Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology

Pitt's Michael Palladino is the only researcher actively pursuing a cure for triosephosphate isomerase deficiency. Eleven-month old J.T. Borofka has this severe metabolic disorder, which is characterized by a shortage of red blood cells (anemia), neurological problems, infections and muscle weakness that can affect breathing and heart function. It is so rare that only eight known cases exist around the world — four of which have been identified in the United States.