CHRP and NIAID funded dissertation defense

Tino Wilson Sanchez, p.12 

Moving Targets 2011

The AAPS‐USC Student Chapter board members who led the very successful MT 2011, 10

th Annual 

Symposium on Aging and Oxidative Stress, co‐organized with the National Institutes of Aging, National Institutes of Health: (L‐R) Zhechu Peng (secretary), Harsh Sancheti (treasurer), Shili Xu (chair), and Ni Zeng (social chair).  More on p.9; full report, see School of Pharmacy (SOP) website. 

 AAPS 2011

Yan “Helen” Wang (L) and Robert Mo (R) received their plaques for the AAPS Graduate Symposium Award in Physical Pharmacy and Biopharma‐ceutics. With them is their mentor, Wei‐Chiang Shen.  More on AAPS in p.8; full report, see SOP website. 

NIH P01 grant award for Brinton

Roberta D. Brinton heads the Research Program Project entitled, “Perimenopause in Brain Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease,” funded by the National Institutes of Health in the amount of $1.7M; it will run for five years (September 2011 to August 2016).

Other PPSI faculty in the study are co-investigators, Enrique Cadenas and Liqin Zhao. (more on p.5)

DOD grant award for Shih

Jean C. Shih, principal investigator of the project entitled, “Monoamine oxidase A: A novel target for progression and metastasis of prostate cancer,” has been awarded the Idea Development Award-Established Investigator. Co-investigators are Bogdan Olenyuk and Haiyen E. Zhau of Cedars-Sinai (more on p.5)

Faculty Promotions Nouri Neamati to Professor Liqin Zhao to Research Associate Professor

Other Faculty Highlights Julio A. Camarero, Executive Guest Editor for the Current Pharmaceutical Design, Volume 17 http://bit.ly/Aa4Txv

Ian Haworth, lead researcher in the computational work revealing a new clue about the structure of protein http://bit.ly/xOKb0n

Nouri Neamati edits book on HIV-1 Integrase http://bit.ly/s3PfMP Rebecca Romero gets C3 grant from the Center for Scholarly Technology

Department Retreat at the Marriott, Palm Desert, CA, p.6 Postdoc awardee: Vivian Galicia-Medina Graduate students awardees: Shili Xu, Sachin Jadhav, Siti Mohd Janib

Other Student Awardees Letisha Wyatt, Megan Yardley

IN THE FOLLOWING PAGES

Statement by the Chair & Vice Chair ............. 2  Other Student News Faculty Updates .............................................     Agarwal, Sancheti, Contreras .................. 12 

  Adams, Brinton, Cadenas    Graduate Student Seminar ......................... 13 

  Camarero, Olenyuk, Shen ........................... 3  Baby News: Yue Yin .................................... 13   Zhao, Shih ................................................... 4  Visiting Scholars 

  Wang .......................................................... 5    Julia Nilsson, Keisuke Oda ....................... 14 

PPSI Seminar Series ..........................................   Publications ................................................ 15     David E. Smith, Enrique Z. Ubani ……………….5  Contracts & Grants Updates....................... 17 

Alumnus Update:      Holiday Party .............................................. 18 

  Ashutosh Kulkarni .................................... 11  Other Holiday Traditions ............................ 20      ..............................................................   SfN‐Brinton Lab .......................................... 20 

A trimester publication for the faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the Department

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Sarah Hamm-Alvarez, Gavin S. Herbert Professor, Associate Dean for Research Affairs and Chair

James Adams, Associate Professor

Ronald Alkana, Professor & Associate Dean for Graduate Affairs and Curricular Development

Marco Bortolato, Research Assistant Professor

Roberta Brinton, Professor & R. Pete Vanderveen Chair in Therapeutic Discovery and Development

Enrique Cadenas, Professor

Julio Camarero, Associate Professor

Timothy Chan, Dean Emeritus & Professor

Kevin Chen, Research Associate Professor

Roger Duncan, Associate Professor

Ian Haworth, Associate Professor

Juliana Hwang, Research Assistant Professor

Andrew MacKay, Assistant Professor

Nouri Neamati, Professor

Curtis Okamoto, Associate Professor and Vice Chair

Bogdan Olenyuk, Assistant Professor

Rebecca Romero, Lecturer

Wei-Chiang Shen, John A. Biles Professor

Jean Shih, University Professor, Boyd & Elsie Welin Professor

Rajindar Sohal, Timothy M. Chan Professor

Bangyan Stiles, Assistant Professor

Clay Wang, Associate Professor

Walter Wolf, Distinguished Professor

Jennica Zaro, Research Assistant Professor

Liqin Zhao, Research Assistant Professor ■

UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff SSoouutthheerrnn CCaalliiffoorrnniiaa SScchhooooll ooff PPhhaarrmmaaccyy 1985 Zonal Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90089-9121 (323) 442-3400 Office (323) 442-1390 Fax Website: http://www.usc.edu/schools/pharmacy/■

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We are very pleased to forward this newsletter reporting the active, successful end of our 2011 and beginning of 2012. Since the last newsletter, Dr. Roberta Brinton was awarded a prestigious NIH Program Project Grant, entitled, “Perimenopause in Brain Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease,” with departmental co-investigators, Drs. Enrique Cadenas and Liqin Zhao. This grant also spans five laboratories across USC, the Keck School of Medicine, and Loyola Marymount University, and supports three core facilities.

Dr. Jean C. Shih and her co-investigator, Dr. Bogdan Olenyuk, were awarded a grant from the Department of Defense to investigate the role of the enzyme monoamine oxidase A in prostate cancer.

Drs. Rebecca Romero and Ian Haworth were awarded an intramural grant to develop alternative teaching venues in the case of a major disaster.

The 10th annual “Moving Targets” meeting organized by our Student Chapter of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) was another huge success. This year’s meeting theme was aging and oxidative stress, with speakers invited from a number of universities, the NIH, and industry. Thank you and congratulations to our AAPS Student Chapter for sponsoring this marquee event.

