70 Years of Research: Celebrating the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology at UMMC

70 Years of Research: Celebrating the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology at UMMC

For 70 years, the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center has helped shape modern biomedical science in Mississippi and beyond. Known as the Department of Biochemistry until 2016, the department has secured tens of millions of dollars in research funding, fueled scientific innovation and trained generations of scientists and health professionals - all in pursuit of better health outcomes.

The department's growth began modestly in 1959-1960, when it consisted of four full-time faculty members and two part-time instructors. Even then, its research ambitions were clear. Early faculty secured multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health, totaling $47,375, along with support from the Mississippi Heart Association ($2,000) and the American Cancer Society ($1,384).

The department's inaugural chair, Dr. Louis L. Sulya, focused some of his research on liver disease, studying how specific enzymes could be used to determine liver function and detect cellular injury. His study laid the groundwork for future diagnostic advances.

Today's department reflects decades of steady evolution.

Dr. Michael R. Garrett, professor and chair of CMB since 2023, has expanded the department's infrastructure and expertise, particularly in cancer-related research.

Garrett assumed leadership one year after the Department of Microbiology and Immunology was merged with CMB, a significant organizational shift. Rather than seeing separation, he saw opportunity.

"While this merger represented a significant change to the department, my first thought was that science is truly multidisciplinary, and the joining of researchers from diverse backgrounds would create a stellar environment for high-quality research, education and mentoring. Almost three years later, there is no doubt that the department is stronger," he said.

That integration solidified with the creation of the Center for Immunology and Microbial Research, established within CMB to facilitate research in these key areas while preserving disciplinary identity. The department also houses the Molecular Center of Health and Disease, which focuses on identifying a molecular basis to many chronic diseases that are important to Mississippi, including hypertension, kidney disease and cancer.

CMB now includes nearly 30 faculty members and instructors, with 10 faculty recruited specifically in cancer biology since 2023. The department's extramural funding reflects this growth, increasing from $3.36 million in FY 2023 to $5.09 million projected for FY 2026.

CMB is also unique at UMMC in housing two PhD programs - one in Cell and Molecular Biology and another in Microbiology and Immunology - with 24 current doctoral students. Recently, the department launched a cancer biology track within the CMB PhD program to meet growing student interest and serve as a bridge until the standalone Cancer Biology PhD program launches later this year through the Cancer Center and Research Institute.

Under Garrett's leadership, CMB research is organized around three interconnected pillars:

• Foundational biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics
• Microbiology and immunology
• Cancer biology

Previous chairs note that Garrett's leadership continues a long tradition of innovation, including early investments in DNA sequencing, oligonucleotide synthesis and protein chemistry. While cell biology was once a smaller component of the department, it has become a major strength during the Garrett era.

Over seven decades, the department has thrived under a succession of accomplished leaders:

• Dr. Louis L. Sulya, PhD (1955-1976)
• Dr. Harold B. White, PhD (interim, 1976)
• Dr. Albert Wahba, PhD (1977-1988)
• Dr. Mark Olson, PhD (1988-2005)
• Dr. Donald Sittman, PhD (2005-2015)
• Dr. John Correia, PhD (interim, 2015-2016)
• Dr. Janie Reckelhoff, PhD (2016-2023)

Olson, now a professor emeritus, remembers a department defined by collaboration and strong institutional backing.

"Considerable support from the administration provided startup funds and equipment," Olson said. "That allowed us to adapt quickly as biomedical research tools accelerated."

That support enabled the recruitment of molecular biologists at a time when the field was rapidly expanding beyond traditional biochemistry. Olson recalls extensive collaboration - throughout UMMC, nationally, and internationally -and foundational research covering protein chemistry, enzymology, biophysics, structural biology and gene regulation.

Sittman, also a professor emeritus, joined UMMC in 1982 as molecular biology technologies were still emerging. His peer-reviewed research articles included Differential effect of H1 variant overproduction on gene expression.

"Sequencing, cloning and gene research were just taking hold," he said. "But we had a vision."

He described the interaction with microbiology and immunology as a strength and trumpeted the importance of the department's work.

"You can't have medicine without research, and the two have to work together. We want to be more than technicians. We want to be frontiersmen, innovators."

That vision led to what Sittman describes as one of the department's strongest contributions: a rigorous, techniques-driven graduate course focused on DNA, RNA and gene expression, which helped modernize molecular biology training. "It's just unbelievable what we can do by manipulating DNA and RNA," he added. Of the department's research and discoveries, he said, "We didn't win the Super Bowl, but we were doing extremely solid, good science."

He credits Correia, also a professor emeritus, with transforming medical biochemistry education through clear expectations and high academic standards.

Correia recalls the department's peak funding years with pride.

"In the 1990s, Biochemistry was one of the most funded departments at UMMC, with many R01 grants from the NIH," he said. "The faculty was productive, the students were capable and the resources were state of the art. We were a high-powered research department, albeit in a small Southern institution with a small share of the total funding."

Correia said many of the department's researchers were biophysicists. They studied drug-DNA interactions, microtubule biology, mitochondrial electron transfer and histone diversity.

"I still think my work has lasting value, involving the development of new methods and fundamental tools for other investigators," he said.

His long-running work on Vinca alkaloids, cancer drugs used to treat leukemias, led to collaborations with pharmaceutical leaders such as Eli Lilly, Eisai and Pierre Fabre.

Immediate past chair Reckelhoff led the department through another period of scientific expansion. Research during her tenure included:

• Advancing women's health through building new research programs
• Uncovering the molecular and cellular mechanisms of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and its cardiovascular and metabolic effects
• Developing rat and mouse models of PCOS to study metabolism, GLP-1 signaling (now central to weight-loss therapies), microRNAs and effects on offspring
• Establishing UMMC's first zebrafish research facility, enabling studies of tooth development, ovarian cancer and childhood neuroblastoma

Reflecting on seven decades of discovery, Garrett said he is "fervently optimistic."

"The strength of this department has always been its people," he said. "With the foundation laid by past leaders and the momentum we have today, CMB is positioned to remain a leader in biomedical research and medical education - serving Mississippi and beyond."

Seventy years on, the legacy of Biochemistry - now Cell and Molecular Biology - continues to evolve.

Garrett and past leaders say this proves that collaboration and investment can transform science and improve lives.