Dr. Bell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology at PCOM. He lectures in topics of neuronal signaling and muscle function, serves on several committees and is a consultant to the Biological Imaging Facility.
Dr. Bell received his PhD in Biophysics from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied in the lab of Dr. Yale Goldman, then served as post-doctoral trainee in the lab of Dr. Robert J. Barsotti at Thomas Jefferson University. He is also a member of the Biophysical Society.
Research
Dr. Bell studies the regulatory systems of cardiac and skeletal muscle. His research is aimed at explaining the mechanism by which changes in intracellular calcium are translated into the varying rate and strength of the muscular contraction. The technique of time-resolved polarized fluorescence is used to measure motions of the regulatory proteins as calcium binds to activate the system. The rate and extent of regulatory protein movement is compared to the rate and extent of force generation. By combining results from fluorescent probes attached to several sites in the system, a broader understanding of the mechanism may be achieved.
Dr. Bell also studies enzymatic processes related to neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's Disease.
Grants
NIH RO1, co-investigator with Robert J. Barsotti; pending with 6th percentile (fundable) score, 2007.
AHA Grant-In-Aid, co-authored with Robert J. Barsotti at Thomas Jefferson University, 2002.
SBIR Phase II, co-authored with BioFlo, Inc., 1996.
Recent publications:
Appelt, D.M., Roupas, M., Way, D., Bell, M.G., Albert, E., Hammond, C.J. and Balin, B.J.
2007. Inhibition of Apoptosis in Neuronal cells Infected with Chlamydophila
(Chlamydia) pneumoniae. BioMed Central (submitted).
Way, D.S., Albert, E.V., Hammond, C.J., Bell, M.G., Balin, B.J. and Appelt, D.M: 2006.
Caspase Activity is Inhibited in Neuronal Cells Infected with Chlamydia pneumoniae:
Implications for Apoptosis in Alzheimer's Disease. 10th ICAD conference, Madrid, Spain.
Bell, M.G., Lankford, E.B., Gonye, G.E., Ellis-Davies, G.C., Martyn, D.A., Regnier, M. and R.J.
Barsotti. 2006. Kinetics of Cardiac Thin-Filament Activation Probed by Fluorescence
Polarization of Rhodamine-Labeled Troponin C in Skinned Guinea Pig Trabeculae. Biophys
J. 90(2):531-543.
Martin, H., Bell, M.G., Ellis-Davies, G.C. and Barsotti R.J. 2004. Activation kinetics of skinned
cardiac muscle by laser photolysis of nitrophenyl-EGTA. Biophys. J. 86(2):978-990.
Martin, H., Bell, M.G., Hager, R. and Barsotti, R.J. 2003. Effects of Ca(2+) and Temperature
on the Force-generating Transition in Cardiac Muscle Studied by Photolysis of
Caged-phosphate. Biophys. J. 84:3488.
Bell, M.G., Dale, R.E., Van der Heide, U.A. and Goldman, Y.E. 2002. Polarized Fluorescence
Depletion Reports Orientation Distribution and Rotational Dynamics of Muscle
Cross-Bridges. Biophys. J. 83(2):1050-1073.
Bell, M.G., Martin, H., Ellis-Davies, G.C.R., Martyn, D.A., Regnier, M. and Barsotti, R.J. 2002.
Kinetics of Cardiac Thin-Filament Activation Probed by Fluorescence Polarization of
Rhodamine-Labeled Troponin C. Biophys. J., 82:170a.
Martin, H., Hager, R., Bell, M.G. and Barsotti, R.J. 2001. Temperature sensitivity of
phosphate-induced tension transients in skinned cardiac muscle. Biophys. J., 80:586a.
Bell, M.G., Dale, R.E., Van der Heide, U.A. and Goldman, Y.E. 2000. Polarized fluorescence
depletion reports orientation distribution and rotational dynamics of muscle
cross-bridges. Biophys. J., 78(4):326s.
Bell, M.G., Matta, J.J., Thomas, D.D. and Goldman, Y.E. 1995. Changes in cross-bridge
kinetics induced by SH-1 modification in rabbit psoas fibers. Biophys. J., 68:360s.