We were strongly represented at this year’s annual AAPS meeting in Washington, D.C. As is tradition, two of our graduate students brought home awards for their scientific presentations; congratulations to Robert Mo and Yan Wang, both from Dr. Wei-Chiang Shen’s lab. This year marked the first year in which we set up an exhibit booth to advertise our graduate programs. The booth generated a significant volume of interest and earned kudos for the outreach idea, the “goodies,” and the Cardinal and Gold M&M’s. And, if you attended our Alumni and Friends Reception, you know that it was a fun, festive event; if not, please make sure to visit us next year.

At year’s end, we held our annual departmental holiday party luncheon for students, staff, and faculty at Luminaria’s Restaurant. In addition to the tasty and plentiful entrees and desserts, the event was highlighted by our traditional lively gift exchange and raffle.

We began 2012 with good momentum, with our first research retreat since our merger into the PPSI department. The three-day event at the Palm Desert Marriott Resort was organized by Drs. Andrew Mackay and Ron Alkana. It was extremely well-attended by faculty, post-docs, students, and staff, representing not only our department, but also our sister department, Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy, our Regulatory Sciences Program, the Keck School of Medicine, the Ostrow School of Dentistry, the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, the Stevens Institute for Innovation, and industry. The themes of the retreat were research collaborations in academia and industry, development of sustained graduate student funding, and entrepreneurship. We would like to thank Dean Vanderveen, who was also in attendance, for support and sponsorship of the event.

Finally, we celebrate the promotion of Dr. Nouri Neamati to Full Professor and of Dr. Liqin Zhao to Research Associate Professor. In addition, due to space limitations here, a number of other awards garnered by our talented graduate students could not be listed, so please congratulate and honor them by reading on and enjoying this newsletter.

Wishing you a happy and successful 2012. ■

Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, USC School of Pharmacy Newsletter Vol. 7, No. 1 January 2012

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FACULTY UPDATES

James D. Adams

Quoted by Voice of America about arthritis patients pursuing painkillers and prescription drugs for their pain, January 3, 2012. http://bit.ly/xS4hke.

Presented “Chumash medicine in your healing,” at the Imagination and Medicine III Conference in Santa Barbara, California on October 21, 2011.

Roberta D. Brinton

Spoke with Congressional staff about Alzheimer's disease at a panel organized by the Society for Women's Health Research, Washington DC, December 7, 2011

Invited Speaker: The Clinical and Translational Science Partnership

Conference - Department of Research and Evaluation at Kaiser Permanente. The Path to Alzheimer's Disease: Novel Strategies to Prevent and Treat, Pasadena CA, December 6.

The Scripps Research Institute, Departments of Cell Biology and Chemical Physiology, Estrogen Action in Brain: From Discovery to Translation to Clinical Trial, La Jolla CA, December 6.

Society for Women’s Health Research, Sex Differences in Alzheimer’s Disease, Washington DC, October 28.

Los Angeles Mayor Women’s Leaders, Alzheimer’s Disease: A women’s health issue for California, Los Angeles the Epicenter, Mayor’s Office, Los Angeles City Hall, Los Angeles, CA October 18.

Enrique Cadenas

Co-investigator for Project 1 of the recently funded P01 grant; PI is Roberta Brinton.

Invited Speaker, 2nd International Conference on Environmental Stressors in Health and Disease, October 5-7, 2011, Siena, Italy. Title: Mitochondrial energy metabolism in brain aging.

Invited Speaker, Workshop on Molecular and Cellular Bases of Redox Signaling and Oxidative Stress: Implications for Biomedicine, November 2-4, 2011, Baeza, Spain. Title: The mitochondrial energy-redox axis, post-translational modifications, and cell function.

Julio A. Camarero

PepTalk 2012. Recombinant Protein Therapeutics: Targeting Protein/Protein Interactions, January 9-11, 2012, San Diego, California.

Invited Speaker, 2011 ACS (American Chemical Soceity) 43rd Western Regional Meeting Program, Biomolecular engineering of drug carriers session, November 10-12, 2011, Pasadena, California.

Invited Speaker, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Drug Discovery Seminar Series, October 25-26, 2011, Princeton, New Jersey.

Bogdan Olenyuk

Co-PI on a recently awarded US Department of Defense Congressionally-Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) Prostate Cancer Idea Development Grant titled “Monoamine Oxidase A: A Novel Target for Progression and Metastasis of Prostate Cancer.” The grant duration is three years; the PI is Jean Shih, Ph.D.

Presented a seminar titled, "Structural basis and functional consequences of direct transcriptional regulation of O2 homeostasis," at the Science Division Forum, hosted by City College of New York on October 5, 2011.

Wei-Chiang Shen

Received 2011Distinguished Alumni Award from Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan, October 29, 2011.

Invited speaker at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting, Roundtable on State-of-the Art in Peptide and Protein Drug Delivery, October 27, 2011. Presentation title: Fusion Proteins for Improving Absorption and Disposition of Protein Drugs.

Attended the Irish Drug Delivery Network Scientific Advisory Board Meeting, Dublin, Ireland, October 17-18, 2011.

A trimester publication for the faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the Department

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Rebecca Romero

PI of an awarded grant under the "Spring 2012 Course Continuity in a Crisis (C3) Grants” of the Center for Scholarly Technology. Ian Haworth and Brian Sutch are co-investigators. The purpose of the grant is to simulate a crisis (an earthquake for example) for one-week. The simulated emergency assumes a full or partial campus closure, but there will be a continuation of classes through the use of technology and the Blackboard. The project will explore how to keep a class in session, despite a campus closure.

Liqin Zhao

Serve as PI on Analytic Core ($320K for Year 1) and Co-I on Project 4 of the recently funded NIH P01 grant; PI is Roberta D. Brinton .

Invited panelist at the 2011 AHS (Asian Heritage Society)-Alliant Career Conference, November 2011.

Taught in 3 department graduate courses: Research Methods (PSCI599); Pharmacology (MPTX502); Drug Design and Discovery (PSCI644); Fall 2011.

Jean C. Shih

Discussed the integrated interdisciplinary nature of pharmacology in the twenty-first century for the Academy for Polymathic Study event moderated by University Professor Kevin Starr, on January 17 at the Doheny Memorial Library.

The Academy for Polymathic Study is an intellectual space where students and eminent faculty, through conversation, learn to integrate multiple fields of learning. Located in its own quarters on the second floor of Doheny Memorial Library, the Academy for Polymathic Study offers a series of conversational encounters intended to intensify polymathic (integrated interdisciplinary) awareness. These discussions are anchored in and structured by the Quadrants of Polymathic Inquiry: critical and integrative thinking, study of the great polymaths, tapestry of knowledge, and communication.

Invited Speaker at the International Research Workshop in Taiwan, November 14-16, 2011. Title of talk:Translation Research in Autism and Prostate Cancer.

“Translation Research in Autism and Prostate Cancer.” National Yang Ming University (NYMU) and Veteran Hospital, Taiwan, November 2011.

Cover of book edited by Nouri Neamati

.

Jean C. Shih with prominent doctors at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital: S.H. Chiu (eye doctor and stem cell researcher), 

K.K. Chen (Director of the Surgery Department), F.Y. Lin (Superintendent of Taipei Veterans General Hospital), J.C. Shih, C.W. Chi (Vice Dean of R&D department at NYMU), and Y.‐Y. Lin 

(attending physician).    

Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, USC School of Pharmacy Newsletter Vol. 7, No. 1 January 2012

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Clay Wang’s valued memento from Cambridge University: a picture of “The Structure of DNA plaque”. 

Clay Wang

While on sabbatical from July to December 2011: Conducted research at the John Innes Centre in

Norwick, United Kingdom, involving the genetics of natural product producing bacteria.

Invited by Professor Michael Waring of Cambridge University in the Pharmacology department for a visit.

 

 

 

NIH, BRINTON (from p.1)

The project study will determine how the brain changes during the perimenopausal transition and how these changes can lead to the development of early risk factors for developing Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The goal of these studies is the early identification of those at greatest risk for developing AD and the window of opportunity for interventions to prevent AD in those at greatest lifetime risk, postmenopausal women.

Co-Investigators from the Keck School of Medicine are: Caleb E. Finch, Howard Hodis, Roksana Karim, Wendy J. Mack, Todd E. Morgan and Christian J. Pike.

Michael R. Foy from the Loyola Marymount University rounds up the co-investigators.

PPSI Seminar Series

 DAVID E. SMITH, John G. Wagner Collegiate Professor, University of Michigan, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ann Arbor MI, “Genetic Knockout of Pept1 and Pept2 in Mice: Impact on Peptide/Mimetic ADMET and Pharmacologic Response,” October 7, 2011, Faculty Host: Sarah Hamm‐Alvarez.  ENRIQUE ZUDAIRE UBANI, Radiation Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, “Development of a phenotypic profiling platform with high predictive value for the identification of novel antiangiogenic drugs,” November 17, 11 AM. Faculty host: Nouri Neamati.

 

DOD, SHIH (from p.1)

Medical Center. The award is under the Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP) of the Office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), Department of Defense. Total cost of the project is $615,938.

The proposed approach of the study is based on what the investigators described as exciting: the recent finding that underpins the critical role of the enzyme monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) in the progression of prostate cancer. The investigators’ earlier studies found that decreasing the activity of this enzyme significantly reduced the rate of prostate tumor growth and metastasis in experimental animals. In some cases, the tumor growth was completely eliminated.

In the proposed study, the aim is to fill the two critical unmet needs for more effective mechanism-based therapies and noninvasive diagnostic techniques for prostate cancer: (1) to deepen our understanding of the causes and consequences of prostate cancer progression and (2) to develop novel inhibitors of this enzyme (MAOA I) to diagnose and treat prostate cancer.

A trimester publication for the faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the Department

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DDEEPPAARRTTMMEENNTT RREETTRREEAATT A three-day departmental faculty retreat was held January 4 to January 6, 2012 at the Marriott in Palm Desert, CA. The retreat was focused on science and was organized like a Gordon Conference. The goal was to facilitate inter- and intra-departmental collaboration between students and faculty, to foster collegiality and to facilitate new project development by sharing technologies and approaches across PPSI laboratories. Most participants

presented either a talk or a poster. Some targeted invitations outside PPSI brought representations from Keck, Dentistry, Chemical Engineering, LAS, Viterbi, industry, and the Stevens Institute. Poster exhibit by students and post-docs was held on Thursday, January 5. Winners included:

1st place, Shili Xu  Poster title: 

SC144: A novel  selective small‐molecule gp130 inhibitor for the treatment of 

ovarian cancer.   

2nd place, Sachin Jadhav Poster title: 

Treatment of Thermal and Combined Radiation Injuries using NorLeu3‐ 

Angiotensin(1‐7), an  Angiotensin Analogue  

 3rd place, Siti Mohd Janib 

Poster title: Disintegrin‐targeted elastin‐ like polypeptides (ELPs) as therapeutic and diagnostic imaging 

agents.  

 Postdoc winner,  

Vivian Galicia‐Medina Oral presentation title: 

β‐Catenin inhibitor ICG‐001 attenuates proliferation of hepatic tumor initiating cells in 

Pten deficient models. 

Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, USC School of Pharmacy Newsletter Vol. 7, No. 1 January 2012

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■

A trimester publication for the faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the Department

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AAAAPPSS ((AAmmeerriiccaann  AAssssoocciiaattiioonn  ooff  PPhhaarrmmaacceeuuttiiccaall  SScciieennttiissttss)),,  WWaasshhiinnggttoonn  DDCC,,  OOccttoobbeerr  2244‐‐2266,,  22001111

AAtt tthhee BBooootthh

TThhee RReecceeppttiioonn

Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, USC School of Pharmacy Newsletter Vol. 7, No. 1 January 2012

22001111 MMoovviinngg TTaarrggeettss,,  October 8, 2011, USC Davidson Conference Center CCoommmmeennttss

AAwwaarrddeeeess“The conference is among thebest I've attended. I'm amazedthat a student group could pullthis off when most conferencesare organized by professional

staff.” – Eric Yuen, JanssenAlzheimer Immunotherapy R&D,affiliate of Johnson & Johnson

“I wasn't thrilled about flying toLA for a one‐day meeting... but

the number of students andtheir enthusiasm made it

definitely worth it. To commendalso: Harsh's organization andperseverance.” – Felipe Sierra,

National Institute of Aging

“The student organizers wereabsolutely outstanding!

