Mike Estep

Education Background
Mr. Mike Estep was awarded a B.Sc. with honors in Biology from George Mason University in 2001; as an undergraduate he worked mostly in the microbiology lab of Dr. Jennifer Isbister studying antibiotic delivery systems as well as the antibiotic efficacy of various fungal secondary metabolites. He currently is a biosciences Ph.D. student working under the direction of Dr. Geraldine Grant on the genomics of fibrosis.

Projects: Genomics of Fibrosis
Liver fibrosis is a central feature of chronic liver injury due to metabolic, genetic, viral disease, as well as toxicity caused by drugs, metals, or other agents. Extensive liver fibrosis (characterized by excessive deposition of extra cellular matrix rich in collagen-I by myofibroblast-like hepatic stellate cells) can ultimately lead to cirrhosis and is the most common cause of liver failure. This is due to severe impairment of the liver’s normal function caused by the disfigurement of the organ’s architecture. In Dr. Grant’s lab our 5760 spot custom cDNA microarray, real time PCR, or immunofluorescent microscopy are just some of the tools that we use to investigate the biology underlying liver fibrosis.