fall 2020 non-cst faculty research projects · carbonic anhydrases (cas, e. c. 4.2.1.1) are a class...

Fall 2020 NON-CST Faculty Research Projects

Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department

Project title Description Project

Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Marc Ilies mailies@te

mple.edu

School of

Pharmacy

Pharmaceuti

cal Sciences

Developmen

t of drug

delivery

systems with

enhanced in

vivo stability

Drug delivery systems can modify the pharmacokinetics of

drugs, protect them from decomposition and control their

spatial and temporal delivery in the organism. In recent years

we were active towards the development of drug delivery

systems based on amphiphilic compounds of different molecular

weight, from simple surfactants, gemini surfactants, lipids,

dendrons and polymers. We are currently seeking talented and

highly motivated students to develop the next generation of

drug delivery systems with enhanced in vivo stability capable of

long circulation time in the body. Students majoring in

chemistry, biochemistry and biology are welcomed. Experience

in working with cells and animal models is a plus but it is not

required.

TUHSC General

knowledge

in

chemistry,

biochemistr

y, biology

and

especially in

the inter-

disciplinary

integration

of this

knowledge

is needed.

We will

Chemistry,

Biochemis

try,

Biology

Freshman

to

Seniors

Marc Ilies mailies@te

mple.edu

School of

Pharmacy

Pharmaceuti

cal Sciences

Physicochem

ical and

biological

evaluation of

novel

carbonic

anhydrase

inhibitors

and their

pharmaceuti

cal

formulations

.

Carbonic anhydrases (CAs, E. C. 4.2.1.1) are a class of ubiquitous

metallo-enzymes that catalyze the reversible hydration of

carbon dioxide: CO2 + H2O ↔ HCO3- + H+. Sixteen isozymes are

currently known, with different catalytic activity, subcellular

localization and tissue distribution. These isozymes are involved

in critical physiologic and pathologic processes including

respiration, acid-base regulation, electrolyte secretion, bone

resorption/calcification, gluconeogenesis, tumorigenicity and

the growth and virulence of various pathogens. Some of them

are over-expressed in pathological conditions such as edemas,

glaucoma, obesity and cancer. Therefore CA isozymes have

become important targets for pharmaceutical research. We are

seeking talented and passionate individuals to be involved in the

physicochemical and biological testing of novel selective CA

inhibitors and of their pharmaceutical formulations aiming

towards treatment of various forms of cancer via novel drugs

and drug delivery systems.

TUHSC previous

experience

in

physicoche

mical/biolog

ical

evaluation

of organic

compounds

and their

formulation

s (e.g.

liposomes),

as well as

towards

handling

cells

constitutes

a plus

Biochemis

try,

Biology

Sophomo

re,

Juniors,

Seniors

7/2/2020 1


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Christoph

er

Thompso

n

ckt@templ

e.edu

Public

Health

Physical

Therapy

Quantifying

neural

activity

underlying

motor

output

This project seeks to quantify both the excitability of and

synaptic input to spinal motoneurons. For this, we use data

consisting of the discharge of several tens of individual neurons

gathered from both animals and humans with and without

neurological injury. Primary analyses will include paired unit

analyses, population coherence approaches, and General Linear

Modeling. The student will focus on the analysis of neural data,

but will be encouraged to take part in experiments and

meetings with our national and international colleagues.

Main Relatively

advanced

knowledge

of

programmin

g is

required.

Mastery of

Matlab is

preferred,

though

expertise in

other

languages

will be

considered.

CS,

Math,Phys

ics

Freshman

,

sophomo

re,

Junior,

Senior

Seonhee

Kim

tue62079

@temple.e

du

LKSOM Anatomy and

Cell Biology

The role of

cell signaling

and polarity

in neural

development

My laboratory’s research focuses is to understand the molecular

and cellular mechanisms controlling brain development to study

the basis of neurodevelopmental disorders. To gain in-depth

knowledge of neural development and neuronal disorders, we

utilize multidisciplinary approaches such as molecular and

neuroanatomical techniques including gene cloning, progenitor

or neuronal culture, cortical electroporation and time-lapse

imaging of cortical explants. Students will involve the

characterization of animal models exhibiting abnormal cortical

or cerebellar development and gene cloning projects to clone

the genes that are critical for regulation of proliferation and

differentiation during neurogenesis.

TUHSC Biology Junior or

Senior

7/2/2020 2


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Shin Kang shin.kang

@temple.e

du

LKSOM Anatomy and

Cell Biology

Mapping the

glial network

in the

auditory and

hippocampal

systems

Oligodendrocytes (OLs) are glial cells that form myelin sheaths

around axons, crucial in rapid neuronal conduction and provide

metabolic support to axons. Our preliminary results of genetic

labeling of OLs revealed that prominent structural abnormalities

of OLs in a mouse model of Alzheimerâ€™s disease (AD). In this

project, using the same mouse genetic system and

immunohistochemistry, we will extend our understanding of

how age- or AD-related genetic predisposition change OLs and

other glial networks in the auditory pathway and the cortico-

hippocampal pathway, the two central nervous system areas

whose functions significantly decline with age and in AD.

TUHSC Motivated

students

who are

interested

in

neuroscienc

e and

research in

Alzheimer's

disease, but

do not mind

using

genetic and

anatomical

approaches.

Biology

and

Neurobiol

ogy

Sophomo

re, Junior

or Senior

Shin Kang shin.kang

@temple.e

du

LKSOM Anatomy and

Cell Biology

Effects of

glial

regeneration

promotion

on the

disease

course of

ALS

Unknown glial mechanisms contribute to ALS, a devastating

motor neuron disease. We recently found that a specific genetic

manipulation that enhances oligodendroglia cell regeneration

significantly extends the survival period of ALS mice. This project

will investigate whether the same manipulation slows disease

progression and attenuates symptoms and biochemical indices

of the disease. Good organization skill and professional

attitude.

TUHSC Interest in

the study of

neurodegen

erative

diseases.

Experiment

al mouse

handling

may be

required.

Strong

Biology-

related

sciences

Sophomo

re, Junior

or Senior

Shin Kang shin.kang

@temple.e

du

LKSOM Anatomy and

Cell Biology

What

happens to

the adult

brain after

specific

ablation of

blood vessel

pericytes?

Brain pericytes are an integral part of blood-brain-barrier and

are thought to make brain capillary contractile. We engineered

a unique genetic system to induce pericyte ablation in the adult

mouse brain. The goal of this project is to characterize brain

samples after pericyte ablation is induced. Strong knowledge of

biological concepts. Good organization skill and professional

attitude.

TUHSC Interest in

the study of

neurodegen

erative

diseases.

Experiment

al mouse

handling

may be

required.

Biology-

related

sciences

Sophomo

re, Junior

or Senior

7/2/2020 3


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Ana

Gamero

gameroa@

temple.ed

u

LKSOM Biochemistry STAT2

Signaling in

Cancer

STAT2 is a transcription factor widely recognized for its role in

host defense against microbial attack and inflammation.

Published work from my laboratory now suggests that STAT2 is

also implicated in cancer development. We have evidence in

animal models of cancer that STAT2 functions to promote

tumorigenesis. Based on this exciting finding, the main objective

of my lab is determine the underlying molecular mechanism by

which STAT2 is promoting cancer development. Able to work

well with others

TUHSC Strong

knowledge

of biological

concepts

Self-

motivated

and

willingness

to work

Biology,

Biochemis

try

Sophomo

re,

Junior,

Senior

Ana

Gamero

gameroa@

temple.ed

u

LKSOM Biochemistry Understandi

ng the Role

of STAT2 in

Colorectal

Cancer

Cancer is a very complex disease driven by multiple genetic

alterations. The focus of my research is to investigate the

mechanism by which the transcription factor STAT2 promotes

tumor progression in colorectal cancer. The long-term goal of

this project is to determine how STAT2 cooperates with tumor

oncogenes to enable tumor progression, conversion of benign

lesions to malignant and metastasis. Understanding this process

will lead to the development of novel therapeutic interventions

to treat colorectal cancer.

TUHSC Good

communicat

ion skills,

attention to

detail and

able to

follow

directions

Biology,

Biochemis

try

Sophomo

re,

Junior,

Senior

Madesh

Muniswa

my

yson@tem

ple.edu

LKSOM Biochemistry MCU gene

knockout

using zebra

fish model

system

We are creating a knockout zebra fish for the mitochondrial

calcium uniporter (MCU) gene using Crispr/Cas9. We plan to

breed the homozygotes for the MCU deletion and then use

them for functional analyses. The goal is to measure how the

deletion of MCU affects the ATP production/Calcium

handling/Oxidative stress in the mitochondria.

TUHSC Prior

experience

in a

Biology/Life

Science Lab

Good

Laboratory

Practice

General

curiosity Bio

1, Bio 2,

Genetics

Biology,

Biochemis

try,

Molecular

Biology

Juniors or

Sophomo

re

7/2/2020 4


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Abdelkari

m Sabri

sabri@tem

ple.edu

LKSOM Cardiovascul

ar Research

Center

Inflammator

y proteases

and cardiac

repair

In the adult heart, cell death following myocardial infarction

initiates an inflammatory reaction that removes dead cells and

contributes to scar formation and cardiac repair. Since the

regenerative capacity of the adult mammalian heart is limited,

induction of this innate immune response could be maladaptive

and compromises cardiac contractile function. Our study uses a

combination of in vivo and in vitro model systems to define the

role of inflammatory proteases on endogenous cardiac repair

and function after myocardial infarction.

TUHSC Basic cell

and

molecular

biology

techniques.

Highly

motivated

students

with sound

knowledge

in cell and

molecular

biology.

Biochemis

try

Junior &

Senior

Steven

Houser

srhouser@

temple.ed

u

LKSOM Cardiovascul

ar Research

Center

Reversing

Heart Failure

with

Preserved

Ejection

Fraction

(HFpEF)

This project will explore novel drug therapies to reverse the

cardiac abnormalities that develop with pressure overload

(hypertension). Currently studies are exploring sex-based

differences in HFpEF, and sex-based differences in the response

to therapies that inhibit histone deacetylaces (HDACs).