Likewise, the students whopresented posters were very

knowledgeable and the sciencethey presented was of very high

quality. The Dean should beencouraged to increase yourfunding!” ‐ Judith Campisi,

Berkeley National Laboratory,California

“You did a good job.Congratulations.” –

 Valter Longo, USC DavisSchool of Gerontology

“Organization of the meetingwas excellent. Food and coffee

breaks were also excellent.Overall you have done anoutstanding job.” ‐ Holly

VanRemmmen, The NathanShock Center for Excellence in

Biology of Aging, Texas

“I was impressed with theprofessional manner in whichthe meeting was conducted,”

Zelton Sharp, UT Health ScienceCenter, San Antonio TX

The student organizers werevery professional. Everyone wasvery helpful both before the dayand during the symposium itself.‐ Mary Ellen Cosenza, Amgen Inc.

The Amgen Young Investigator Award (with a $1,000 prize) went to Kavya Ramkumar for her poster, “Discovery of Novel Small Molecule Inhibitors of Glutathione S‐Transferase Omega with Antiproliferative Properties”. 

The Dean’s Young Investigator Award was shared by two students, each receiving a $500 prize:  Jennifer‐Ann Bayan (left of Sarah Hamm‐Alvarez) for her poster entitled, “The Intrinsic and Paracrine Effects of PTEN Loss in Pancreatic Beta‐cells”, and  Yang Wang (right) for “Transferrin Receptor‐Mediated Activation and Sustained in vivo Hypoglycemic Efficacy of Recombinant Proinsulin‐Transferrin.” 

9

A trimester publication for the faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the Department

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Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, USC School of Pharmacy Newsletter Vol. 7, No. 1 January 2012

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WWhheerree iiss hhee nnooww?? UUPPDDAATTEE    FFRROOMM    AANN    AALLUUMMNNUUSS

AASSHHUUTTOOSSHH KKUULLKKAARRNNII Being an alumnus of a premier institution like the USC School of Pharmacy is a matter of great pride and honor to me. It is here, under the tutelage of Dr. Vincent H.L. Lee, that I honed the skills necessary to step into the real world of pharmaceutical research and development and make meaningful contributions.

I vividly remember arriving at USC in 1998 from Mumbai, India after completing my Bachelors in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Mumbai. As a foreign student, I was in awe of the city of Los Angeles, the USC campus, the laboratory facilities, the type of research being done at the School of Pharmacy, and the sheer opportunities that lay ahead of me, but at the same time, intimidated as well by the whole and new environment. The administrative staff, faculty, and student colleagues at the School helped make the transition smooth and enjoyable.

My time as a graduate student was quite enjoyable and I made some really good friends during my USC tenure there. I was fortunate to have good mentors (faculty as well as senior graduate students) that made a positive impact on my learning and it motivates me now to do the same for junior scientists when the opportunity arises. One way I achieve this is by serving as a visiting lecturer in the Regulatory Science and Pharm.D. programs at USC.

My graduate studies focused on the “Structure-function relationships of the human dipeptide transporter hPepT1” and I graduated with a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2004. Presentations and attendance at scientific meetings, publications in peer reviewed journals, and in-house presentations were highly encouraged and played a key role in my development as a research scientist.

After a two-year stint as a Molecular Neuroscientist at Neurion Pharmaceuticals, I joined Allergan in mid-2006 as a Scientist in their PKDM (Pharmacokinetics and Drug Metabolism) department. The primary focus of my work was the discovery and development of drug candidates for the treatment of various ocular diseases. I worked on several projects that ranged from pre-IND (Investigational New Drug Application) to post-marketing enabling me to contribute at different levels within the organization. My role also provided me the opportunity to interact with professionals from other

disciplines such as pharmacology, CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control), clinical, global regulatory affairs, and marketing – providing me with a broad view of global drug development and thus significantly enhancing my career development. My experience here enabled me to publish a book chapter titled, “Regulatory Considerations in Product Development for Back of the Eye,” in 2011. My five-year stay with Allergan was made even more memorable by my colleagues (some were USC alumni) who were absolute joy to work with. Currently, I am a Principal Scientist in the discovery DMPK group at Celgene. I am very excited to be a part of the Celgene culture and contribute to their oncology and inflammation programs.

On the personal front, I am married to my college sweetheart, Leena Patel (also a USC alumnus) and we have a handsome little son – Saahil – born in November 2011. We live in Irvine, CA and are big fans of USC football. ■

Ashutosh with wife, Leena Patel, and newborn son, Saahil.

A trimester publication for the faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the Department

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SSTTUUDDEENNTTSS NNEEWWSS

Letisha Wyatt Selected for and attended the 2011 Compact for Faculty Diversity, Institute on Teaching & Mentoring, sponsored by the USC Graduate School and National Science Foundation (NSF) EDGE Program. On its fifth year, the national-level institute took place in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 20-23, 2011. Letisha joined a group of highly

talented USC Ph.D. students from the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, & Sciences, Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, and Davis School of Gerontology. The Institute was attended by over one thousand students representing universities across the U.S., as well as a number of faculty and academic administrators. Highlights included: Opportunities to share research and to acquire feedback on scholarly ideas; Networking with graduate students, faculty, and deans; Learning about fellowships, postdoctoral opportunities, research funding, and faculty job opportunities; Sessions on balancing the multiple roles of graduate students; Overviews on the ins and outs of a tenure track faculty position; Sessions on the importance of teaching and mentoring students as a faculty member; Panels on the multiple roles of faculty: teaching, research, publishing, service; and, Topical workshops on various professional development areas. Letisha is a member of the Ronald Alkana and Daryl

Davies laboratories. ■ Megan Yardley

Selected to attend the Spring 2012 Ten-Week Series of the USC Graduate School Academic Professional Development Program. The program is supported by the USC Office of the Provost and academic departments university-wide. Participants will have the unique opportunity to enhance academic professional skillset in a supportive,

learner-centered environment alongside an interdisciplinary cohort of doctoral students. Highlighted in the application process is Megan’s latest research interest focusing on the development of novel therapeutic strategies for the effective treatment of Alcohol (ethanol) use disorders (AUDs).

Congratulations!

For successfully moving on to be a Ph.D. candidate:

Amit Agarwal and Harsh Sancheti Both are mentored by Enrique Cadenas.

