Professor
Office: CGRC 255
Email: ydaaka@ufl.edu
Phone: (352) 273-8112
Education and Training
BA – Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL (Chemistry and Biology)
MS – University of South Florida, Tampa, FL (Chemistry)
PhD – University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FL (Medical Sciences)
Postdoctoral Fellow – Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC (Biochemistry)
Research Interests
Research in the Daaka lab focuses on understanding the biological roles of G protein-coupled and androgen receptors that instruct embryonic development and continue to function in adulthood. He has been involved in crucial discoveries that unraveled contribution of these receptors to human pathophysiologic processes; for example, in the initiation and progression of cancer. Research from the Daaka lab on the function of these receptor systems has contributed to their recognition as targets for cancer therapy, and over the last decade several anti-cancer drugs have been developed against these molecules. Current projects examine contribution of the G protein-coupled receptors and their heterotrimeric G proteins and Arrestin effectors to the progression of prostate cancer from androgen-dependent to castration-resistant state, and in the metastasis of kidney cancer. We are also studying post-translational modification of androgen receptor by S-nitrosylation and its role in progression of the disease. Another area of investigation in the Daaka lab is centered on studying mechanisms involved in vesicle trafficking in recurrent urinary tract infections, with emphasis on the G proteins dynamin that support fission of vesicles from the plasma membrane into the cytosol.
References
Visit PubMed for a full list of Publications
Academic Appointments & Achievements
Haskell Hess Professor and Chair, Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
Professor, Department of Urology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
David A. Cofrin Chair in Urologic Oncology, Department of Urology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
Vice Chair for Research, Department of Urology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
Professor, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
Scientific Director, University of Florida Prostate Disease Center, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
Member, Shands Cancer Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL