muller has been active in academic science (research and teaching) for over 25 years.  He received his Ph.D. in Molecular Virology from the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada) in 1977 and did Post-doctoral research at the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research (University of Wisconsin, Madison) from 1977-1980.    Dr. Muller and his research team  moved to the University of Central Florida in 2004 and he is currently Professor of Molecular Biology and Microbiology.  Prior to joining UCF, Dr. Muller was at Ohio State University as Professor of Molecular Genetics and was a founding member of that Department.  He currently directs a nationally funded research group studying gene regulation in cancer (see summary below).  He has published over 80 scientific articles and books and given more than 300 hundred invited lectures and seminars at universities and industry both nationally and internationally. Dr. Muller has been invited to sit on numerous NIH, NCI and NSF scientific review panels, has organized national and international scientific conferences and has edited and reviewed scientific papers for a number of journals.  He also has been an active member of the Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center and based on his expertise in translational research assumed a leadership role as co-director of the Experimental Therapeutics Program in the NCI funded Cancer Center.   In 2004, Dr.  Muller joined the University of Central Florida and is now part of the new UCF Medical School. 

Research Summary:
The overall theme of Dr. Muller’s research centers on gene regulation in growth control and cancer.  While Dr. Muller’s research is tightly focused on basic science, his lab is very active in ‘translational research’.  In translational research, the main emphasis is on ‘translating’ basic science findings from the laboratory directly into the clinics (for example in clinical drug trials); i.e., from ‘bench to bedside’ applications.  Dr. Muller has produced a number of clinically useful biological correlates that can be used to quantify response to chemotherapy.  The ultimate goal of translational science is to develop predictive models of patient response.  This would allow clinicians to identify a suitable (i.e., responsive) patient population for cytotoxic chemotherapy, thereby minimizing side affects while maximizing tumor cell killing.  Dr. Muller’s research on gene regulation has recently involved three classes of DNA binding proteins:  telomerase, topoisomerase and DNA methyltransferase.  All three are clinically relevant and represent established chemotherapy targets in the treatment of cancer.  In addition, Dr. Muller’s research has been working on telomerase regulation, another important pathway in anticancer therapy.  Summaries of these projects, including recent press releases on his work and recent references and PDF links are located on this site:  Link to Research.

Biotechnology Interests.

Dr. Muller has also been active in science related entrepreneurial activities.  He sits on several scientific boards and has founded (with partners) several biotechnology companies.  These include Visual Genomics (an early bioinformatics startup) initially funded by the NIH Human Genome Project as an SBIR (small business research innovation grant).  Another company founded by Dr. Muller is TopoGEN, Inc.  TopoGEN, Inc. is a research diagnostic company with laboratory and business offices located in Daytona Beach.  The company was established in 1992 and has been profitable since 1994.  The company offers a suite of products (DNA targets, antibodies, enzymes, kits, reagents) that are related to drug discovery for anti-topoisomerase active agents (all products are listed on the web at www.topogen.com).  TopoGEN, Inc. has distributors in Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, France, England, Italy and is working on establishing distributor agreements for a number of other countries (Eastern Europe, India, South American Countries, Mexico, Scandinavia). Dr. Muller has been involved as a founding member in several other companies in Central Florida (Methylation, Ltd., DNA Protein, Ltd., CareCyte Biologicals).  Methylation Ltd., received a Phase I SBIR Grant in 2009 to design and implement novel cell based screens for anticancer agents acting on gene silencing pathways.  

Professional Positions Held

Vitae Summary

Interested in applying for graduate studies in Dr. Muller’s laboratory?  We have an exciting array of projects (research projects).  For more information regarding UCF and the application process, prospective graduate students may go to this link:
www.graduate.ucf.edu. You may also contact us directly at  biomoldoc@mail.ucf.edu

Dr. Mark T. Muller, Ph.D.
Professor of Molecular Biology and Microbiology
University of Central Florida
College of Medicine
Biomolecular Research Annex
12722 Research Parkway
Orlando, FL 32826-3227

Office:   407-882-2268
Lab:      407-882-2267
Fax:      407-384-2062
 mtmuller@mail.ucf.edu

Press Releases and News

Press Releases on Dr. Muller’s Cancer Research Program can be found here:
Nature Reviews Genetics
UCF Impact
Medical News
Neighbors
UCF NEWS
Innovations Report
Eureka Alert
Bioblogs
Chemistry World
Innovative Studies
Korea Times
 

Presentations/Seminars

Invited Talk at the AACR Special Conference on The Role of Telomeres and Telomerase in Cancer Research. San Francisco, CA.   “Makorin-1 is a Telomerase Specific E3 Ubiquitin Ligase”  December 8, 2007.

Invited Seminar at MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando, FL..  “A Novel Blood Test for Cancer Screening”  Jan 8, 2008.

Invited Seminar at FIT, Florida. “Mechanisms of Gene Silencing Following DNA Repair”  Feb 21, 2008.

Invited Seminar MD Anderson Cancer Research Interest Group, Orlando Florida. “When Genes Go Silent due to DNA Damage:  A New Mechanism for Malignant Transformation”   Sept. 1, 2009

Invited Seminar at Burnham Institute for Medical Research. “Gene Silencing Following Homologous Recombination and Repair:  Translational Findings. Sept 10, 2009

Symposium Talk.  MD Anderson Cancer Center Symposium on Personalized Cancer Treatment. “DNA Damage and Tumor Suppressor Gene Silencing:  Lessons for Translational Medicine”  Oct. 29, 2009.

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