From the Dean

Thank you to everyone who participated in another successful alumni reunion weekend and white coat ceremony Saturday, August 1. We welcomed 150 new M1s, the Class of 2013, with the symbol of our profession in the company of over 500 family members, faculty and staff.

A special thank you to Randy Eckert, M.D. ’84 who served as the speaker for the white coat ceremony. I know the students appreciated his humorous and very inspirational message.

At the gala on Saturday night, we were entertained by the musical stylings of Dr. Mike Middleton ’85 on the accordion. I wonder what he will plan for his 25th class reunion next year. For photos of Reunion ‘09, visit the COM facebook page.

Lastly, I am pleased to introduce the College of Medicine’s new communications coordinator, Ms. Lindsey Bacon. Lindsey relocated from Dallas where she was communications coordinator at the University of Texas at Dallas. She will play a key role for the college, and we are pleased that she has joined us.

Have a very safe and enjoyable last few weeks of our summer season.

Sincerely,

Christopher C. Colenda, M.D., M.P.H.
The Jean and Thomas McMullin Dean
Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine
147 Joe H. Reynolds Medical Building
College Station, Texas 77843-1114
Phone: 979/845-3431; Fax: 979/847-8663
Email: colenda@medicine.tamhsc.edu

 

Dates to Remember

• September 8: Town Hall Meeting, Temple, MEC, room R109, 5 p.m.
• September 9: Town Hall Meeting, College Station, RMB, Lecture Hall 1, 4 p.m.

College News

Reunion ’09 Unites Alumni and Students for Weekend of Activities

More than 200 alumni, students, faculty and staff filled the breezeway and courtyard of the Reynolds Medical Building Friday evening, July 31 for the kick-off of Reunion ’09. Dr. Colenda welcomed the students, alumni and family members, and many alumni stopped to take photos in the courtyard.

Saturday morning began with the White Coat Ceremony for the more than 150 first-year students, and ended with a gala celebrating the 25th reunion of the Class of 1984.

The weekend wrapped up by uniting supporters and scholarship recipients at a brunch on Sunday. Dr. Dickey was on hand to give remarks and thank those in attendance, and a capella entertainment was provided by Hard Chord Dynamix with a special performance by the College of Medicine’s own second-year student Lisa Chapa.

Donors:

• Mary Elizabeth Herring
• Casey Jones and Kathleen Fallon
• Dennis and Kay Goehring, class agents of the Class of 1957
• The Class of 1957 gave $250,000 to the College of Medicine to endow several scholarships.
• J.T. Lamar and Joanne McNew

 

Student Recipients:

• Kristen Regan
• Roy Lehman
• Justin Cormack

COM partners with HBO to Screen The Alzheimer’s Project

The College of Medicine is proud to present a screening of the HBO documentary, The Alzheimer’s Project. Screenings will be on four consecutive Mondays, beginning September 21, 2009, and ending October 12, 2009, in Lecture Hall 1 of the Reynolds Medical Building, starting at 6:00 p.m.

The screening schedule is as follows:

September 21 The Memory Loss Tapes
This showing provides an up-close and personal look at seven individuals living with Alzheimer’s throughout the progression of the disease.

September 28 Momentum in Science – Part I

Momentum in Science is a two-part state-of-the-science film that takes viewers inside the laboratories and clinics of 25 leading scientists and physicians, revealing some of the most cutting-edge research advances.

October 5 Momentum in Science – Part 2

October 12 Caregivers

Caregivers highlights the sacrifices and successes of people who experience their loved one’s descent into dementia.

Following each screening, a question and answer session will be hosted by faculty members of the college who are experts in Alzheimer’s research, treatment and care.

Light refreshments will be served. Free parking is available in Lot 73 behind the Reynolds Medical Building. There is no charge for this event; however, seating is limited and reservations are recommended.

To RSVP email bklong@medicine.tamhsc.edu.

For questions, contact Brenda Long at 979-862-3992.

Alzheimer’s Disease Symposium and Poster Presentation September 3-4

The 3rd Annual Texas Brain and Spine Institute Symposium focuses on Alzheimer’s Disease and features two renowned scientists, Dr. David Snowden and Dr. Brad Hyman, in a two-day event at the Bush Library September 3-4, 2009. Dr. Snowden, author of the well-known “Nun Study” will present a public lecture on Thursday evening, and both Dr. Snowden and Dr. Hyman will present scientific talks on Friday afternoon. A poster session is scheduled for Friday morning. There is no cost to attend the symposium, however prior registration is highly recommended at http://www.txbsi.com/symposium.

Attendees are also invited to present their own posters at this symposium. The poster session provides a unique opportunity to share research on AD and related dementia with other neuroscientists in South Central Texas. Please submit abstracts for this event to Dr. Ian Murray or online at http://www.txbsi.com/symposium/abstract.php by August 14. Posters presented by graduate/postdoctoral trainees are eligible for the poster competition.

Faculty

Baker and Team Net Multiple Grants and Award

Kenneth M. Baker, M.D., FAHA, Professor and Vice-Chair of Research for the Department of Internal Medicine at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, was recently notified that his laboratory will be the recipient of several million dollars in new R01 awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Baker also holds the Mayborn Chair of Cardiovascular Research and is Director of the Division of Molecular Cardiology.

The Baker team includes Rajesh Kumar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor; Jing Pan, MD, Ph.D., Assistant Professor; Rakeshwar S. Guleria, Ph.D., Post Doctoral Fellow; and Vivek Singh, Ph.D., Post Doctoral Fellow. Dr. Baker emphasized that the dedication of these individuals has been critical in the forward momentum of the research operation, each having played a critical role in this process.

Dr. Baker has two primary areas of investigative activity:

The first funded research area, led by Dr. Pan with Dr. Guleria, entitled “Role of Retinoid Mediated Signaling in Diabetes and Cardiac Remodeling,” focuses on determining the molecular mechanisms whereby retinoid receptor-mediated signaling regulates diabetes mellitus-induced cardiac remodeling. This research will likely lead to the development of novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of cardiac related diabetic complications.

The second funded research area, led by Dr. Kumar with Dr. Singh, entitled “Novel Aspects of the Cardiac Renin-Angiotensin System,” focuses on the intracellular or intracrine renin-angiotensin system and the mechanisms whereby the system regulates transcriptional responses. This grant has direct translational implications, in that blockade of the intracellular renin-angiotensin system, may provide substantial benefit for the prevention/treatment of diabetic cardiomyopathy, compared to standard therapy with angiotensin receptor blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors.

In addition to the grants from the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Baker’s research group has received a new Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Inc. grant entitled “Intracellular Renin Angiotensin System in Development of Diabetic Cardiomyopathy.” This project studies the comparative pharmaceutical efficacy of the inhibitors of renin, angiotensin converting enzyme, and angiotensin type 1 receptor in the treatment of cardiomyopathy in diabetic mice.

Dr. Baker’s group also received a Scott & White Research Vision Award, which focuses on determining the “Molecular Mechanisms of Osteoporosis in Diabetes Mellitus.” This grant developed from observations made in one of the cardiovascular studies led by Dr. Pan, and has potential major implications for unraveling the mechanisms of osteoporosis. In addition, this grant also creates a translational interface with Orthopedics, Podiatry, Endocrinology, and Systems Biology and Translational Medicine, involving the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine; Scott and White; and the Central Texas VA.

Baker and research team

Jilka Hired as Assistant Professor

The Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine is pleased to announce that Joe Jilka, Ph.D. has accepted a position as an Assistant Professor and the Assistant Director of Innovation Development at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Dr. Jilka’s appointments became effective in June 2009.

Dr. Jilka received his B.S. and Master’s degrees in Biochemistry from Kansas State University in 1983 and 1985, respectively. He earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1990. His postdoctoral work was at Monsanto Agricultural Company in Chesterfield, Missouri where his research focused on understanding the expression of recombinant proteins in transgenic plants. In 1992 he accepted a position at Pioneer Hi-Bred International in Des Moines, Iowa where he worked on European corn borer resistance in transgenic corn. In 1997 he moved to College Station, Texas as one of the founders of ProdiGene. Prior to joining the College of Medicine, Dr. Jilka was most recently a Senior Licensing Manager at the Office of Technology Commercialization at the Texas A&M University System where he oversaw the commercialization of technologies from the Texas A&M Health Science Center.

His long-term goals include the successful development and commercialization of new technologies arising from research at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Dr. Jilka is currently working on the product development and commercialization aspects of a novel knee repair technique using synovial stem cells.

 

Students

M1 students enjoy Nights at the Ballpark

First-year students braved a few foul balls and pop flies Tuesday night at the College of Medicine Night with the Brazos Valley Bombers on August 4 at Brazos Valley Bank Ballpark in Bryan. Students and staff were treated to food, fellowship and some great photo opportunities with mascot Kaboom.

Not to be outdone by their College Station counterparts, first-years from Temple gathered at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock the next night for the College of Medicine Night with the Round Rock Express. A few third-years were on hand to share some friendly advice and welcome the first-years.

 

COM Students at the Dell Diamond

Administration

Postdoctoral Association formed

Texas A&M Health Science Center College Station Postdoctoral Association has been formed and will meet every third Monday of the month. This association is dedicated to enhancing the postdoctoral training experience by providing opportunities for scientific and social interactions within the postdoctoral community. The goal of the organization is to provide resources for career development and funding opportunities to facilitate a successful postdoctoral experience and a productive career. The organization will also work toward representing the interests of the postdoctoral researchers to the faculty and administration.

Monday, August 10, 12-1:30 pm, Room 230 Reynolds
Topic: TAMHSC Resources for Post-docs
Invited guests: Drs. Sarah Bondos and Ian Murray, who were active in their postdoctoral organizations

Monday, August 31, 12-1:30 pm, Room 230 Reynolds
Topic: Overview of How to Write a Competitive Project Summary and Proposal and Strategies for Finding Research Funding
Invited guests: John Ivy and Mike Cronin, Office of Proposal Development

Pizza will be served only to guests who respond to Mary Ann Wolff at mawolff@medicine.tamhsc.edu the Friday before the meeting(s).

OFFICE OF FACULTY DEVELOPMENT

Rx for Learning: Library Resources for Medical Education

• Presenters – Suzanne Shurtz, MLIS, Assistant Professor, Instructional Services Librarian, Medical Sciences Library, Texas A&M University Libraries and Catherine Pepper, MLIS, MPH, Assistant Professor, Coordinator of Library Field Services, Medical Sciences Library, Texas A&M University Libraries
• Date – Wednesday, 08/26/09, Noon-1:00 p.m.
• Location – Reynolds Medical Building, Room 162, College Station simulcast to Mayborn Auditorium, Medical Education Center, S&W Temple; Old Town Square, Ste. 400, Round Rock; CVRI 1R21, Temple; St. Joseph’s COM Classroom, Bryan; Alkek Tower, Room 202A & Smith Tower, Room 1115, Houston.

Medical Education for the 21st Century. Where Are We Going?

• Presenter – Paul E. Ogden, M.D., Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Vice-chair for Educational Affairs, Department of Medicine at S&W
• Date – Wednesday, 09/23/09, Noon-1:00 p.m.
• Location - Mayborn Auditorium, Medical Education Center, S&W Temple simulcast to Reynolds Medical Building, Room 162, College Station; Old Town Square, Ste. 400, Round Rock; CVRI 1R21, Temple; St. Joseph’s COM Classroom, Bryan; Alkek Tower, Room 202A & Smith Tower, Room 1115, Houston.

OFFICE OF RESEARCH & GRADUATE STUDIES

Faculty Research Colloquium
Featured Speaker: Dr. Arthur Frankel, MD
Thursday, September 10, 2009
6 PM – 8 PM
Lecture Hall 1 for Temple and College Station

Post Doc Meeting
August 10, 2009
12 PM-1 PM – Pizza will be served
Location: TBA

Basic Science

HUMANITIES IN MEDICINE

Previous Events

Louis Pasteur Exhibit

An exhibit on Louis Pasteur was loaned from the Department of Humanities in Medicine to the School of Rural Public Health (SRPH) for several weeks of exhibition. The exhibit was inaugurated on April 8, 2009, by Dr. Roderick E. McCallum, SRPH Interim Dean, with an introductory presentation on Pasteur's life and work by Dr. Gül A. Russell, who had originally brought the exhibit from the Pasteur Institute on the centennial of Pasteur's death in 1995. A reception followed.

John L. Montgomery, M.D. Chapter Gold Humanism Honor Society

The Gold Foundation initiated this national society in medical schools to recognize fourth-year medical students who have demonstrated exemplary attitudes and behaviors characteristic of the most humanistic physicians. The following students are the society members for Academic Year 2009-2010.

• Nickolas Byrge
• Mary Chang
• Elise Eckhardt
• Evan Hardegree
• Peter Hsu
• Erin Kreml
• Ravi Kumar
• Jeffrey Liu
• Michael McNeal
• John Reneau
• Elizabeth Scherer
• Drew Weiner

The society has several mentoring events planned for both the first-year and second-year medical students as part of an ongoing service project.

Osler Birthday Celebration – July 13, 2009

The Osler Birthday Celebration commemorates Sir William Osler, M.D. (July 12, 1849-December 29, 1919), the best-known physician in the English-speaking world at the turn of the century.

This year’s speaker was Bryant Boutwell, Dr.P.H., who spoke about “Schweitzer and Professional Values.” Dr. Boutwell is the Associate Vice President for Accreditation and International Programs at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. He is the first holder of The John P. McGovern, M.D. Professorship in Oslerian Medicine at the UT Medical School at Houston.

Later that afternoon Dr. Boutwell was the facilitator for the Medicine and Humanities Consultation in Salado, Texas. At the Consultation, he presented information and led discussions on the topic, “Who was Albert Schweitzer?” The Department of Humanities in Medicine was privileged to host Dr. Boutwell for these events.

Faculty Presentations and Participation

Gül A. Russell, Ph.D., presented “An Important Arabic Source for Locke’s Essay on Human Understanding: Further Evidence” and chaired a session on “Neuroscience and the Cinema” at the 14th Annual Meeting of the International Society for the History of the Neurosciences (ISHN), Charleston, South Carolina, June 2009.

In addition, Dr. Russell attended The International Neuropsychology Symposium in Dubrovnik, Croatia, June 23-27, 2009.

Garry Gore, M.D. presented “A Little Extra” to the participants of the National Youth Leadership Forum, College of Medicine, July 7, 2009.

Charles W. Sanders, M.D. presented “Medical Ethics” to the participants of the National Youth Leadership Forum, College of Medicine, July 21, 2009.

Upcoming Events

Medical Ethics Grand Rounds and Medicine and Humanities Consultation

Monday, September 14, 2009, 12:00 p.m., the Department of Humanities in Medicine is sponsoring grand rounds in the Mayborn Auditorium, Temple. O. J. Sahler, M.D., will present “Pain Management in Children.” Lunch will be provided.

Beginning at 1:30 p.m. that day the Department of Humanities in Medicine and the Scott & White Hospital Ethics Committee invites you to participate in the next Medicine and Humanities Consultation series at the Stagecoach Inn Conference Center in Salado, Texas. Dr. Sahler will facilitate the discussion which engages clinicians of medicine, nurses, social workers, clergy and academic humanists in an in depth exposure to “Pain Management in Children.” The afternoon will conclude with a wrap-up dinner at the Stagecoach Inn. For reservations and additional information, please contact Tina Price, 979-845-0755.

Hold the Date

September 16, 2009: David Bolinsky, “Animating Life,” 12:00 Noon, LH 1, Reynolds

MICROBIAL & MOLECULAR PATHOGENESIS

Upcoming Events

“Recognition and Signaling via Toll-like Receptors”

Guest Speaker: Dekai Zhang, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Center for Infectious and Inflammatory Disease
Institute of Biosciences and Technology (IBT)
Monday, August 17, 2009 at 4:00 p.m.
Reynolds Medical Building, Room 160, College Station
IBT, Room 202A, Houston

For more information, contact John Quarles at 845-1358.

Faculty

Dr. Jeffrey Cirillo attended the Mycobacterial Genomic Meeting in Washington, DC, from July 21-23.

Dr. Julian Leibowitz attended the 28th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Virology on July 11-15 in Vancouver, Canada.

Dr. David McMurray traveled to Fukuoka, Japan, from 27 July to 1 August to attend the 44th US-Japan Tuberculosis and Leprosy Conference, sponsored by the Joint Tuberculosis and Leprosy Panels of the US-Japan Cooperative Medical Sciences Program. He has chaired the US Panel for the past 5 years. He made a research presentation entitled “In situ studies of cytokine profiles in guinea pig granulomas”.

Dr. Van Wilson attended the 28th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Virology on July 11-15, in Vancouver, Canada and presented a talk entitled “Papillomavirus E6 Proteins Target Host Sumoylation” by A. Deyrieux and V.G. Wilson.

Grants

Dr. Amminikutty Jeevan received a notice of award on R21 NIH grant entitled “ARRA Effect Ultraviolet Radiation on Latent M. tuberculosis Infection on Guinea Pigs” for $402,875.

Publications

Ly LH, Jeevan A, McMurray DN. (2009) Neutralization of TNFa alters inflammation in guinea pig tuberculous pleuritis. Microbes Infect 11: 680-688.

MOLECULAR & CELLULAR MEDICINE

Grants

Dr. Carl Gregory received a Scott & White Research Advancement Award entitled “Wnt signaling modulation and human mesenchymal stem cells for improved repair of bone trauma” (2 years) $50,000.

Faculty

Dr. Geoffrey Kapler served as a chair for the session on Replication and Genome Stability at the 2009 FASEB Summer Research Conference on Ciliate Molecular Biology in Saxtons River, Vermont on July 19-24, 2009. He was invited to present a seminar entitled ORC targeting to Tetrahymena thermophila ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and non-rDNA replication origins. In addition he was elected to serve as a meeting organizer for the 2011 FASEB Ciliate Molecular Biology Conference.

Dr. Nick Pace attended the Gordon Research Conference on Proteins on June 21-26, 2009 in Holderness, New Hampshire.

Presentations

Dr. Gregory Bix gave an oral platform presentation entitled “Perlecan Domain V Improves Stroke Outcome” on July 1, 2009 at the XXIVth International Symposium on Cerebral Blood Flow, Metabolism and Function in Chicago, Illinois.

Dr. Gregory Bix gave an invited seminar at the University of Manchester, England, on July 9, the University of Gottingen, Germany on July 13, and the University of Zurich, Switzerland July 16, 2009. The seminars were all entitled “The Role of Perlecan Domain V in Brain Repair After Stroke.”

Dr. Gregory Bix presented a research poster at the International Alzheimer’s Disease Meeting (ICAD) entitled “A Novel Pathway for the Process of Amyloid Formation” on July 15, 2009 in Vienna, Austria. It was co-authored by Katherine Ridinger, Lisa Auckland, Christos Savva, Andreas Holzenburg, and J. Martin Scholtz.