TUHSC General lab

skills

Biology or

Chemistry

Junior or

Senior

7/2/2020 5


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Victor

Rizzo

rizzov@te

mple.edu

LKSOM Cardiovascul

ar Research

Center

The role of

extracellular

vesicles in

vascular

disease

Atherosclerosis, hypertension and aneurysms are the major

causes of cardiovascular disease (CVD) including heart attack

and stroke. Despite recent advances in clinical therapies, CVD

remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality world-

wide. Thus, there is a need to discover the underlying

mechanisms that lead to CVD. Inter-cellular communication is

essential for maintenance of blood vessel homeostasis and

disease development. Our laboratory is interested in a new

mechanism of cell-cell communication which involves

extracellular vesicles (EV). These vesicles carry unique cargo

(lipids, proteins, miRNAs and DNA) which can be transmitted to

target cells as well as serve as biomarkers which indicate the

heath status of the vasculature. Specific projects focus on 1)

characterization of EVs in vascular health and disease 2)

functional effects of EVs in the vasculature and 3) the potential

for EVs to act as therapeutic agents to treat CVD.

TUHSC Seeking

motivated

students

who desire

to gain

hands-on

experience

in basic

biomedical

research.

Biology,

Biochemis

ty,

Chemistry

,

Bioengine

ering

Freshman

,

Sophomo

re,

Junior,

Senior

7/2/2020 6


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Grace Ma grace.ma

@temple.e

du

LKSOM Center for

Asian Health

Director,

Associate

Dean of

Health

Disparities

The Health Disparities Research Innovation (HDRI) Program at

Center for Asian Health is recruiting for the Summer 2020

cohort. We have more than a dozen projects on a variety of

health disparities research topics, ranging from hepatitis B

medication and monitoring adherence, human papillomavirus

vaccination intervention, colorectal cancer screening, to

hypertension and metabolic syndrome, to cognitive health and

Alzheimer's disease.

The HDRI trainees will have the opportunities to develop skills

on various components of health disparities research, including

IRB compliance, literature reviews, research design, community

outreach, data analysis, conference presentation, and

manuscript development. HDRI trainees will also have

opportunities to network with researchers in multiple

disciplines, community stakeholders, and funding agency, and

learn about various opportunities in the health disparity

research field. Through participating in programs such as the

U54 TUFCCC/HC Cancer Health Disparity Partnership, including

the Summer Cancer Research Institute (SCRI) and the

Community Outreach Core, trainees are provided an incredibly

valuable and unique platform to participate in cancer health

TUHSC We

encourage

applications

from

students of

all

background

s,

particularly

those from

underrepres

ented

minority

groups or

disadvantag

ed

background

s. To be

eligible for

the training

program, a

prospective

Public

Health,

Sociology,

Biology,

Neuroscie

nce,

Psycholog

y

Freshman

,

Sophomo

re,

Junior,

Senior

Hong

Wang

hongw@te

mple.edu

LKSOM Center for

Metabolic

Disease

Research

We study

liver

cytotoxic

effects in

metabolic

disorders

mice and

experimental

conditions.

We study liver cytotoxic effects in metabolic disorders mice and

experimental conditions. We generated transgenic mice

deficient with genes encoding key enzymes in amino acid

metabolic and identified significant liver pathology in these

mice. We will characterize lipid glucose and amino acid

metabolism and examine mechanisms determining liver

cytotoxic effects in metabolic disorders. Each UPR student will

be instructed by a PhD student or a postdoctoral fellow.

TUHSC Biology,

Biochemis

try

Freshman

,

Sophomo

re, junior,

Seniors

7/2/2020 7


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Hong

Wang

hongw@te

mple.edu

LKSOM Center for

Metabolic

Disease

Research

Vascular

energy

metabolism

(bioenergeti

cs)

Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is an independent risk factor for

cardiovascular disease (CVD). We will study metabolic cross talk

between homocysteine (Hcy) metabolism and glucose

metabolism, and analyses glycolysis & mitochondrial respiration

in vascular cells. We will use genetic, biology and biochemical

tools to characterize the molecular pathway underlying

HHcy–altered vascular energy metabolism and its role in CVD.

Each UPR student will be instructed by a PhD student or a

postdoctoral fellow.

TUHSC Biology,

Biochemis

try

Freshman

,

Sophomo

re, junior,

Seniors

Hong

Wang

hongw@te

mple.edu

LKSOM Center for

Metabolic

Disease

Research

Biochemical

basis for

HHcy-

induced

cardiovascul

ar Disease

Our lab studies mechanism underlying hyperhomocysteinemia

(HHcy), a medical condition characterized by an abnormally high

level of homocysteine in the blood, caused cardiovascular

disease (CVD). HHcy is a potent and independent risk factor for

CVD, but underlying mechanism is unknown and effective

therapy is not available. We are the leading laboratory in this

field and the first to report that Hcy selectively activates

endothelial cell via hypo-methylation related mechanism and

will further explore the biochemical basis of cell type and gene

specific methylation in cell and mouse disease models. Each

UPR student will be instructed by a PhD student or a

postdoctoral fellow.

TUHSC Biology,

Biochemis

try

Freshman

,

Sophomo

re, junior,

Seniors

7/2/2020 8


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Hong

Wang

hongw@te

mple.edu

LKSOM Center for

Metabolic

Disease

Research

Metabolic

disorder-

induced

immune cell

differentiatio

n

We will identify mechanism mediating cardiovascular

inflammation, atherosclerosis and vascular dysfunction. We will

characterize immune cell differentiation, vascular and systemic

inflammation, vascular cell growth control and apoptosis using

bioinformatics, cell biology and molecular biochemical

approaches to assess the potential mechanisms mediating

metabolic disorder-induced immune cell differentiation. Each

UPR student will be instructed by a PhD student or a

postdoctoral fellow.Metabolic disorder-induced immune cell

differentiation

TUHSC Biology,

Biochemis

try

Freshman

,

Sophomo

re, junior,

Seniors

Hong

Wang

hongw@te

mple.edu

LKSOM Center for

Metabolic

Disease

Research

Characterize

molecular

structure

and function

of newly

discovered

genes in

endothelial

endocytosis

and

angiogenetic

feature

We discovered novel genes induced in endothelial cells treated

with homocysteine (Hcy), an independent risk factor for

cardiovascular disease (CVD) and discovered that these new

genes may mediated Hcy-suppressed cell migration and

angiogenesis. We will use biochemical, molecular biological

tools and mouse genetics to study regulation of trans-activation,

endocytosis, migration, and interaction with skeleton molecules

in endothelial cells and in transgenic mice.

TUHSC Biology,

Biochemis

try

Freshman

,

Sophomo

re, junior,

Seniors

7/2/2020 9


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Hong

Wang

hongw@te

mple.edu

LKSOM Center for

Metabolic

Disease

Research

Organ

Specific

Endothelial

Cell

Heterogeneit

y

Endothelial Cell (EC) formed vascular network to support organ

blood supply, and contribute to organ development and

function. Organ specific endothelial cell heterogeneity is not

well understood. We are characterizing gene expression profile

in endothelial cells isolated from different mouse organ and will

study their functional implication in different organ. We will also

analyze gene expression changes in different vascular beds in

metabolic disease models and identify organ-specific molecular

targets in metabolic disease.

Biology,

Biochemis

try

Freshman

,

Sophomo

re, junior,

Seniors

Hong

Wang

hongw@te

mple.edu

LKSOM Center for

Metabolic

Disease

Research

Biochemical

basis for

HHcy-

induced

cardiovascul

ar Disease

To study how hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), a medical

condition characterized by an abnormally high level of

homocysteine in the blood, causes cardiovascular disease, the

number one killer in the United States and developed countries.

HHcy is a potent and independent risk factor for CVD. However,

the underlying mechanism is unknown and effective therapy is

not available. We are the leading laboratory in this field and the

first to report that Hcy selectively activates endothelial cell via

hypo-methylation related mechanism and will further explore

the biochemical basis of cell type and gene specific methylation

in cell and mouse disease models.

TUHSC Motivation,

carefulness -

Students

who

completed

sophomore

year.

Biology

Hong

Wang

hongw@te

mple.edu

LKSOM Center for

Metabolic

Disease

Research

Metabolic

disorder-

induced

immune cell

differentiatio

n

We have extensive expertise in the areas of cardiovascular

inflammation, atherosclerosis, vascular function, molecular

mechanism, and signal transduction. UPR studies will use

bioinformatics, cell biology and molecular biochemical

approaches to assess the potential mechanisms metabolic

disorder-induced immune cell differentiation. We will examine

monocyte differentiation, vascular and systemic inflammation,

and vascular cell growth control and apoptosis. Each UPR

student will be instructed by a PhD student or a postdoctoral

fellow.

TUHSC GPA greater

than 3.4,

Cell culture

or Protein

biochemistr

y , Hard

working and

dedicative

Biology,

Biochemis

try,

Computer

Science

Junior

7/2/2020 10


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Wenhui

Hu

whu@tem

ple.edu

LKSOM Center for

Metabolic

Disease

Research,

Department

of Pathology

and Lab Med

Molecular

mechanisms

of

hypothalami

c

neurogenesis

and neural

metabolic

syndrome

The research interest in Dr. Hu’s lab focuses on the role and

mechanisms of a novel protein NIBP, which regulates NFkB

signaling and trans-Golgi networking. Mutation of NIBP

contributes to mental retardation, autism, obesity and stroke. In

particular, NIBP knockout mice develop obesity under normal

diet. Also, the lab is interested in the novel role of the

schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder gene TCF4 in

regulating neuritogenesis and synaptic plasticity. The qualified

students will actively participate in the daily research activities

in the laboratory. These activities include: neural stem cell

culture, transfection, reporter gene assay, CRISPR/Cas9 genome

editing, molecular cloning, RT-PCR, Western blot,

immunohistochemistry, confocal imaging, genotyping and

phenotyping. The students will also participate in the weekly

journal club and weekly seminar in the department. The

students are expected to understand the research publications

by Dr. Hu’s group as well as the current progresses in the field of

neural metabolic diseases, adult neurogenesis and genome

editing. The students with previous research background will be

given a small research project that potentially generates

publishable data.

TUHSC Motivation

for science,

responsible

and reliable

Neuroscie

nce,

Biology,

Psychiatry

,

Bioengine

ering,

Computer

science

Junior or

Senior

Lee-Yuan

Liu-Chen

lliuche@te

mple.edu

LKSOM Center for

Substance

Abuse

Research

Kappa opioid

receptor

(KOR):

pharmacolog

y,

neuroanato

my and

behaviors

1. genotyping and biochemical and behavior characterization of

mutant mouse lines, including phosphorylation-deficient KOR

mutant mice, b-arr2 knockout mice and KOR-tdTomato mice 2.

Screening for selective KOR agonists that produce analgesic and

anti-itch effects, but do not cause side effects such as aversion,

sedation and motor incoordation

TUHSC solid grades,

eager to

learn,

organized,

some lab

experience

preferred

Neuroscie

nce,

Biochemis

try

Freshman

,

sophomo

re,

Junior,

Senior

7/2/2020 11


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Lee-Yuan

Liu-Chen

lliuche@te

mple.edu

LKSOM Center for

Substance

Abuse

Research

&

Department

of

Pharmacolog

y

Characterizat

ion of a

knockin

mouse line

expressing a

fusion

protein of

the kappa

opioid

receptor

(KOPR) and

the

fluorescent

Lack of specific antibodies against the KOPR has hindered in

vivo study of KOPR in terms of localization, trafficking,

expression and signaling. My lab has generated a knockin mouse

line expressing KOPR-tdT. The project is to do genotyping of the

mice and map the distribution of KOPR-tdT in the brain.

TUHSC solid grades,

eagerness

to learn,

organized,

some lab

experience

preferred,

experience

in handling

rodents,

perfusion

and tissue

sectioning is

Neuroscie

nce

Junior or

Senior

Douglas

Tilley

douglas.till

ey@templ

e.edu

LKSOM Center for

Translational

Medicine

Leukocytes

and

Cardiorenal

Syndrome

Cardiorenal syndrome (CRS) is a growing clinical problem that

substantially increases the risk of adverse cardiovascular events

and mortality outcomes in patients and costs billions of dollars

per year in the U.S. Approximately 50% of CRS cases result from

a deterioration in cardiac function, such as during the

development of heart failure (HF), which promotes renal fibrotic

remodeling and progressive dysfunction. A number of factors

contribute to the development of CRS, including changes in

hemodynamics, humoral factors such as cytokines and

sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activation. Responsive to

each of these changes are leukocytes, particularly monocytes

and macrophages, which have been implicated in CRS.

However, few reports have investigated whether they play a

reactionary or causative role in the development of CRS-induced

renal dysfunction and remodeling or how to mitigate their

impact in this process. Since renal dysfunction remains a strong

independent predictor for poor prognosis in CVD patients,

targeting leukocytes to prevent the development of renal

dysfunction and remodeling in response to cardiac stress may

offer a new strategy by which to alleviate the negative impact of

CRS on patient mortality. For this project the URP student will

perform a comparative assessment of cardiac and renal fibrosis

TUHSC biochemis

try,

chemistry,

biology

Sophomo

re,

Junior,

Senior

7/2/2020 12


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

John

Elrod

elrod@te

mple.edu

LKSOM Center for

Translational

Medicine

Identificatio

n of novel

sORFs in

cardiovascul

ar disease

elrodlab.org

It has recently become apparent that previous computational

methods used to identify genes throughout the human genome

likely missed a significant number of small genes (small open

reading frames, sORFs) that encode micropeptides that likely

play a very significant role in physiology and disease. The overall

goal of this project is to discover new genes with novel functions

and regulatory roles in cardiovascular disease. We have begun

to establish a database containing all possible sORFs in the

genome to prioritize our search for bona fide peptide encoding

sORFs. In addition, we examining the differential expression of

sORFs in disease starting with heart failure samples from two

well characterized, clinically relevant mouse models. All of these

data will be computationally integrated to generate a priority

list for experimental validation and evaluation.

TUHSC Priority

placed on

previously

molecular

biology

laboratory

experience.

Motivated,

hard-

working

individuals

are a must.

Any Freshme

n,

Sophomo

res -

Junior or

Seniors

Sara Jane

Ward

saraward

@temple.e

du

LKSOM CSAR Cannabinoid

s,

Inflammatio

n, and CNS

Injury

Research focuses on determining the role of inflammation

across a range of CNS disorders, from stroke to substance abuse.

We take a behavioral and molecular immunological approach to

studying the role of inflammation in CNS disorders and testing

the hypothesis that cannabinoid based-treatments have a

potential to reduce this inflammation and therefore improve

behavioral outcomes.

TUHSC Interest in

neuroscienc

e/experime

ntal

psychology

Neuroscie

nce,

Psycholog

y

Junior or

Senior

John

Elrod

elrod@te

mple.edu

LKSOM CTM Mitochondri

al Calcium

Exchange in

Heart

Disease

Summer Research Students would be assisting lab members

with general tasks ranging from mouse colony maintenance,

genotyping, histology, cell culture and various other

experiments that are needed for our current projects. You can

view our recent publications and current projects via our

website. Link listed below.

http://www.elrodlab.org/projects/#/lab-publications/

TUHSC Agreeablen

ess and

willingness

to learn.

Biology Sophomo

re,

Junior,

Senior

7/2/2020 13


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Sadia

Mohsin

tuf65474@

temple.ed

u

LKSOM CVRC Stem cells to

repair heart

after injury

The project would help in understanding different mechanisms

that could be involved in heart repair after stem cell or

exosomes transplantation after cardiac injury. Immune response

is one of the major events that occur after injury. We would

study how stem cells can play a part in modulating immune

response after myocardial infarction.

TUHSC Biology or

BioChem

Sophomo

re,

Juniors

Sadia

Mohsin

tuf65474@

temple.ed

u

LKSOM CVRC Cardiac

repair after

ischemic

injury

The project would help in understanding different mechanisms

that could be involved in heart repair after stem cell or

exosomes transplantation after cardiac injury. Immune response

is one of the major events that occur after injury. We would

study how stem cells can play a part in modulating immune

response after myocardial infarction.

We will also study interaction of stem cells and other heart cell

types including fibroblasts and myocytes.

TUHSC Biochem

or Biology

Junior or

Senior

7/2/2020 14


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Mahmut

Safak

msafak@te

mple.edu

LKSOM Department

of

Neuroscience

Understandi

ng the

regulatory

roles of JC

virus

agnoprotein

in viral life

cycle

JC virus is a human polyomavirus that causes a fatal disease,

known as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, in the

central nervous system of a sub-population of

immunocompromised individuals including AIDS and cancer

patients. This virus encodes a small regulatory protein,

Agnoprotein, from its late coding region. In the absence of its

expression, this virus unable to sustain its productive life cycle.

It is a highly basic phosphoprotein that localizes mostly to the

perinuclear area of infected cells, although a small amount of

the protein is also found in nucleus. It forms highly stable

dimers/oligomers in vitro and in vivo through its Leu/Ile/Phe-

rich domain. Structural NMR studies revealed that this domain

adopts an alpha-helix conformation and plays a critical role in

the stability of the protein. It associates with cellular proteins,

including YB-1, p53, Ku70, FEZ1, HP1α, PP2A, and AP-3; and viral

proteins, including small t antigen, large T antigen, HIV Tat, and

JCV VP1; and significantly contributes the viral transcription and

replication. Although much has been learned about the function

of this important protein in recent years, its precise role in the

viral life cycle remains elusive. Our most recent studies showed

TUHSC Biology,

Chemistry,

Biochemis

try,

Neuroscie

nce

Sophomo

res and

Juniors

7/2/2020 15


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Uma

Sajjan

uma.sajjan

@temple.e

du

LKSOM Department

of Pathology

Role of

Kallikrein-

kinin system

in systemic

and

neurolupus

The goal of my project is to analyze the effects of the different

components of the kallikrein-kinin system in mouse models of

lupus and in normal human blood. One of the components of

this system has started in a clinical trial in lupus recently by my

collaborator.

The project involves working with mouse and human immune

cells and analyzing gene expression and protein levels in cells

stimulated with various therapeutic compounds using standard

immunological techniques such as PCR, Western blot, ELISA and

flow cytometry. The student will have the opportunity to learn

these techniques and also cell culture methods. We also do a lot

of behavioral tests, histology and microscopy . There is potential

to learn a lot of techniques that will be useful for the students

to pursue further in any biomedical field.

TUHSC Experience

in a bio-

medical lab

and

experience

with mice

preferred/

should be

willing to

work with

mice.

Biology,

Biochemis

try,

Neuroscie

nce

Freshman

,

Sophomo

re, Junior

or Senior

7/2/2020 16


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Wenhui

Hu

whu@tem

ple.edu

LKSOM Department

of Pathology

and Lab Med

Target-

specific

delivery of

CRISPR/Cas9

genome

editors to

Disease-

relevant cells

CRIPSR/Cas9 genome editing has been drawing extensive

attention in both science and public. It has revitalized the gene

and cell therapy. A large number of exciting and promising

preclinical studies escalate the potential of genome editors to

treat patients with genetic diseases, infectious diseases, cancer

and others. One of many challenges before wide clinical

application is the urgent need to effectively, specifically and

safely deliver the powerful genome editing machinery to

disease-relevant cells and tissues. Dr. Hu’s lab is interested in

developing novel viral and non-viral gene delivery for

Cas9/sgRNA-expressing vectors or ribonucleoprotein by

targeting neural, immune and cancer cells. The qualified

students will actively participate in the daily research activities

in the laboratory. These activities include: molecular cloning,

PCR genotyping, real-time PCR, genome editing evaluation, cell

culture, transfection, reporter gene assay, Western blot,

immunohistochemistry, confocal imaging, etc. The students are

expected to understand the research publications by Dr. Hu’s

group as well as the current progresses in the field of genome

editing and gene/cell therapy. The students with previous

research background will be given a small research project that

potentially generates publishable data.

TUHSC High

motivation

for science,

responsible

and reliable,

hard-

working

Molecular

biology,

Genetics,

Biology,

Neuroscie

nce

Sophomo

re, Junior

or Senior

7/2/2020 17


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Beata

Kosmider

tug28074

@temple.e

du

LKSOM Department

of Thoracic

Medicine

and Surgery

Mutation

analysis in

emphysema.

Two million Americans suffer from chronic obstructive

pulmonary disease, costing $2.5 billion/year and contributing to

100,000 deaths/year. Emphysema is caused by the destruction

of alveolar wall septa, which is associated with inflammation.

Alveolar type II cells make and secrete pulmonary surfactant

and restore the epithelium after damage. In our preliminary

data we identified 6 mutations in genomic DNA obtained from

alveolar type II cells isolated from patients with emphysema.

Our hypothesis is that these mutations may contribute to this

disease pathogenesis.

Student task and responsibility: The student will first get training

in general laboratory techniques. This person will be involved in

planning experiments with a research group, preparing samples

for DNA isolation and analyze sequencing results. We will meet

at least once every week to discuss this project. The student will

validate the functional role of these novel identified mutations

in A549 cell line and human primary alveolar type II cells in

vitro.

Two million Americans suffer from chronic obstructive

pulmonary disease, costing $2.5 billion/year and contributing to

TUHSC Biology or

Biochem

7/2/2020 18


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Beata

Kosmider

tug28074

@temple.e

du

LKSOM Department

of Thoracic

Medicine

and Surgery

The role of

microvesicle

s in

emphysema.

