Dr. Morrison is a pharmacologist-nephrologist who studies the effects of anti-inflammatory drugs and cytokines on vasoactive low molecular weight mediators of inflammatory processes in the kidney. A major side effect of the clinical use of Cox-2 inhibitors (such as Vioxx or Celebrex) relates to alterations in kidney function. Dr. Morrison has made major contributions to our understanding of how these and other medications influence the kidney. He is currently examining the signal transducing mechanisms of two pro-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin 1 and tumor necrosis factor alpha, on the Cox-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthetase genes (also important in maintenance of kidney blood flow) through transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms. His recent focus has been on the role of kinases as critical intracellular transducers. His studies of these genes and their protein products are of particular importance in defining and regulating inflammatory responses in the kidney glomerulus and interstitium.importance in defining and regulating inflammatory responses in the kidney glomerulus.