Ryan Kramer in the Pace/Scholtz lab presented a poster entitled "Measuring and Increasing Protein Solubility" at the 2009 Colorado Protein Stability Conference on July 16-18, 2009 in Breckenridge, Colorado. It was co-authored by Saul Trevino, C. Nick Pace, and J. Martin Scholtz. Ryan was first runner-up of the Serge N. Timasheff Award.

Dr. Nick Pace presented a lecture on "Increasing Protein Stability: Importance of Heat Capacity and the Denatured State" at the 64th Calorimetry Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico on June 28-July 2, 2009.

Dr. Nick Pace presented a lecture on "Increasing Protein Stability: Importance of Heat Capacity and the Denatured State" at the 2009 Protein Stability Conference on July 16-18, 2009 in Breckenridge, Colorado.

Katherine Ridinger in the Pace/Scholtz lab presented a poster entitled "A Novel Pathway for the Process of Amyloid Formation" at the FASEB Amyloid Fibril Formation and Protein Misfolding: Molecular Mechanisms and Cellular Effects Conference June 28-July 3, 2009 in Snowmass Village, Colorado. It was co-authored by Lisa Auckland, Christos Savva, Andreas Holzenburg, Gregory Bix and J. Martin Scholtz.

Publications

Lee, R.H., Pulin, A.A., Seo, M.J., Kota, D.J., Ylostalo, J., Larson, B.L., Semprun-Prieto, L., Delafontaine, P., and Prockop, D.J. (2009) Intravenous hMSCs improve myocardial infarction in mice because cells embolized in lung are activated to secrete the anti-inflammatory protein TSG-6 Cell Stem Cell. 5(1): 54-63.

Liu, Y., Matthews, K.S., and Bondos, S.E. (2009) Internal regulatory interactions determine DNA binding specificity by a Hox transcription factor. J. Mol. Biol. 390(4): 760-774. Epub 2009 May 27.

Khare, S., Nunes, J.S., Figueiredo, J.F., Lawhon, S.D., Rossetti, C.A., Gull, T., Rice-Ficht, A.C., and Adams, L.G. (2009) Early phase morphological lesions and transcriptional responses of bovine ileum infected with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Vet. Pathol. 46(4): 717-728. Epub 2009 Mar 9.

Pace, C.N. (2009) Energetics of protein hydrogen bonds. Nat. Struct. Molec. Biol. 16(7): 681-682.

NEUROSCIENCE & EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS

Grants

Gerald D. Frye and J. Bizon received an NIH-NIAAA 5 R01 grant entitled “CNS development, GABAARs and Vulnerability to Ethanol,” (08/01/09-07/31/10), $135,000 direct costs, $540,000 total direct cost; (08/01/08-07-31-12).

Rajesh Miranda, Ph.D. was awarded an NIH ARRA supplement for $26,233 and also received notice of award as PI on a NIAAA/CIFASD consortium grant titled, “Circulating microRNA Biomarkers of Fetal Alcohol Exposure,” for $258,485.

Faculty

Rajesh Miranda, Ph.D. served as a chartered member of NIH/AA-4 NIH Study Section and Served as a secretary/treasurer for the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group.

Farida Sohrabji, Ph.D. attended and reviewed grants for Study Section (NNB and an SEP) June 4-5, 2009.

Presentations and Awards

Mendell Rimer, Ph.D. presented a research seminar entitled “Using genetically engineered mice to study biology and pathology of neuromuscular synapses” at the Instituto de Investigaciones Biomedicas “Alberto Sols,” Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas in Madrid, Spain on June 26, 2009.

Farida Sohrabji, Ph.D. presented at the Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society: Selvamani, A. and Sohrabji, F. Insulin-like growth factor-1 replacement attenuates estrogen-mediated neurotoxicity in reproductively aged female rats following middle cerebral artery occlusion. Endo 2009, Washington, DC.