For a successful Dissertation Defense:

Janette Contreras

Janette’s dissertation defense title is “Analysis of Endocytic and Trafficking Pathways of Potential Candidates for Drug Delivery in HeLa and Lacrimal Gland Acinar Cells.” Janette’s mentor is Sarah Hamm-Alvarez. ■

Tino Wilson Sanchez

Tino’s dissertation defense is entitled, “Design and Discovery of Inhibitors Disrupting LEDGF/p75-IN Complex Formation, An Interaction Key to HIV Replication,” which he proudly acknowledges as being funded by the California HIV/AIDS Research Program (CHRP) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) – a feat just like his master’s thesis, “Discovery of HIV-1 Integrase Inhibitors: Furan and Sulfonamide-based Integrase Inhibitors,” published as a book. Tino’s mentor is Nouri Neamati.

After successfully completing the program Megan will become eligible for a $500-1000 supplemental research or conference travel award, and will be bestowed with a Certificate of Completion. Megan is a member of the Ronald Alkana and Daryl Davies laboratories. ■

Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, USC School of Pharmacy Newsletter Vol. 7, No. 1, January 2012

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GRADUATE STUDENT SEMINARS SITI MOHD JANIB Faculty Mentor:  J. ANDREW MACKAY Title:  Cancer nanotechnology using elastin‐like 

polypeptides October 5, 2011 Student Host:  Shili Xu 

NICK MORDWINKIN Faculty Mentor:  STAN LOUIE Title:  The effects of angiotensin‐(1‐7) on type 2 diabetes‐

induced inflammation and immune dysfunction. October 12, 2011, Student Host:  Siti Mohd Janib 

HAN ‘FLORA’ HAN Faculty Mentor:  PETER JONES Title:   Combinatorial Epigenetic Therapy‐ Targeting 

DNMT1 and LSD1 October 19, 2011, Student Host:  Nick Mordwinkin 

YUMNA SHABAIK Faculty Mentor:  NOURI NEAMATI Title:   Mechanistic studies of a novel small‐molecule for 

the treatment of pancreatic cancer October 26, 2011, Student Host:  Flora Han 

HSIEN-CHUN LO Faculty Mentor:  CLAY WANG Title:   Molecular genetic mining of the secondary 

metabolome in Aspergillus nidulans   November 2, 2011, Student Host:  Yumna Shabaik 

HELEN HA Faculty Mentor:  NOURI NEAMATI Title:   The Design and Discovery of Novel Classes of 

CXCR2 Inhibitors November 9, 2011, Student Host:  Flora Han 

MEGAN YARDLEY Faculty Mentor:  RONALD L. ALKANA/DARYL DAVIES Title:   Preclinical Assessment Of Ivermectin in Reducing 

Alcohol Consumption In Mice November 16, 2011, Student Host:  Helen Ha 

YAN WANG Faculty Mentor:  WEI‐CHIANG SHEN Title:   Transferrin Receptor‐Mediated Activation and 

Sustained in vivo Hypoglycemic Efficacy of Recombinant Proinsulin‐Transferrin Fusion Proteins 

November 23, 2011, Student Host:  Megan Yardley 

FAN DING Faculty Mentor:  ROBERTA D. BRINTON Title:   Bioenergetic fuel shift of reproductive aging: 

Implications for late‐onset Alzheimer’s disease November 30, 2011, Student Host:  Yan Wang 

LETISHA WYATT Faculty Mentor:  RONALD L. ALKANA/DARYL DAVIES Title:     Ethanol Modulation of Neuronal P2X4 Receptors December 7, 2011, Student Host:  Fan Ding 

KAVYA RAMKUMAR Faculty Mentor:  NOURI NEAMATI Title:   Design of GRP78 inhibitors as novel therapeutics 

for breast cancer    December 14, 2011, Student Host:  Letisha Wyatt 

YIYU LI Faculty Mentor:  IAN HAWORTH Title: Computational modeling of the fibril structure of 

human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP)  January 11, 2011, Student Host:  Kavya Ramkumar 

MARTHA PASTUSZKA Faculty Mentor:  ANDREW MACKAY Title:   Development of a thermally responsive 

intracellular switch January 18, 2011, Student Host:  Yiyu Li 

Image of a cell with a fully transitioned ELP inside. Martha Pastuszka 

  

DIVYA PATHANIA Faculty Mentor:  NOURI NEAMATI Title:   Design and discovery of novel redox modulating 

anticancer agents January 25, 2011, Student Host:  Martha Pastuszka 

■

Fei Yin and wife, Tian, welcomed their first born, Yue Yin, on January 7, 2012 weighing 6 lbs, 7 oz and 19 inches long.     

■

A trimester publication for the faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the Department

14

VVIISSIITTIINNGG SSCCHHOOLLAARRSS

Julia Nilsson

Julia (rightmost) with other USC visiting scholars at a sold out USC football game.

Julia Nilsson is a student of Lund’s Institute of Technology (LTH) in Sweden pursuing a Master’s degree in biotechnological engineering, specializing in pharmaceutical technology. She finished her International Baccalaureate in Malmö Borgarskola, Malmö, Sweden and had her International General Certificate of Secondary Education in The Netherlands. She will spend six months, from September 2011 to March 2012, in Wei-Chiang Shen’s laboratory at USC to work on a research project, which is focused on controlled release of cell-penetrating peptides, as part of her thesis for her Master degree from LTH. “I am very grateful that I got the opportunity to work in Dr. Shen’s lab and I would like to thank Dr. Shen and everyone in the lab for welcoming me! Spending these months at USC has been very rewarding and I’ve learnt a lot. Doing my thesis research project in Dr. Shen’s lab has also convinced me to try and pursue a Ph.D. in The Netherlands when I am back in Europe. My time in LA has been great, I got to experience a lot outside of the lab as well and I hope to be back soon to visit,” Julia declares.

Keisuke Oda

Keisuke in front of the USC Doheny Library in UPC (main campus).

  Keisuke Oda is an assistant professor (for special program) and a Ph.D. candidate in Pharmaceutics and Therapeutics at Hiroshima University, Japan. He holds a master’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences since 2009. Keisuke is a recent visitor at the lab of Wei-Chiang Shen from October 15 to December 15, 2011, to learn research techniques in pulmonary drug delivery. “Everything was amazing in LA. I met good friends and they took me to various nice places. Of course, I learned a lot about research. I noticed that there was little difference in research method between Dr. Shen’s lab and my lab in Japan. For example, how to culture the cells, how to use the radio-active materials and so on. All experience will help me a lot in the future.”