Microvesicles are small membrane vesicles of 30–1,000 nm in

diameter that are released into the extracellular environment

under normal or pathological conditions by different types of

cells including alveolar type II cells. Our hypothesis is that

microvesicles secreted in emphysema may contain

inflammatory factors, which can induce injury of neighboring

cells. In our preliminary data, we found higher microvesicles

secretion in alveolar type II cells isolated from patients with this

disease compared to control non-smokers and smokers. We

have also identified dysregulated expression of genes involved

in microvesicles synthesis by RNA sequencing in alveolar type II

cells isolated from patients with emphysema.

Student task and responsibility: The student will first get training

in general laboratory techniques. This person will be involved in

determining the role and mechanism of microvesicles secretion

in emphysema. The student will be responsible to determine

inflammatory response in control alveolar type II cells induced

by microvesicles secreted in emphysema in vitro. Methods

include standard molecular and cellular biology such as western

blotting, immunocytofluorescence and ELISA.

Microvesicles are small membrane vesicles of 30–1,000 nm in

diameter that are released into the extracellular environment

under normal or pathological conditions by different types of

cells including alveolar type II cells. Our hypothesis is that

microvesicles secreted in emphysema may contain

TUHSC Biology or

Biochem

7/2/2020 19


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Jonathan

Soboloff

soboloff@t

emple.edu

LKSOM Fels Cancer

Research

Role of STIM-

dependent

calcium

signals in T

cell

differentiatio

n

T cells are critical players in adaptive immunity. T cells are made

in the thymus and then released into peripheral blood where

they seek out foreign agents. One of the first events that occurs

in T cells when activated is a change in cytosolic calcium

concentration. These calcium responses drive their

differentiation into multiple differentiated T cell subsets that

control the immune response in a manner dependent on both

the duration and intensity of the calcium signal. We utilize a

combination of cell lines and mouse models to understand the

molecular events in control of calcium signal generation and T

cell differentiation. This project would involve working closely

with senior investigators in my lab, with the potential to learn

multiple research approaches. Some prior students have earned

publications.

TUHSC Student

must be

enthusiastic

with a

genuine

interest in

learning

research.

Prior lab

experience

would be

highly

desirable

but not

required.

Project

involves

Biology/Bi

ochemistr

y

Sophomo

re, Junior

or Senior

Bassel E

Sawaya

sawaya@t

emple.edu

LKSOM Fels Institute Loss of

Episodic

Memory and

Gait issues in

HIV-infected

patients

Clinical data point to the loss of memory as well as increasing

balance issues (gait) among HIV-1 infected patients.

Our goal is to identify the mechanisms involved.

regarding the memory, we found that HIV proteins induce

glycolysis pathway and impair the mitochondria function.

Regarding the balance, we found that HIV proteins affect

lysosomal functions.

Therefore, we are trying to further determine the mechanisms

involved and try to reverse the effect of these proteins.

TUHSC Desire to

learn and to

ask

questions

Biochemis

try

Junior,

Senior

7/2/2020 20


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Yi Ahang yi.zhang@t

emple.edu

LKSOM Fels Institute

for Cancer

Research

Epigenetic

regulation of

immune cell

development

and function

Epigenetics refers to stable gene expression patterns mediated

by DNA methylation and/or chromatin remodeling. Epigenetics

is critical for controlling multiple cellular processes, including

proliferation, differentiation and function. Dr. Zhangâ€™s

laboratory and interests are in the field of epigenetic regulation

of immune cell development and function. The current project

is investigating the impact of histone-modifying enzymes, such

as Ezh2 and Dot1l, in the regulation of T cell immune responses

and their-mediated tissue injury in the mice undergoing

allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The primary

objective of this project is to identify: 1) how these enzymes

regulate the generation of effector T cells and dendritic cells

during immune responses; and 2) how these effector T cells and

dendritic cells mediate graft versus-host disease and anti-

TUHSC Prior

experiences

with cell

cultures,

genomic

DNA

isolation,

PCR analysis

will be

preferred.

Biology

research

experiments

requires

Biology,

chemistry

and

biochemis

try.

Sophomo

re &

Junior

Jonathan

Soboloff

soboloff@t

emple.edu


for Cancer

Research

UV-Induced

Suppression

of calcium

signaling in

Melanoma

Metastatic

Progression

Increases in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration are a common

component of multiple signal transduction pathways regulating

a wide variety of responses ranging from rapid events such as

membrane fusion and muscle contraction to control of

proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. STIM proteins sense

changes in ER Ca2+ levels; when ER Ca2+ levels are low, STIM

proteins bind to Orai Ca2+ channels that promote Store-

Operated Calcium Entry (SOCE). Ultraviolet radiation is a major

cause of melanoma and has been linked to melanoma

progression. Among other things, UVR causes suppression of

Ca2+ signals that we believe contributes to increases in

melanoma invasiveness. Working closely with a graduate

student, a technician and other undergraduate students in my

lab, this project will involve measuring calcium signals,

performing fluorescence microscopy and various cellular assays

in melanoma cell lines.

Fels

Institute

for

Cancer

Research

Student

must be

enthusiastic

with a

genuine

interest in

learning

research.

Prior lab

experience

would be

highly

desirable

but not

required.

Project

involves

cell culture,

Western

Biology/Bi

ochemistr

y

Sophomo

re, Junior

or Senior

7/2/2020 21


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Jonathan

Soboloff

soboloff@t

emple.edu


for Cancer

Research

Modulation

of calcium

signaling by

changes in

STIM

expression

Increases in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration are a common

component of multiple signal transduction pathways regulating

a wide variety of responses ranging from rapid events such as

membrane fusion and muscle contraction to control of

proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Since Ca2+ signals

typically occur in a time frame of seconds to minutes, how Ca2+

transients can regulate events that occur over hours to days is

poorly understood. Recent investigations from our lab have led

to the identification of Early Growth Response 1 (EGR1) as a

regulator of the expression of STIM1, a required component of

store-operated Ca2+ entry, the primary means of Ca2+ entry in

non-excitable cells. A student working in my lab will investigate

how the expression and function of STIM1 and EGR1 are

coordinated in the context of receptor-mediated signals.

Fels

Institute

for

Cancer

Research

Student

must be

enthusiastic

with a

genuine

interest in

learning

research.

Prior lab

experience

would be

highly

desirable

but not

required.

Project

involves

cell culture,

Western

Biology/Bi

ochemistr

y

Sophomo

re, Junior

or Senior

Nora

Engel

noraengel

@temple.e

du


for Cancer

Research

Genetics and

Epigenetics

of sex-

specific

expression

patterns in

early

embryogene

sis

We are investigating differences between male and female

embryonic stem cells and the mechanisms by which these early

differences are established. Epigenetic assays will be performed

to detect the impact of sex on differentiation of the cells.

Fels

Institute

for

Cancer

Research

Basic

laboratory

skills, such

as pipetting

and making

solutions

required.

Biology,

Biochemis

try

Junior

7/2/2020 22


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Raza

Zaidi

zaidi@tem

ple.edu


for Cancer

Research

molecular

mechanisms

of

Melanomage

nesis

Melanoma is the deadliest type of skin cancer, which originates

from the pigment (melanin)-producing cells (melanocytes) in

the skin. Approximately 85% of melanomas are directly caused

by the UV radiation from the sun and artificial tanning beds.

However, the molecular mechanisms of this cause-and-effect

relationship remain largely undefined. We are using cell culture

and mouse models, and cutting-edge molecular biological

techniques, genomics, and epigenomics to tease out the

molecular mechanisms of UV-induced melanomagenesis.

Fels

Institute

for

Cancer

Research

Highly

motivated

individuals

who have

the passion

for

molecular

biology

research,

and are

willing to

commit

Biochemis

ry or

Biology

Raza

Zaidi

zaidi@tem

ple.edu


for Cancer

Research

molecular

mechanisms

of

Melanomage

nesis

Melanoma is the deadliest type of skin cancer, which originates

from the pigment (melanin)-producing cells (melanocytes) in

the skin. Approximately 85% of melanomas are directly caused

by the UV radiation from the sun and artificial tanning beds.

However, the molecular mechanisms of this cause-and-effect

relationship remain largely undefined. We are using cell culture

and mouse models, and cutting-edge molecular biological

techniques, genomics, and epigenomics to tease out the

molecular mechanisms of UV-induced melanomagenesis.

Fels

Institute

for

Cancer

Research

Highly

motivated

individuals

who have

the passion

for

molecular

biology

research,

and are

willing to

commit

themselves

to a steep

learning

curve,

dedication,

and hard

work.

Biochemis

ry or

Biology

7/2/2020 23


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Richard

Pomeran

tz

richard.po

merantz@t

emple.edu


for Cancer

Research

Developmen

t of Drugs for

BReast and

Ovarian

Cancer

Patients

DNA Polymerase Theta (Polq) is essential for the proliferation of

subsets of breast and ovarian cancers, but is dispensable for

normal cell growth. Thus Polq is considered an important new

cancer drug target. We are screening and identifying drug-like

inhibitors of Polq that will be further developed as anti-cancer

drugs.

TUHSC Interest in

biochemistr

y and/or

cancer

therapeutics

.

Biology,Ch

emistry,Pr

e-medical

Juniors or

Seniors

Richard

T.

Pomeran

tz

richard.po

merantz@t

emple.edu


for Cancer

Research

How the

process of

transcription

contributes

to genome

instability in

human cells.

Genome instability in the form of chromosome breaks,

rearrangements and deletions is a hallmark of cancer cells and

contributes to tumorigenesis. The research project aims to

understand how the process of transcription contributes to

genome instability in human cells. Current research in the lab

reveals a direct link between transcription and DNA deletions

and rearrangements in human cancer cells. This suggests that

transcription plays a much larger role in promoting genome

instability and potentially cancer than previously thought. The

goal of the project is to analyze and annotate the sequences of

DNA deletions and rearrangements generated at transcription

sites in human cells. The results of this research is likely to

provide new important insight into how the fundamental

process of transcription can cause genome instability and will

likely be published in a high profile journal.

TUHSC Intelligent,

hard-

working,

independen

t,

passionate

about

science and

research. -

General

Biology,

perhaps

Chemistry --

Successful

summer

research is

likely to be

published in

peer

reviewed

journals.

Biochemis

try,

Biology, or

Chemistry

7/2/2020 24


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Richard

T.

Pomeran

tz

richard.po

merantz@t

emple.edu


for Cancer

Research

This research

will provide

important

insight into

how

polymerase

theta

functions

during alt-EJ

and

promotes

the survival

of cancer

cells and

chemothera

py resistance

A newly discovered DNA repair process called alternative end-

joining (alt-EJ) or microhomlogy-mediated end-joining causes

chromosome deletions and rearrangements and promotes the

survival of breast and ovarian cancer cells. Current research in

the lab has reconstituted the process of alt-EJ in vitro and has

elucidated how a key protein in this pathway, DNA polymerase

theta, generates insertion mutations at DNA repair junctions.

The goal of the project is to analyze and annotate the sequences

of insertion mutations generated by polymerase theta during alt-

EJ in vitro. This research will provide important insight into how

polymerase theta functions during alt-EJ and promotes the

survival of cancer cells and chemotherapy resistance and will

likely be published in a reputable journal.

TUHSC Intelligent,

hard-

working,

independen

t,

passionate

about

science and

research. -

General

Biology,

perhaps

Chemistry --

Successful

summer

research is

Biochemis

try,

Biology, or

Chemistry

Xavier

Grana

xgrana@te

mple.edu


for Cancer

Research

Understandi

ng Substrate

Specificity of

Protein

Phosphatase

s and their

regulation in

normal and

cancer cells

There are various projects available that deal with the

characterization of the substrate specificity of the B55α/PP2A

holoenzyme and its regulation in cells. (1) B55α/PP2A

holoenzyme substrate specificity This project focuses on

determining the determinants of substrate specificity of

B55α/PP2A holoenzymes using various unrelated substrates of

this holoenzyme. We have and extensive collection of B55α

mutants (>20 mutants) and more to be made to be tested for

binding to various substrates using transient co-transfections

made in human cells grown in culture. The project involves cell

culture, transfections, immunoprecipitation, western blot

analysis and generation and maintenance of plasmids. (2) To

identify the domains in p107 recognized by protein

phosphatases. This project is centered on determining the

amino acid residues that mediate the interaction of p107 with

the PP2A. We have an extensive collection of GST-p107 mutants

to characterize this interaction. More mutants will be

TUHSC Motivation

for Science

and

Research

Background

knowledge -

Previous lab

experience

is NOT

required

Biochemis

try,

Biology,

Bioinform

atics -

Genetics

and/or

Biochemis

try and/or

Cell

Biology

Sophomo

re, Junior

or Senior

7/2/2020 25


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Laurie

Kilpatrick

, PhD

laurie.kilpa

trick@tem

ple.edu

LKSOM Lung

Center/Physi

ology

Regulation

of neutrophil-

endothelial

interactions

in bacterial

sepsis

Dr. Kilpatrick’s research focuses on investigating molecular

mechanisms regulating pro-inflammatory signaling in the innate

immune system; particularly the role of activated leukocytes in

the development of lung injury. An important focus of her work

is examining the regulation of leukocyte migration into the lung.

Using both in vitro and in vivo approaches, she is examining

signaling pathways which regulate leukocyte-endothelial

interaction and the control of transmigration. Her research

group has extensive expertise with different models of

inflammation in rodents and in the isolation and analysis of

human neutrophils, monocytes and alveolar macrophages. Dr.

Kilpatrick identified Protein Kinase C-delta (PKCδ) as a critical

regulator of the inflammatory response in the lung. In

translational studies, she is studying the use of directed anti-

PKCδ therapy to the lung for the treatment of acute lung injury

in a rodent model of sepsis employing pharmacological (PKCδ

inhibitor) and genetic (PKCδ null mice) approaches. Current

TUHSC Some

previous lab

experience,

highly

motivated

with an

interest in

research

Biochemis

try,

Chemistry,

Biology

Sophomo

res,

Juniors or

Seniors

Richard

[email protected] Medical

Genetics &

Molecular

Biochemistry

FOXO1 DNA-

binding

domain

mutations in

the

pathogenesis

of diffuse

large B-cell

lymphoma

Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas (NHL) are among the most common

cancers in the US, and the most common NHL of adults is diffuse

large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Roughly 1/3 of DLBCLs follow an

aggressive course and are subject to relapse or are refractory to

treatment. Identifying molecular markers predictive of an

aggressive clinical course will support earlier initiation of

treatment and the development of novel targeted therapies.

We have previously shown that a significant fraction of DLBCL

exhibit active B-cell receptor signaling associated with

downstream AKT signaling and cytoplasmic localization of the

transcription factor FOXO1. We hypothesize that mutations in

the DNA binding domain of FOXO1 are loss-of-function

mutations. We are working to prove this using biochemical

analysis, cell-based assays and computational simulations. If our

hypothesis regarding FOXO1 FKH mutations is true, it will

provide key information supporting the development and trial

of novel therapies targeting FOXO1 in the treatment of

TUHSC A

motivation

to work and

learn is

essential.

The

successful

candidate

will work in

a

biochemical

laboratory

to perform

bench

experiments

. Attention

to detail

Chemistry,

Biophysics

,

Biological

Sciences

or related

discipline

Freshman

Sophomo

re

Junior

Senior

7/2/2020 26


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Richard

[email protected] Medical

Genetics &

Molecular

Biochemistry

Mosquito

immune

responses to

malaria

Malaria is caused by single-celled parasites of genus

Plasmodium, and transmitted by female mosquitoes of the

genus Anopheles mosquitoes. After a long period of success in

global malaria control, progress has stalled with an estimated

219 million cases and 435,000 related deaths in 2017. Anopheles

gambiae is the principal malaria vector in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Variable efficiency of immune factors significantly influence the

susceptibility of A. gambiae to infection and hence its efficiency

as a disease vector. The complement-like protein thioester-

containing protein 1 (TEP1) is a key Anopheles immune factor

that targets Plasmodium ookinetes crossing the midgut

epithelium for killing. Specific variation in TEP1 correlates with

susceptibility of A. gambiae to rodent and human Plasmodium

parasites. Hence, elucidating the mechanisms of TEP1

complement-like immunity to Plasmodium will impact the

development of tools for achieving malaria control, elimination

and eventual eradication.

TUHSC The

successful

candidate

should be

motivated

and capable

to work in a

biochemical

laboratory.

Attention to

detail and

good record

keeping

skills are

important.

A

background

of

concentrati

Chemistry,

Biophysics

,

Biological

Sciences

or related

discipline

Freshman

Sophomo

re

Junior

Senior

Parkson

Lee-Gau

Chong

pchong02

@temple.e

du

LKSOM Medical

Genetics and

Molecular

Biochemistry

Design,

fabrication,

and use of

archaeal

bipolar

tetraether

liposomes as

novel

nanocarriers

for

biosensing

and medical

intervention

Archaeal bipolar tetraether liposomes (BTL, ~150 nm) are

remarkably stable and robust biomaterials, holding great

promise for technological applications. The goals of this

research are two-fold. First, we plan to use biochemical and

biophysical tools to gain a deeper molecular understanding of

the structure-activity relationship of BTL liposomes in order to

improve their usage as biomaterials and explore their possible

new applications. Second, we plan to design and fabricate novel

thermosensitive BTL for targeting cancer cells and conducting

controlled drug release. BTL will be isolated from the

thermoacidophilic archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius.

Biochemical assays, archaea growth, tetraether lipid isolation,

cell cultures, cell viability assays, optical spectroscopy, cryo-

electron microscopy, and liposome technology will be

employed.

TUHSC having

passion in

science and

willing to

devote a

significant

amount of

time to the

lab work;

general

chemistry is

required;

advanced

courses

such as

organic

Biology,

Chemistry,

Biochem,

or Physics

Sophomo

re,

Junior,

Senior

7/2/2020 27


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Parkson

Lee-Gau

Chong

pchong02

@temple.e

du

LKSOM Medical

Genetics and

Molecular

Biochemistry

Structures,

functions,

and

applications

of

microvesicle

s released

from

thermoacido

philic

archaea

Microvesicles (~180 nm in diameter, abbreviated as Sa-MVs)

secreted from the thermoacidophilic archaeon S. acidocaldarius

(optimum growth: 75-80Â°C and pH 2-3) contain a membrane

made exclusively of tetraether lipids and covered by S-layer

proteins, along with other proteins/macromolecules either in

the membrane or in the internal aqueous compartment.

Recently, our group reported that Sa-MVs have long-term

stability and are stable against a wide range of temperatures

and pHs as well as detergents and autoclaving. Besides, Sa-MVs

have unusually tight membrane packing. The goals of this

research are to explore the biological functions of Sa-MVs and

use these naturally occurring, extremely stable nanoparticles to

develop technological applications. Students will grow archaea,

isolate Sa-MVs, characterize biochemical and physical properties

of Sa-MVs, and test if Sa-MVs can be fabricated into nano-

carriers of therapeutic agents targeting to diseased areas.

TUHSC having

passion in

science and

willing to

devote a

significant

amount of

time to the

lab work;

general

chemistry is

required;

advanced

courses

such as

organic

chemistry

and physical

chemistry

Biochemis

try,

Chemistry,

Biology, or

Physics

Sophomo

re,

Junior,

Senior

Ling Yang ling.yang@

temple.ed

u

LKSOM Medical

Genetics and

Molecular

Biology

Identificatio

n of novel

therapeutic

approaches

to treat

metabolic

disorders

Our current research interests are 1) long non-coding RNAs

(lncRNAs) and protein-coding genes in metabolic disorders; 2)

RNA or RNA targeted therapies to treat metabolic disorders; and

3) Multi-Omics approach to dissect the pathological process of

metabolic disorders. Students will get exposure to both

bioinformatics and experimental biology.

TUHSC Interested

in metabolic

diseases.

Self-

motivated

and detail-

oriented.

Knowledge

of general

Biology,

Biochemis

try,

Computer

science,

Mathmati

cs, or

related

majors

Junior or

Senior

7/2/2020 28


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Tomasz

Skorski

tskorski@t

emple.edu

LKSOM Microbbiolog

y and

Immunology,

Fels Cancer

Research

Personalized

medicine-

guided

synthetic

lethality to

eradicate

tumor cells

Leukemia stem cells (LSCs), and especially quiescent LSCs, have

a dual role as tumor initiating and therapy-refractory cells.

Currently available anti-tumor treatments clear a disease

burden consisting mostly of leukemia progenitor cells (LPCs),

but they usually fail to eradicate drug-refractory quiescent LSCs

and drug-resistant proliferating LSCs/LPCs. Altered DNA repair

mechanisms were suggested to be responsible for stimulation of

survival of LSCs and/or LPCs under genotoxic stress.

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), the most lethal DNA lesions,

are repaired by two major mechanisms, homologous

recombination (HR) and non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ).

BRCA -mediated HR (B-HR) and DNA-PK –mediated NHEJ (D-

NHEJ) repair DSBs in proliferating cells and D-NHEJ plays a major

role in quiescent cells. PARP1-dependent NHEJ (P-NHEJ) and

RAD52-dependent HR (R-HR) serve as back-ups/alternative

mechanisms in proliferating and/or quiescent cells.

The existence of these pathways creates the opportunity to

apply “synthetic lethality” triggered by PARP1 and/or RAD52

inhibitors (PARP1i and RAD52i, respectively) in DNA-PK

TUHSC biology Junior &

Senior

Stefania

Gallucci

gallucci@t

emple.edu

LKSOM Microbiology-

Immunology

Regulation

of Type I

Interferons

in

Autoimmunit

y

The project includes studies of cellular immunology and

molecular biology of signal transduction of cytokines involved in

the pathogenesis of an autoimmune disease, Systemic Lupus

Erythematosus. The goal of the project is to test novel biologics

to be used in the therapy of autoimmune diseases.

TUHSC Strong

motivation

to learn and

hard

working.

Biology_Pr

emed

7/2/2020 29


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Ilker K

Sariyer

isariyer@t

emple.edu

LKSOM Neuroscience Neuroimmu

ne

regulation of

JC virus gene

expression in

glial cells

Patients undergoing immune modulatory therapies for the

treatment of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis,

and individuals with an impaired-immune system, most notably

AIDS patients, are in the high risk group of developing

progressive multifocal leukoencephalopath (PML), a fatal

demyelinating disease of the white matter caused by human

neurotropic polyomavirus, JC virus. We employ multidisciplinary

strategies to determine molecular mechanism of JC virus

reactivation during the latent period of viral infection. JC virus

replicates almost exclusively in glial cells, and its promoter

sequence, which has tissue-specific characteristics, tightly

modulates expression of viral genome in appropriate cell types

and immunoconditions through communication with cellular

factors. We identified the alternative splicing factor, SF2/ASF, as

a potential regulator of JCV as its overexpression in glial cells

strongly suppresses viral gene expression and replication. Our

studies have demonstrated that SF2/ASF expression in glial cells

is tightly controlled by immune mediators secreted by PBMCs

TUHSC Biology,

Chemistry,

Neuroscie

nce -

Previous

experienc

e in

biochemic

al lab

technique

s

preferred.

Sophomo

re,Junior,

senior

Ilker K.

Sariyer

isariyer@t

emple.edu

LKSOM Neuroscience Molecular

regulation of

JC virus

reactivation

in the brain.

Patients undergoing immune modulatory therapies for the

treatment of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis,

and individuals with an impaired-immune system, most notably

AIDS patients, are in the high risk group of developing

progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), an often

lethal disease of the brain characterized by lytic infection of

oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS). Immune

system plays an important regulatory role in controlling JC virus

reactivation from latent sites by limiting viral gene expression

and replication. However little is known regarding the molecular

TUHSC Talented

with good

work ethics,

Biology

Pharmacy

Sophomo

re,

Junior,

Senior

7/2/2020 30


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Prasun

Datta

dattapk@t

emple.edu

LKSOM Neuroscience Cross-talk

between HIV-

1 and

glucose

metabolism

Elucidate mechanism(s) by which HIV-1 protein Vpr modulates

macrophage glucose metabolism. 2. Elucidate mechanism(s) by

which HIV-1 protein Tat modulates microglia and astrocyte

glucose metabolism.

If significant progress is made by the student then he/she will be

allowed to submit an abstract to a national meeting or submit a

manuscript for publication as a contributing author.

TUHSC Willingness

to learn

new

techniques. -

Prefer prior

experience

in research.

Biology,

Neuroscie

nce,

Biochemis

try

Sophomo

re, Junior

or Senior

Prasun

Datta

dattapk@t

emple.edu

LKSOM Neuroscience Regulation

of glutamate

transporter

EAAT2 in the

context of

NeuroAIDS

Research focuses on determining the role of HIV-1, cytokines

and drugs of abuse in the regulation of glutamate transporter

expression in astrocytes, microglia and macrophages. If

significant progress is made by the student then he/she will be

allowed to submit an abstract to a national meeting or submit a

manuscript for publication as a contributing author.

TUHSC Selection

criteria are

good

organization

al skills,

interest in

learning and

hardworkin

g. Prefer

prior

experience

in research

Biology,

Neuroscie

nce,

Biochemis

try

Sophomo

re, Junior

or Senior

7/2/2020 31


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Bruce

Vanett

Bruce.Van

[email protected]

emple.edu

LKSOM Orthopaedic

Surgery and

Sports

Medicine

Study of Risk

Factors for

Bleeding in

Knee

Arthroplasty

Patients

In this study, we will review medical record of knee arthroplasy

patients and collect the transfusion information and other

clinical information including pre-transfusion hemoglobin, and

other factors which possibly associated with bleeding.

Then we will analyze the data to identify the risk factors for

bleeding during knee arthroplasty. Based on our results, we will

revise our criteria for ordering blood before the knee

arthroplasty and to decrease unnecessary requests for blood

before surgery.

TUHSC Biology Sophomo

re or

Junior

Jian

Huang

jianh@tem

ple.edu

LKSOM Pathology Tracking

blood stem

cell dividing

in culture

All blood cells arise from a common precursor called the

hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) or blood stem cell. HSC is able to

differentiate into mature blood cells as well as to replenish the

pool of HSCs. Clinically, HSCs are key for bone marrow

transplantation for treating leukemia and other blood diseases.

But the number of HSC is limited in bone marrow and cord

blood for transplantation. The study aims to develop methods

that can expand HSC ex vivo and be used to improve the

outcome of clinical bone marrow transplantations.

Experimentally, we use a HSC specific reporter (Evi1-GFP) to

track HSC dividing in culture. Then we treat HSC with a variety of

factors and drugs to test whether they can expand HSC number

ex vivo. Our major goal is to develop new clinical protocols for

expanding functional HSCs for therapeutic applications.

TUHSC This is a

good

opportunity

for the

students

who are

interested

in the stem

cell biology

to learn

about the

best

example of

stem cell--

blood stem

cell. The

students

Biology Freshman

,

Sophomo

re, Junior

or Senior

7/2/2020 32


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Slava

Rom

srom@tem

ple.edu

LKSOM Pathology non-coding

RNA and

endothelial

dysfunction

during stroke

Major complications of stroke are neuroinflammation and

endothelial dysfunction. Non-coding RNAs (such as microRNAs)

are involved in the regulation of the expression of different

proteins involved in various processes. This project would

involve in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo experimental models of

stroke.

TUHSC biology-

related

Junior,

Senior

Yuri

Persidsky

yuri.persid

[email protected]

emple.edu

LKSOM Pathology Blood-brain

barrier injury

and

neuroinflam

mation

The research in Dr. Persidsky’s laboratory uses mouse and

human models to study blood-brain barrier injury (including

neuroinflammation, tobacco, alcohol and drug abuse). The

student will have the opportunity to learn analysis of

microscopic images, histology, cell culture methods and

behavioral testing.

TUHSC Some

laboratory

experience

is preferred

Biology -

Biochemis

try -

Chemisty

Sophomo

re,

Junior,

Senior

He Wang - He.Wang@

tuhs.templ

e.edu

LKSOM Pathology &

Lab Medicine

Compare

microvascula

r disease in

right and left

ventricular

wall at

different

time after

heart

transplantati

on

Despite significant improvement in short term survival, cardiac

allograft vasculopathy (CAV) remains the major cause of death

in late survival transplanted patients. The definition of cardiac

microvessel varies between authors, but a vascular diameter <

20 um is believed to be “micro-” by most investigators.

Coronary microvascular bed is the site where myocardial blood

flow is tightly adjusted to meet myocardial metabolic needs.

Coronary microvascular dysfunction is well documented in

hypertension, obesity, diabetes, acute myocardial infarction,

chronic stable angina, cardiomyopathies and heart failure with

preserved ejection fraction.

TUHSC Dedicated -

previous

exposure to

histology

and

morphomet

ric analysis

are

preferred/n

ot

absolutely

necessary

biochemic

al science

or

neuroscie

nce

Junior or

Senior

7/2/2020 33


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Wenzhe

Ho

wenzheho

@temple.e

du

LKSOM Pathology

and

Laboratory

Medicine

Exoosme in

Methamphet

amine and

HIV-

associated

Neurodegen

eration

The proposed studies will reveal previous unidentified

mechanisms by which METH and/or HIV compromise the BBB

innate immunity, providing a favorable micro-environment for

HIV neuroinvasion.

TUHSC Prefer to

have

students

with biology

major,

having a

great

interest in

research

(with or

without

experience,

although

research

Biology,

Neuroscie

nce

Domenic

o Pratico

praticod@t

emple.edu

LKSOM Pharmacolog

y

Dietary

lifestyle and

the

Alzheimer's

disease

phenotype

Aging and a family history for the disease are the strongest risk

factors for developing sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). In

particular, having a mother with AD poses an individual at a

much higher risk to develop the disease later in life than having

a father with the disease. However, how aging and maternal

factor(s) interact to modulate the susceptibility of developing

AD remain unknown. We hypothesize that maternal dietary

lifestyle during gestation is an important element that

influences the susceptibility to develop AD in the offspring. To

address this hypothesis, we will investigate the effect of

different gestational diets on cognitive function in the offspring;

next we will study the effect of the same diet on their age-

dependent development of AD pathophysiology; third we will

determine the mechanism(s) underlying this effect.

TUHSC Highly

motivated.

Interest and

desire to

learn new

concepts

and

techniques.

Good

knowledge

of cell and

molecular

biology.

Some lab

experience.