At this meeting, Dr. Selvamani received the Young Investigator Award from the Women in Endocrinology group, and was a finalist in the Presidents Poster competition.

Farida Sohrabji, Ph.D. was invited to present “The Aging Blood Brain Barrier: Implications for Stroke and Repair in Acyclic Females” at the 2009 APS Conference: Sex Steroids and Gender in Cardiovascular-Renal Physiology and Pathophysiology on July 16 in Broomfield, Colorado.

SYSTEMS BIOLOGY & TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE

Parrish published in Environmental Factor

The study was conducted by NIEHS grantee Bruce Hammock, Ph.D. of the University of California, Davis and a team of Texas A&M University (TAMU) researchers led by first author Alan R. Parrish, Ph.D. The investigators demonstrated that increasing serum levels of the fatty acid 12-(3-adamantan-1-yl-ureiido)-dodecanoic acid (AUDA) effectively blocked an enzyme known as soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) that is implicated in the hypertensive and inflammatory effects of cisplatin in the kidneys of mice. The entire article is available online at http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/newsletter/2009/august/science-chemotherapy.cfm.

Grants

Kenneth Baker, Jing Pan and H. Wayne Sampson received an $80,000 Scott & White Development Foundation grant entitled “Molecular Mechanisms of Osteoporosis in Diabetes Mellitus” for the period.

Sanjukta Chakraborty (Mariappan Muthuchamy – Sponsor) received an $82,000 American Heart Association, South Central Affiliate Postdoctoral Fellowship entitled “Functional role of tropomyosin in lymphatic muscle” for the period 07/01/09-06/30/11.

Carl Gregory, H. Wayne Sampson, and Chris Chaput received a $40,000 Scott & White Research Advancement Award Application grant entitled “Wnt Signaling Modulators and Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Improved Repair of Bone Trauma.”

Cynthia Meininger and Vinod Labhasetwar received a $423,950 National Institutes of Health R21 grant entitled “Treating endothelial dysfunction with targeted nanoparticle-based BH4 delivery” for the period 07/01/09-06/30/11.

Dr. Andreea Trache received a $6,194 National Science Foundation supplement grant entitled “REU Supplement to Career: Integrated Scanning and Optical Imaging Techniques to Enable Understanding of Live Cell Dynamics - From Molecular Biology to Physiological Function” for the period 06/01/09-08/31/09.

Emily Wilson and Jay D. Humphrey received a $395,443 National Institutes of Health R21 grant entitled “TGF-beta complex serves as a mechanosensor in the vascular wall” for the period 07/01/09-06/30/11.

Presentations

Lim Soon-Mi, Kreipe, Bryan A., and Trache, Andreea. "Mechanical stimulation induces direct cytoskeletal rearrangement." Poster presented at Cell Contact and Adhesion, Gordon Conference, Waterville Valley Resort, New Hampshire, June 2009.

Publications

Trache, Andreea, Lim SM. Integrated microscopy for real-time imaging of mechanotransduction studies in live cells. J Biomed Optics, v. 14(3), 034024 (2009) 1-13. (Selected for the frontier research compilation/Virtual Journal Biological Physics Research vol 18 (1) July 1, 2009.)

Wang W, Nepiyushchikh ZV, Zawieja DC, Chakraborty S, Zawieja S, Gashev AA, Davis MJ, Muthuchamy M. Inhibition of myosin light chain phosphorylation decreases substance P-induced tonic contraction of rat mesenteric lymphatics. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol June 12, 2009; doi:10.1152/ajpheart.00312.2009.

Clinical Science

Internal Medicine

Gianfranco Alpini and Heather Francis, et al published "Repair-related activation of hedgehog signaling promotes cholangiocyte chemokine production" in the July 2, 2009 issue of Hepatology.