Julia (centermost) and Keisuke (left next toWei‐Chiang Shen) with Shen Lab members:

(back row L‐R) Chunmeng Sun, Randall Kenien,Robert Mo, Likun Fei, Jennica Zaro, Yu‐Sheng Chen;

(front row L‐R) Yan Wang, Hsin‐Fang Lee,Daisy Shen, Manali Shah.

Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, USC School of Pharmacy Newsletter Vol. 7, No. 1 January 2012

PPUUBBLLIICCAATTIIOONNSS

JJaammeess DD.. AAddaammss o Adams JD. Adams disease: Description and management with capsaicin and heat. The Open Complementary Medical Journal 3: 10‐12, 2011.  http://bit.ly/vDztLV 

o Adams JD, Lee SY, Kim JE, Petrosyan J, Shahgholi M and Clemens R. Opioid Alkaloids in Fire Poppies, Papavercalifornicum. The Open Nat Prod J 2: 1‐5 (2012). http://bit.ly/yRjyP0 

o Adams JD. Design flaws in randomized, placebo controlled, double blind clinical trials. World J Pharmacol 1: 1‐6 (2011). http://bit.ly/z7jktp   

MMaarrccoo BBoorrttoollaattoo o Tambaro S, Bortolato M. Cannabinoid‐related Agents in the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives. Recent Pat CNS Drug Discov. 2012 Apr 1;7(1):25‐40. PubMed PMID: 22280339. http://1.usa.gov/wZtxWb  

o Devoto P, Frau R, Bini V, Pillolla G, Saba P, Flore G, Corona M, Marrosu F, Bortolato M. Inhibition of 5α‐reductase in the nucleus accumbens counters sensorimotor gating deficits induced by dopaminergic activation. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2011 Oct 24. [Epub ahead of print] http://bit.ly/zYBE0s 

o Bortolato M, Shih JC.  Behavioral outcomes of monoamine oxidase deficiency: preclinical and clinical evidence.  Int Rev Neurobiol. 100:13‐42, 2011. http://1.usa.gov/wqtoDx    

EEnnrriiqquuee CCaaddeennaass o Yin F, Sancheti H, Cadenas E. Mitochondrial thiols in the regulation of cell death pathways. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2012. (In Press) 

o Yin F, Sancheti H, Cadenas E.  Silencing of nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase impairs cellular redox homeostasis and energy metabolism in PC12 cells.  Biochim Biophys Acta. 2011 Dec 16;1817(3):401‐409. http://bit.ly/w8K4U4 

o Irwin RW, Yao J, To J, Hamilton RT, Cadenas E, Brinton RD.  Selective oestrogen receptor modulators differentially potentiate brain mitochondrial function.  J Neuroendocrinol. 2012 Jan;24(1):236‐48.  

  http://bit.ly/xwUvoL 

o Yao J, Rettberg JR, Klosinski LP, Cadenas E, Brinton RD.  Shift in brain metabolism in late onset Alzheimer's disease: implications for biomarkers and therapeutic interventions.  Mol Aspects Med. 2011 Aug;32(4‐6):247‐57. Epub 2011 Oct 21. http://bit.ly/yCaFpX   

RRoobbeerrttaa DD.. BBrriinnttoonn o Sun C, Ou X, Farley JM, Stockmeier C, Bigler S, Brinton RD, Wang JM. Allopregnanolone Increases the Number of Dopaminergic Neurons in Substantia Nigra of Triple Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.  Curr Alzheimer Res. 2012 Jan 23. [Epub ahead of print] http://1.usa.gov/yjpMZO 

o Bali N, Arimoto JM, Iwata N, Lin SW, Zhao L, Brinton RD, Morgan TE, Finch CE.  Differential Responses of Progesterone Receptor Membrane Component‐1 (Pgrmc1) and the Classical Progesterone Receptor (Pgr) to 17β‐Estradiol and Progesterone in Hippocampal Subregions that Support Synaptic Remodeling and Neurogenesis. Endocrinology. 2012 Feb;153(2):759‐69. Epub 2011 Dec 6. http://bit.ly/ytV4Gs 

o Zhao, L., Mao, Z., Schneider, L.S. and Brinton, R.D. 

Estrogen Receptor ‐Selective Phytoestrogenic Formulation Prevents Physical and Neurological Changes in a Preclinical Model of Human Menopause. Menopause 18(10):1131‐1142, 2011 http://1.usa.gov/A0L1sj 

o Irwin RW, Yao J, To J, Hamilton RT, Cadenas E, Brinton RD.  Selective oestrogen receptor modulators differentially potentiate brain mitochondrial function.  J Neuroendocrinol. 2012 Jan;24(1):236‐48. doi: 10.1111/j.1365‐2826.2011.02251.x. http://bit.ly/xwUvoL 

o Yao J, Rettberg JR, Klosinski LP, Cadenas E, Brinton RD.  Shift in brain metabolism in late onset Alzheimer's disease: implications for biomarkers and therapeutic interventions.  Mol Aspects Med. 2011 Aug;32(4‐6):247‐57. Epub 2011 Oct 21. http://bit.ly/yCaFpX 

o Chen S, Wang JM, Irwin RW, Yao J, Liu L, Brinton RD.  Allopregnanolone promotes regeneration and reduces β‐amyloid burden in a preclinical model of Alzheimer's disease. PLoS One. 2011;6(8):e24293. Epub 2011 Aug 30. http://bit.ly/zMvAqH   

 

IIaann HHaawwoorrtthh o Zhang X, Tung CS, Sowa GZ, Hatmal MM, Haworth IS, Qin PZ.  Global structure of a three‐way junction in a phi29 packaging RNA dimer determined using site‐directed spin labeling. J Am Chem Soc. 2012 Jan 9. http://bit.ly/ykaEq3 

o Bedrood S, Li Y, Isas JM, Hegde BG, Baxa U, Haworth IS, Langen R. Fibril Structure of Human Islet Amyloid Polypeptide. J Biol Chem. 2011 Dec 20. [Epub ahead of print] http://bit.ly/zShGfb   