Biochemis

try;

Biology

Sophomo

re, Junior

& Senior

7/2/2020 34


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Xiao-feng

Yang

xfyang@te

mple.edu

LKSOM Pharmacolog

y

Regulation

of vascular

inflammatio

n and

atherosclero

sis

Dr. Xiaofeng Yang’s laboratory, located in the MERB-10th floor-

1083, Centers of Metabolic Disease Research, Cardiovascular

Research, Thrombosis Research and Departments of

Pharmacology and Immunology, focuses on studying the

regulatory mechanisms of vascular endothelial cell, smooth

muscle cell, monocyte, adipocyte and regulatory T cell immune

responses related to vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease

characterized by intense immunological activity, and is the main

cause of ischemic stroke and cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular diseases and stroke remain as the leading cause

of morbidity and mortality in industrialized society. There is

increasing evidence that vascular endothelial cell inflammation

significantly contributes to the onset and early development of

atherosclerosis. Success of these projects will provide new

molecular targets for future development of new therapeutics

to treat cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Research projects in

Dr. Yang’s lab are to determine how immune cytokine pathways

regulate high lipid- and high glucose-triggered endothelial cell

activation and inflammation, which include hyperlipidemia-,

TUHSC Cardiovasc

ular

Research

Center

7/2/2020 35


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Scott

Rawls

scott.rawls

@temple.e

du

LKSOM Pharmacolog

y/ Center for

Substance

Abuse

Research

Therapeutic

secrets of

kratom

alkaloid

mitragynine:

Testing

efficacy in

neuropathic

pain and

abuse

liability

models and

characterizat

ion of

underlying

opioid and

adrenergic

mechanisms

More than 20 alkaloids, several of which are biologically active,

have been isolated from the Mitragyna speciosa plant known as

kratom, with MG being the major one, accounting for 66.2% of

the crude base and 6% by weight of the dried plant. In

Southeast Asia, kratom has been used for centuries as a

stimulant to counteract fatigue and also as an herbal remedy for

depression, pain, opioid withdrawal, fever, anxiety, and

diarrhea. Kratom’s ‘opioid-like’ effects have gained the most

public attention and are presumed to be primarily responsible

for its ‘addictive’ and analgesic properties. However, it is

notable that kratom alkaloids are derived from a coffee-like, not

opioid-like, plant and display both opioid and stimulant

properties, with stimulant effects predominant at low-to-

moderate doses and opioid effects presenting with higher

doses. In fact, it is the mixed opioid/stimulant profile of kratom

that makes it so pharmacologically intriguing, and it is the

stimulant properties, likely resulting from enhanced adrenergic

transmission, that are especially understudied and a principal

focus of our proposal. Information about kratom pharmacology

remains mostly anecdotal, with the scientific literature lacking

experimental details about the pharmacological effects of

individual kratom alkaloids, especially as related to mechanisms

underlying neuroprotective efficacy and abuse liability. To

address this gap in preclinical knowledge, we provide the first

TUHSC Willing to

conduct

behavioral

research in

rats, mice

and

invertebrate

s

(planarians)

Interest in

studying

mechanisms

underlying

drug

addiction,

identifying

new

therapeutic

approaches

for

addiction

and pain,

and interest

in studying

neuroscie

nce,

biology,

chemistry,

biochemis

try,

psycholog

y

Sophomo

re,

Junior,

Senior

7/2/2020 36


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Fabio A.

Recchia

fabio.recch

ia@temple

.edu

LKSOM Physiology New

pharmacolog

ical and

biological

therapies for

heart failure

and atrial

fibrillation

The general aim of this project is to identify new

pharmacological and biological agents for the therapy of heart

failure and atrial fibrillation in experimental dog models. These

are two major pathological conditions that affect millions of

Americans and there is a pressing need for new therapies.

Research in large animal models is called "pre-clinical" in that

the related discoveries can be rapidly translated into clinical

practice.

TUHSC Interest in

the

biomedical

field and

potential

interest in

future

medical

studies. At

least the

basic

courses of

biology

biology,

bioengine

ering,

biochemis

try,

kinesiolog

y

Sheng

Wu

sheng.wu

@temple.e

du

LKSOM Physiology Defining the

mechanism

of elevated

androgen on

insulin

resistance

and

infertility

Our research integrates endocrinology and metabolism to

investigate how steroids regulate metabolism and reproduction.

We will investigate insulin signaling in energy storage and

reproductive tissues associated with elevated androgens and or

obesity.

My laboratory uses multiple genetic modified animal models

(obesity, androgen implantation and conditional knockout of AR

in different tissues) and applies molecular, cellular and

â€œOmicsâ€• techniques to examine the developmental factors

and their target tissues of androgen that contribute to

metabolic and reproductive dysfunction.

TUHSC We will

train

students

and design

proper

experiment

to fit their

and our

interests.

Biology;

Biochemis

try;

Pharmacol

ogy

Sophomo

re ,Junior

& Senior

7/2/2020 37


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Sheng

Wu

sheng.wu

@temple.e

du

LKSOM Physiology/C

enter for

Metabolic

Disease

Defining the

mechanism

of elevated

androgen

induced

Metabolic

and

reproductive

dysfunction

Our research integrates endocrinology and metabolism to

investigate how steroids regulate metabolism and reproduction.

We are studying insulin signaling in energy storage and

reproductive tissues associated with elevated androgens and or

obesity.

We use multiple genetic modified animal models (obesity,

androgen implantation and conditional knockout of AR in

different tissues) and applies molecular, cellular and

â€œOmicsâ€• techniques to examine the developmental factors

and their target tissues of androgen that contribute to

metabolic and reproductive dysfunction.

TUHSC We have

multiple

projects to

fit different

interesting

areas

including

investigatio

n of steroids

effects on

energy

storage

tissues such

as liver,

central

nervous

system,

Biology;

Biochemis

try;

Pharmacol

ogy

Sophomo

re ,Junior

& Senior

7/2/2020 38


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Jun Yu jun.yu@te

mple.edu

LKSOM Physiology/C

MDR

Targeting

tissue

fibrosis

Chronic ischemia induced tissue fibrosis contributes to

numerous end-stage diseases. Moreover, endomyocardial

biopsy specimens from patients with atherosclerotic coronary

disease-induced ischemic cardiomyopathy demonstrated 45% of

replacement fibrosis. Thus, identifying the signaling cascades

that regulates fibrosis in chronic ischemic diseases will have

significant clinical benefit. In this project we will use a newly

established chronic ischemia-induced cardiomyopathy model to:

(1) interrogate the role of a novel signaling pathway that

regulates ischemia-induced tissue fibrosis, (2) uncover the

molecular mechanisms of its regulation of pro- and anti-

fibrogenic signaling cascade, and (3) test the therapeutic

potential of a newly developed allosteric inhibitor against

fibrosis in vivo. The success of proposed study will define a drug

target-able pathway in regulating chronic ischemia-induced

tissue fibrosis. The successful candidate , who has previous lab

experience, will have chance to conduct a part of the project

and contribute to research article.

TUHSC Highly

motivated

and

responsible.

Basic cell

and

molecular

biology

techniques

and

understandi

ng of

human

physiology

are a plus.

Biology or

pharmacol

ogy

Junior or

Senior

7/2/2020 39


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Jun Yu jun.yu@te

mple.edu

LKSOM Physiology/C

MDR

Molecular

control of

vascular

remodeling

One of our lab's research focus is to identify novel signaling

pathways that regulate ischemia-induced collateral remodeling

and angiogenesis, one of the major cardiovascular problems.

Prohibitin-1 is a highly conserved protein that is mainly localized

to the mitochodrial membrane and regulates mitochondria

function and vascular homeostasis. The subject of this project is

to uncover the role of prohibitin-1 in regulating endothelial cell

function and the underlying mechanism(s).

TUHSC Basic cell

and

molecular

biology

techniques.

Understandi

ng of

human

physiology.

Highly

motivated

and

responsible.

Biology or

pharmacol

ogy

Sophomo

re, Junior

or Senior

Mohan

Patnala

Achary

achary@te

mple.edu

LKSOM Radiation

Oncology

Inhibition of

human

glioblastoma

by betulinic

acid

combined

with ionizing

radiation

To determine the synergistic effects of Betulinic acid in

combination with ionizing radiation on gioblastoma cells

TUHSC Biology Junior

7/2/2020 40


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

George

Smith

george.smi

th@templ

e.edu

LKSOM Shriners

Hospitals for

Pediatric

Research/Ne

uroscience

Transplantati

on of neural

stem cells to

promote

circuit relays

in the

injured

spinal cord.

The prospects of inducing long-distance functional regeneration

of supraspinal tracts leading to connectivity and restoration of

function remain a challenge. However, selective treatments

induce sprouting, prevent dieback, or induce short distance

regeneration. These processes, particularly sprouting,

contribute to spontaneous recovery after injury by forming

relays onto propriospinal interneurons that bypass the lesion

and connect to caudal locomotor centers. Similarly,

transplantation of neural stem cells or fetal spinal cord tissue

into the lesion site is thought to increase functional recovery by

recruiting supraspinal and propriospinal inputs to reinforce

relays to downstream motor targets. To date, some of the best

functional recovery has been observed in fetal transplants into

neonatal animals most likely through formation of such relays.

In adults, the addition of neurotrophins to the transplant site

enhanced the number of ingrowing supraspinal and

propriospinal axons and enhanced functional recovery, possibly

by forming relays to bypass the lesion. However, it has never

been directly shown that transplants induce recovery by relay

formation. In this study, we will investigate the hypothesis that

TUHSC Basic

understandi

ng of stem

cells,

immunoche

mistry, and

molecular

biology

Neuroscie

nce,

Biology, or

Chemistry

Juniors or

Seniors

LIQING

JIN

jinliqin@te

mple.edu

LKSOM Shriners

Hospitals

Pediatric

Research

Center

molecular

mechanisms

of axon

regeneration

in the

lamprey

spinal cord

With molecular biological techniques, we study the role of local

protein synthesis in axonal tips in axonal regeneration in

lamprey spinal cord.

TUHSC Diligent -

biology,

biochemistr

y, molecular

biology,

neuroscienc

e, etc. --

Students

are

welcome in

our center.

Medicine

or biology

7/2/2020 41


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Shuxin Li shuxin.li@t

emple.edu

LKSOM Shriners

Hospitals

Pediatric

Research

Center

Neural repair

and CNS

neuronal

regeneration

Our lab is highly interested in neural repair and CNS axon

regeneration research. Our projects focus on the

molecular/cellular mechanisms for CNS neuronal growth failure

and development of novel and effective strategies to promote

neuronal regeneration, remyelination and functional recovery

after injury and/or in neurodegenerative disorders. We employ

various in vitro and in vivo research approaches, including

molecular/cellular neurobiology, biochemistry, genetic and

pharmacological methods, transgenic over-expression and

knockout mice and multiple neuronal/axonal lesion models

(such as spinal cord injury, optic nerve crush and EAE) in mice

and rats. We have produced a number of high impact papers

related to CNS axon regeneration and treatments for CNS injury.

TUHSC Motivated

person and

basic

background

on research.

Seo-Hee

Cho

seo.hee.ch

o@temple.

edu

LKSOM Shriners

Hospitals

Pediatric

Research

Center/

Anatomy and

Cell Biology

Examining

the effects of

Yap WT and

Yap mutant

genes

overexpressi

on in the

developing

retina using

AAV (Adeno-

This project consists of three parts. First, construction of AAV-

Yap (WT), AAV-YapS1A and AAV-YapS1D via recombinant DNA

technology. Second, expression of Yap, WT and mutant, genes in

the neonatal retina by electroporation or viral injection. Lastly,

characterization of resulting retinas with various analysis tools

including immunofluorescennce assay followed by microscopic

imaging.

TUHSC Biology Sophomo

re

7/2/2020 42


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Seo-Hee

Cho

seo.hee.ch

o@temple.

edu

LKSOM Shriners

Hospitals

Pediatric

Research

Center/

Anatomy and

Cell Biology

A new LCA

model by

polarity gene

ablation (2)

Genetic

analysis of

the

signaligng

genes during

eye

development

Our research focuses on understanding the cellular and

molecular mechanisms underlying the normal development and

degenerative diseases of the mammalian retina. Topics we

currently study include: (I) Functional analysis of apical polarity

gene Pals1 during retinal development. (II) Pathophysiology

study of degenerative retinal diseases (LCA and RP) to

understand the underlying disease causing mechanisms. We are

particularly interested in polarity defect in retinal progenitor

cells, which causes early-onset, photoreceptor degeneration in

Leber Congenital Amaurosis 8 (LCA 8) and/or late-onset Retinitis

Pigmentosa 12 (RP12). (III) Cell-transplantation and gene-based

therapies: Our goal is to customize therapy strategies using cell-

and gene-based approaches to restore vision loss in LCA8-like

mouse model in preclinical settings. (IV) Investigating the

function of tumor suppressor genes, TSC2 and Hippo-Yap signal

transduction pathway components, in the eye development.

TUHSC not

required

Biology

related -

General

Biology

recomme

nded

7/2/2020 43


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Nune

Darbinian-

Sarkissian

nsarkiss@t

emple.edu

LKSOM Shriners

Peddiatric

Reserch

Center

Human Brain

Developmen

t and

Exposure to

Psychoactive

Medications

and Alcohol

Our group investigates effects of maternal exposure to

psychoactive medications and alcohol during pregnancy on the

fetal brain development. Maternal alcohol (EtOH) exposure can

lead to significant neuronal loss, synaptic dysfunction that can

lead to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Mechanisms of

neurotoxicity have been explored in animal models and in vitro

human models, but data from in vivo human models is scarce.

Our group developed unique in vivo human FAS model to

investigate molecular mechanisms of massive neuronal and

synaptic loss, and to identify neurological diseases-specific

miRNAs that upon prenatal alcohol exposure can lead to Fetal

Alcohol Syndrome, depression or Cerebral Palsy (CP). We also

investigate molecular mechanisms in neuroprotection by human

DING protein against alcohol-induced neuronal injury, using

various advanced techniques, including RNA or miRNA studies

by quantitative Real-Time RT-PCR; protein studies including

quantitative western-blot assays and ELISA; fluorescence-based

studies including FACS, Microscopy, and functional bioactivity

assays.

TUHSC

Nune

Darbinian-

Sarkissian

nsarkiss@t

emple.edu

LKSOM Shriners

Peddiatric

Reserch

Center

Effects of

Maternal

Alcohol

Consumption

and

Gestational

Age on

Human Fetal

Brain

Apoptosis

Maternal alcohol (EtOH) exposure can lead to significant

neuronal loss, synaptic dysfunction and fetal alcohol syndrome

(FAS). Mechanisms of neurotoxicity have been explored in

animal models and in vitro human models, but data from in vivo

human models is scarce.

TUHSC Advanced,

motivated,

interested

in research

Neuroscie

nce,

Biology,

Pharmacy,

Medical,

Psychiatry

,

Gynecolog

y

Juniors &

Seniors

7/2/2020 44


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Sunil

Karhadka

r

sunil.karha

dkar@tuhs

.temple.ed

u

LKSOM Surgery BK virus

nephropathy

in post renal

transplant

biopsy

Analysis of BK virus induced injury in transplant allografts after

renal transplantation. This includes study of immunostains and

patterns of glomerular and tubular injury and correlation with

immunosuppression post renal transplantation. Analysis will

include morphometry and review of renal biopsy as well as

biomarkers of renal injury

TUHSC biology,

biochemis

try,

chemistry,

immunolo

gy

Sunil

Karhadka

r

sunil.karha

dkar@tuhs

.temple.ed

u

LKSOM Surgery Correlation

of pre

transplant

renal

allograft

histology

with

transplant

outcomes

after

deceased

donor renal

transplantati

Analysis of donor renal histology with regard to

glomerulosclerosis, vascular changes in intra renal blood vessels

and fibrosis; generation of pathological composite score and its

correlation with short term and long term renal allograft

function

TUHSC biology,

immunolo

gy

Sunil

Karhadka

r

sunil.karha

dkar@tuhs

.temple.ed

u

LKSOM Surgery /

Abdominal

Transplant

Hypothermia

in donors for

organ

transplantati

on and

effects on

allograft

outcomes

Hypothermia is often utilized to minimize cerebral injury after

cardiac arrest. Progression to brain death after cardiac arrest

and subsequent organ donation and recovery is associated with

variable outcomes from the procured allografts. The duration of

hypothermia and the ischemia times will be correlated with

outcomes after transplantation

TUHSC Biology,

biochemis

try,

neuroscie

nce

7/2/2020 45


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Sunil

Karhadka

r

sunil.karha

dkar@tuhs

.temple.ed

u

LKSOM Surgery /

Abdominal

Transplant

Obesity and

Frailty as risk

factors for

adverse

outcomes

after renal

transplantati

on

Study and analysis of indices of frailty as determinants of

adverse outcomes after renal transplantation. This will involve

review of bioinformatics data and statistical analysis and

correlation with serum markers of renal failure, morbidity and

graft loss

TUHSC biology,

biochemis

try

Richard

Katz

Richard.Ka

[email protected]

u

FCCC Fox Chase

Cancer

Center

Organization

of chromatin

within the

cell nucleus

The most striking feature of the eukaryotic nucleus is the spatial

and functional organization of chromatin into two fundamental

units: euchromatin (open, active) and heterochromatin (closed,

Inactive). Heterochromatin is localized largely in a compartment

at the inner nuclear periphery, in association with the fibrous

nuclear lamina framework. An emerging concept, based on

evidence from C. elegans and mammals, is that heterochromatic

histone tail modifications, e.g. H3K9me3, serve as anchoring

points for the attachment of heterochromatin to the nuclear

periphery. A second well-supported concept is “tethering”,

whereby proteins serve to attach heterochromatin to the

nuclear periphery. In mammals, two proteins, LBR and PRR14,

have been implicated in H3K9me2/3-dependent tethering of

heterochromatin to the nuclear lamina. PRR14 acts as a modular

bivalent tether to link the nuclear lamina to the

heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) adapter protein and its

H3K9me3/H3K9me2 ligands. We found unexpectedly that the N-

terminal heterochromatin binding domain of the PRR14

localizes only with H3K9me3. Using a variety of imaging and

cellular biochemical methods, the project will be to investigate

the comparative specificities of PRR14 and LBR for H3K9me2

and H3K9me3 in mammalian cells.

FCCC Biology

7/2/2020 46


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Won Suh whs@tem

ple.edu

Engineeri

ng

Bioengineeri

ng

Culture of

mammalian

cells

embedded in

synthetic

hydrogels

under flow

conditions

(micro/macr

ofluidics)

Mammalian cells such as PC12 and human neural stem cells

(hNSCs) will be embedded in synthetic (polymeric) hydrogels.

The first steps involve producing synthetic hydrogels and

learning basic cell culture techniques. The ultimate goal is to

assess the fate of cells embedded in the 3D matrix. The viability

and differentiation profiles of hNSCs, for instance, will be

assessed utilizing live-cell imaging, immunocytochemistry, and

protein analysis. Data analysis methods will involve ImageJ

processing and inferential statistical analysis methods utilizing

Matlab or JMP software programs.

Main No prior lab

experience

required.

Pre-

requisite

courses are,

at least, two

basic

chemistry

and/or

biology

courses

(with lab).

Biochemis

try,

Chemistry,

Biology,

Neuroscie

nce

Sophomo

re,

Junior,

Senior

Won Suh whs@tem

ple.edu

Engineeri

ng

Bioengineeri

ng

Synthesis of

amphiphilic

peptides for

drug delivery

Short (3-30 mer) peptide sequences will be synthesized via solid-

phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) methods. Post-modification of

peptides will involve saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons.

Characterization will be performed via NMR and Mass

Spectrometry methods after separation of molecules via HPLC

(High-Performance Liquid Chromatography). Depending on the

success of the peptide synthesis, live-cell experiments will be

conducted to test the peptide's bioactivity.

Main No prior lab

experience

required.

Pre-

requisite

courses are,

at least, two

basic

chemistry

and/or

biology

courses

Biochemis

try,

chemistry,

biology,

neuroscie

nce

Freshman

,

Sophomo

re,

Junior,

Senior

7/2/2020 47


Faculty

Name

Email

Address

Faculty

School or

College

Faculty

Department


Location

Important

selection

criteria

Student

Majors

Desired

Class

Preferenc

e

Won Suh whs@tem

ple.edu

Engineeri

ng

Bioengineeri

ng

Synthesis of

polymeric

particles for

tissue

engineering

Microparticles (1-500 microns) and nanoparticles (sub-micron)

comprising polyesters, polyamides, and polyethers will be

produced via emulsion and ultrasonic methodologies. Bioactive

molecules such as growth factors and hydrophobic drugs will be

encapsulated and tested for their cytotoxicities. Microscopy

methods and ImageJ processing will allow for characterization.

Statistical analysis involving ANOVA (analysis of variance) and t

tests will be conducted utilizing Matlab or JMP software.

Depending on the progress of particle synthesis and in vitro

testing results, the research can be expanded to tissue

engineering applications.

Main No prior lab

experience

required.

Pre-

requisite

courses are,

at least, two

basic

chemistry

and/or

biology

courses

(with lab).

Having

taken

organic

chemistry 1

Biochemis

try,

chemistry,

biology,

neuroscie

nce

Freshman

,

Sophomo

re,

Junior,

Senior

7/2/2020 48

fall 2020 non-cst faculty research projects · carbonic anhydrases (cas, e. c. 4.2.1.1) are a class...

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