15

A trimester publication for the faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the Department

16

JJuulliioo CCaammaarreerroo o Gould A, Ji Y, Aboye TL, Camarero JA. Cyclotides, a novel ultrastable polypeptide scaffold for drug discovery.  Curr Pharm Des. 2011 Dec;17(38):4294‐307. http://bit.ly/Aa4Txv 

o Camarero JA. Editorial [Hot Topic: Novel Peptide‐Based Scaffolds for Drug Discovery (Executive Guest Editor: Julio A. Camarero).  Curr Pharm Des. 2011 Dec;17(38):4224‐5.  http://bit.ly/xTdk8j 

o Garcia AE, Tai KP, Puttamadappa SS, Shekhtman A, Ouellette AJ, Camarero JA.  Biosynthesis and antimicrobial evaluation of backbone‐cyclized α‐defensins.  Biochemistry. 2011 Dec 6;50(48):10508‐19. Epub 2011 Nov 9.  http://bit.ly/xpx595   

NNoouurrii NNeeaammaattii o Yu S, Zhang L, Yan S, Wang P, Sanchez T, Christ F, Debyser Z, Neamati N, Zhao G.  Nitrogen‐containing polyhydroxylated aromatics as HIV‐1 integrase inhibitors: synthesis, structure‐activity relationship analysis, and biological activity.  J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem. 2012 Jan 11. [Epub ahead of print]  http://bit.ly/zxC051 

o Yadav MR, Grande F, Chouhan BS, Naik PP, Giridhar R, Garofalo A, Neamati N. Cytotoxic potential of novel 6,7‐dimethoxyquinazolines.  Eur J Med Chem. 2012 Feb;48:231‐43. Epub 2011 Dec 21. http://bit.ly/AAiTyV 

o Cao B, Wang Y, Ding K, Neamati N, Long YQ.  Synthesis of the pyridinyl analogues of dibenzylideneacetone (pyr‐dba) via an improved Claisen‐Schmidt condensation, displaying diverse biological activities as curcumin analogues.  Org Biomol Chem. 2012 Feb 14;10(6):1239‐45. Epub 2011 Dec 19. http://bit.ly/z7AvRN 

o Al‐Safi RI, Odde S, Shabaik Y, Neamati N.  Small‐Molecule Inhibitors of APE1 DNA Repair Function: An Overview.  Curr Mol Pharmacol. 2012 5:14‐35. http://1.usa.gov/AmkmVZ 

o Bacchi A, Carcelli M, Compari C, Fisicaro E, Pala N, Rispoli G, Rogolino D, Sanchez TW, Sechi M, Sinisi V, Neamati N.  Investigating the role of metal chelation in HIV‐1 integrase strand transfer inhibitors.  J Med Chem. 2011 Dec 22;54(24):8407‐20. Epub 2011 Nov 22. http://bit.ly/x2XT1x   

BBaannggyyaann LL.. SSttiilleess

o Zeng N, Li Y, He L, Xu X, Galicia V, Deng C, Stiles BL.  Adaptive Basal Phosphorylation of eIF2α Is Responsible for Resistance to Cellular Stress‐Induced Cell Death in Pten‐Null Hepatocytes.  Mol Cancer Res. 2011 Dec;9(12):1708‐17. Epub 2011 Oct 18.  http://bit.ly/xwxpCk   

SSaarraahh HHaammmm--AAllvvaarreezz 

o Contreras J, Hsueh PY, Pei H, Hamm‐Alvarez SF.  Use of nucleofection to efficiently transfect primary rabbit lacrimal gland acinar cells.  Cytotechnology. 2011 Dec 3. [Epub ahead of print] http://1.usa.gov/zsvbmt 

o Fazlollahi F, Sipos A, Kim YH, Hamm‐Alvarez SF, Borok Z, Kim KJ, Crandall ED.  Translocation of PEGylated quantum dots across rat alveolar epithelial cell monolayers.  Int J Nanomedicine. 2011;6:2849‐57. PMCID: PMC3224711 http://bit.ly/u9knvy 

o Xu S, Edman M, Kothawala MS, Sun G, Chiang L, Mircheff A, Zhu L, Okamoto C, Hamm‐Alvarez S.  A Rab11a‐enriched subapical membrane compartment regulates a cytoskeleton‐dependent transcytotic pathway in secretory epithelial cells of the lacrimal gland. J Cell Sci. 2011 Oct 15;124(Pt 20):3503‐14. PMCID: PMC3196860 http://bit.ly/w5HEXA 

o Chiang L, Ngo J, Schechter JE, Karvar S, Tolmachova T, Seabra MC, Hume AN, Hamm‐Alvarez SF.  Rab27b regulates exocytosis of secretory vesicles in acinar epithelial cells from the lacrimal gland.  Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2011 Aug;301(2):C507‐21. Epub 2011 Apr 27. Erratum in: Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2011 Dec;301(6):C1480. PMCID: PMC3154548 http://bit.ly/xjqesv 

o Fazlollahi F, Angelow S, Yacobi NR, Marchelletta R, Yu AS, Hamm‐Alvarez SF, Borok Z, Kim KJ, Crandall ED.  Polystyrene nanoparticle trafficking across MDCK‐II.  Nanomedicine. 2011 Oct;7(5):588‐94. PMCID: PMC3130091 http://bit.ly/xxxzu0   

  JJuulliiaannaa HHwwaanngg--LLeevviinnee o Hodis HN, Mack WJ, Kono N, Azen SP, Shoupe D, Hwang‐Levine J, Petitti D, Whitfield‐Maxwell L, Yan M, Franke AA, Selzer RH; for the Women's Isoflavone Soy Health Research Group.  Isoflavone Soy Protein Supplementation and Atherosclerosis Progression in Healthy Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Stroke. 2011 Nov;42(11):3168‐3175. http://bit.ly/wsOP8g   

 

CCuurrttiiss OOkkaammoottoo o Xu S, Edman M, Kothawala MS, Sun G, Chiang L, Mircheff A, Zhu L, Okamoto C, Hamm‐Alvarez S.  A Rab11a‐enriched subapical membrane compartment regulates a cytoskeleton‐dependent transcytotic pathway in secretory epithelial cells of the lacrimal gland.  J Cell Sci. 2011 Oct 15;124(Pt 20):3503‐14. Epub 2011 Oct 7. http://bit.ly/AyXaNi   

Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, USC School of Pharmacy Newsletter Vol. 7, No. 1 January 2012

WWeeii--CChhiiaanngg SShheenn

o Kenien R, Zaro J and Shen WC: MAP‐mediated nuclear delivery of a cargo protein. J Drug Targeting (in press),. http://bit.ly/xis22P 

o Mo R, Zaro J and Shen WC: Comparison of cationic and amphipathic cell penetrating peptides for siRNA delivery and efficacy. Mol Pharm (in press), 2011 (DOI: 10.1021/mp200481g). http://bit.ly/yHcJY0   

JJeeaann CC.. SShhiihh

o Bortolato M, Shih JC.  Behavioral outcomes of monoamine oxidase deficiency: preclinical and clinical evidence.  Int Rev Neurobiol. 100:13‐42, 2011. http://1.usa.gov/wqtoDx 

o Wang ZQ, Chen K, Ying Q, Li P, Shih JC:  Monoamine oxidase A regulates neural differentiation of murine embryonic stem cells.  J Neural Transm 118:997‐1001, 2011. http://bit.ly/ysYcBu   

RRaajjiinnddaarr SS.. SSoohhaall

o Li XD, Rebrin I, Forster MJ, Sohal RS.  Effects of age and caloric restriction on mitochondrial protein oxidative damage in mice.  Mech Ageing Dev. 2011 Dec 13. http://bit.ly/zgASb6 

o Sohal RS, Orr WC.  The redox stress hypothesis of aging.  Free Radic Biol Med. 2011 Oct 24. [Epub ahead of print] PMCID: PMC3109181. http://bit.ly/w5eziW 

o Rebrin I, Forster MJ, Sohal RS.  Association between life‐span extension by caloric restriction and thiol redox state in two different strains of mice.  Free Radic Biol Med. 2011 Jul 1;51(1):225‐33. Epub 2011 Apr 13.  PMCID: PMC2840627 http://bit.ly/xOKDCC   

CCllaayy CC..CC.. WWaanngg

o Sanchez JF, Somoza AD, Keller NP, Wang CC. Advances in Aspergillus secondary metabolite research in the post‐genomic era.  Nat Prod Rep. 2012 Jan 6. [Epub ahead of print] http://bit.ly/xxXwA3   

LLiiqqiinn ZZhhaaoo

o Zhao, L., Mao, Z., Schneider, L.S. and Brinton, R.D. 

Estrogen Receptor ‐Selective Phytoestrogenic Formulation Prevents Physical and Neurological Changes in a Preclinical Model of Human Menopause. Menopause 18(10):1131‐1142, 2011 http://1.usa.gov/A0L1sj 

o Zhao, L., Morgan, T.E., Mao, Z., Lin, S., Cadenas, E., Finch, C.E., Pike, C.J., Mack, W.J. and Brinton, R.D. Continuous Versus Cyclic Progesterone Exposure Differentially Regulate Hippocampal Gene Expression and Functional Profiles. Plos ONE 2012;7(2):e31267. Epub 2012 Feb 29.  http://1.usa.gov/AoCCwg   

  

CCOONNTTRRAACCTTSS && GGRRAANNTTSS UUPPDDAATTEESS by SHARON WALLACE 

 New NIH Salary Cap The NIH budget approved December 23, 2011 reduces the salary cap from Executive Level 1 ($199,700) to Executive Level II ($179,700).  The lower level is effective with FY2012 awards where the initial Issue Date of the award is on/after December 23, 2011.  For FY2012 awards issued on/before December 22, 2011 (competing and non‐competing), the effective salary limitation remains at Executive Level 1, $199,700.  

Inflationary Increases for Future Years Inflationary increases for future year commitments will be discontinued for all competing and non‐competing research grant awards issued in FY2012, however adjustments for special needs (such as equipment and added personnel) will continue to be accommodated.  FY2012 awards that have already been issued will be revised to adjust the award level and future year commitments in accordance with these principles.  

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) The NIH will implement a two‐percent increase at all stipend levels.  

Submitting and Tracking Administrative Supplement Requests Electronically All grantees will have the option to submit their administrative supplement requests electronically.  Submitting through eRA Commons should be quick and easy.  You will find much of the supplement application pre‐populated with information from the parent grant data, and the system will guide you through the rest of the application.  This is a pilot, so electronic submission of administrative supplement requests is not required at this time. It will be eventually, so it would be good idea to try the system now.  

(News items taken directly from NIH Office of Extramural Research Newsletter and USC Contracts and Grants NewsFlash).    

For more updates, please see Office of Compliance (OOC) Newsletter  http://bit.ly/xgF2dY   

 

 

17

A trimester publication for the faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the Department

HHoolliiddaayy PPaarrttyy LLuummiinnaarriiaass DDeecceemmbbeerr 1166,, 22001111

The Give Aways  “Don’t forget your raffle tickets!” 

Full house and festive!

18

Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, USC School of Pharmacy Newsletter Vol. 7, No. 1 January 2012

“I got the goodies in my hands.” 

WWiinnnneerrss GGaalloorree

Yes, every winner signs a receipt –audit SOP. 

They got to take the poinsettias home! 

“That’s mine; for my wife and new baby!”

Yanbin Ji also won, but gave it to Angie for her family to enjoy!

The White Elephant game was fun! 

… lost this big, nice gift… 

…lost many nice gifts, too, but what could beat these? 

Gag gifts?  Who cares?  We had fun! 

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A trimester publication for the faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the Department

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Enrique Cadenas and lab members host a hallway reception on the 6

th floor. 

Neamati Lab always plays games after their Holiday lunch.

Just like their work, they take their games seriously …  as there are prizes and gifts at stake.

It’s gourmet Chinese food for the Shih Lab. 

BRINTON LAB in Washington DC for the Society for Neuroscience 41st Annual Meeting  November 12‐16, 2011. (L‐R) Jennifer Mao, Junming Wang, Crystal Gama, Jia Yao, Fan Ding, Roberta Brinton, Shuhua Chen,  Jamaica Rettberg,  Ronald Irwin and Liqin Zhao. 

 

Camarero Lab goes to San 

Antonio Winery. 

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