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Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy In Cancer, Brian Stahl
Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy In Cancer, Brian Stahl
Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects
The development of immune-checkpoint-inhibitors (ICIs) has led to promising advancements in the treatment of patients with cancers, leading with the use of cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) as a negative regulator of T cell activation in the mid-1990s. With the discovery of two ligands for program cell death protein-1 (PD-1) and promising checkpoint blockades in 2010, this sparked a cascade of hallmark immunotherapy drug patents, focusing on the mechanism of anti PD-1 and anti PD-L1 antibody inhibitors. Since then, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T (CAR-T) cells have emerged into the immuno-oncologic scene for treatment of hematological malignancies. These genetically …
A Review Of T1d: Prevalence, Current Therapies, And Cellular Therapies For The Future, Fahd Nazir
A Review Of T1d: Prevalence, Current Therapies, And Cellular Therapies For The Future, Fahd Nazir
Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic autoimmune disease that is characterized by the destruction of pancreatic β-cells and therefore, creating an insulin deficiency within the body. A deficiency of insulin within the body disrupts homeostatic glucose control leading to hyperglycemia and therefore, the need for exogenous insulin. Global incidence of T1D has been increasing for several decades and if current trajectory trends continue, incidence could double in the next year. In addition, diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Current therapies for the treatment of T1D include insulin injections, insulin-pump therapy, pancreatic transplant, and …
Interrelationships Of Systemic Changes In Hepatic Encephalopathy, Els Reuvekamp
Interrelationships Of Systemic Changes In Hepatic Encephalopathy, Els Reuvekamp
Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects
Hepatic encephalopathy is a temporary decline in mental function that is often associated with liver disease and/or portal-systemic disease. Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) symptoms can range from minor cognitive declines to coma and are known to result from excess ammonia accumulations in the blood stream subsequent to liver failure. While HE is known to result from hepatobiliary disorder, many of the physiological process underlying its development and progression remain to be elucidated. Recent studies have identified neurological, metabolic, and microbiome changes implicated in the disease state of HE. In this review, the roles of traditional pharmaceutical interventions and newly developing understandings …
Review Of A Chimeric Hemagglutinin-Based Influenza Vaccine Approach, Whitney Muck
Review Of A Chimeric Hemagglutinin-Based Influenza Vaccine Approach, Whitney Muck
Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects
Influenza virus has affected human populations for centuries, causing an acute respiratory effect on the body. Even with scientific advancements in vaccine research, there are still serious limitations to the influenza vaccine. Varying strains and the constant recombination of the influenza virus has caused annual influenza circulation to be difficult to predict. The ongoing 40 race to develop a more efficient vaccine to broadly protect against the variety of influenza strains remains a public health priority. Many strategies have been studied to improve the current vaccine. The use of a chimeric hemagglutinin-based vaccine is in the first stages of human …
A Review Of Virus-Vectored Vaccines: Current Production Methods, Uses, Issues, And Future Perspectives, Jaden Marks
A Review Of Virus-Vectored Vaccines: Current Production Methods, Uses, Issues, And Future Perspectives, Jaden Marks
Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects
Viral vector vaccines have recently risen to the forefront of vaccinology, but there are multiple factors that must be addressed before they achieve widespread approval and use. The concept of using viruses as vectors is not new, and numerous attempts to create vaccines that utilize virus vectors have been made in the past 25 years. Despite this, only one viral vector vaccine has gained full approval by the FDA. The goal of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the types of viral vector vaccines, production and purification methods, current and future viral vector vaccines, the issues and …
Alzheimer’S Disease: An Overview And Current Phase 3 Disease-Modifying Biologic Treatments, Haley Jahnke
Alzheimer’S Disease: An Overview And Current Phase 3 Disease-Modifying Biologic Treatments, Haley Jahnke
Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a degenerative brain disease caused by cell damage leading to brain changes such as amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Alois Alzheimer was a clinical psychiatrist and neuroanatomist in Germany who first discovered Alzheimer’s Disease through microscopic viewing of Auguste D’s brain. Through more research following Dr. Alzheimer’s death, they began to stage AD. The six stages are: pre-clinical, mild, moderate, moderately severe, severe, and very severe. The current treatments approved by the FDA work to slow the progression of AD, rather than modify the disease. There are currently three Disease-Modifying Biologic clinical-trial drugs on the market …
Oral Microbiome And Its Effect On Respiratory Disease, Cole Pudwill
Oral Microbiome And Its Effect On Respiratory Disease, Cole Pudwill
Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects
The oral microbiome is composed of several different types of bacteria that can affect how our body operates. There are over 700 different bacteria living in our mouths. These bacteria can be helpful and harmful to our bodies, but they are synergistic in a way. There are several factors such as age, diet, smoking, and oral care that affect bacterial makeup. When there 10 is a significant difference, our immune system becomes weakened and respiratory disease set in. The immune system then works to return the microbiome back to homeostasis. When this fails, the diseases become chronic. Thus, the oral …
Non-Invasive Biomarkers For The Diagnosis Of Endometriosis And Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Chandana Kamaraj
Non-Invasive Biomarkers For The Diagnosis Of Endometriosis And Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Chandana Kamaraj
Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects
Benign gynecological disorders can affect a high percentage of women of reproductive age, ages 15-44 years. These conditions can affect the lifestyle of the individual and can be associated with infertility. The gold standard to identify and diagnose endometriosis requires invasive surgical procedures, while the Rotterdam Criteria is used to identify and diagnose polycystic ovary syndrome. The purpose of this paper is to discuss, describe, and characterize potential non-invasive biomarkers that are present in various pathological stages of both endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome. These biomarkers include CA125, Serum galectin-9, hsa-miRNA-154-5p, miRNA-93, miRNA-320 and ET-1, miRNA-222, miRNA-146a, and miR-30c used …
Genistein-Enriched Pig Gut Microbiota Library As A Potential Probiotic Consortium, Theresah Amponsah
Genistein-Enriched Pig Gut Microbiota Library As A Potential Probiotic Consortium, Theresah Amponsah
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Plant-based diets contain numerous flavonoid compounds that produce antibacterial effects and gut health improvement. Genistein is among the most abundant isoflavones present in a plant-based diet and can be found in high amounts in soy products (up to 1g Kg-1). We describe here a robust method to identify genistein tolerant and metabolizing bacteria in swine gut microbiota and to screen the strains that have antibacterial and immunestimulatory properties. Such strains could be developed as non-antibiotic alternatives to prevent enteric infections in pigs and improve gut immunity. To this end, a mini bioreactorbased system was used to enrich genistein metabolizing bacteria …
Decoding The Mystery Of Antibiotic Persistence, Tahmina Hossain
Decoding The Mystery Of Antibiotic Persistence, Tahmina Hossain
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This work combines microbiology, molecular biology, Next-Generation Sequencing and system biology approaches to explore the mechanism of antibiotic persistence: a multi-drug tolerant, non-dividing, and metabolically altered state present in a subpopulation of cells due to phenotypic diversity rather than genetic variation (i.e. mutations). Persister can survive lethal antibiotic state and resuscitate after the treatment period is over. They are considered as the major contributing factor behind recurring infections. They also have a high mutation rate, which increases the chances of bacteria gaining antibiotic resistance. The formation of this phenotypic variant (persister) threatens the therapeutic effectiveness of antibiotics and understanding how …
E. Coli Persister Cell Survival And Rhizobia Attachment To Soybean Roots, Tanim Islam
E. Coli Persister Cell Survival And Rhizobia Attachment To Soybean Roots, Tanim Islam
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The theme of this thesis revolves around how bacteria respond and thrive during stress. Chapters 1-3 are about how bacteria deal with life-threatening antibiotics. Chapter 4 covers new research on how bacteria can move from a stressful individual lifestyle (free-living bacteria) to initiating a symbiotic relationship with a plant (a less stressful lifestyle). In Chapter 1, I briefly summarize the current state of knowledge in the field of antibiotic resistance and persistence. In Chapter 2, I add to this knowledge by providing new insights into several antibiotics' potency and exploring the antibiotic Eagle effect. In Chapter 3, I use pyruvate …
Microbial Communities And Nitrogen Dynamics In Prairie And Cropland Soils, Bikram Kumar Das
Microbial Communities And Nitrogen Dynamics In Prairie And Cropland Soils, Bikram Kumar Das
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Soil microbial communities are affected by many factors, such as soil nitrogen (N) and the quantity of grass-root exudates, changing seasons, fertilization method, plant diversity, and their origin. This holds for both natural and fertilized soils. This research was intended to expand the current understanding of soil microbial interactions associated with ecological functions. The objectives of the research were (I) to characterize prokaryotic soil communities, estimate functional potential, and quantify nitrogen cycle-associated prokaryotic gene expressions across three phases of the growing season, (II) to explore the diazotrophic community composition in a natural system using nifH sequencing as well as 16S …
Role Of Host Restriction Factors On Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus (Prrsv) Replication, Pratik Katwal
Role Of Host Restriction Factors On Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus (Prrsv) Replication, Pratik Katwal
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In this study, the role of IFITM3 on PRRSV replication was studied in vitro by expressing exogenous IFITM3 in MARC-145 cells. An average of 31% reduction in PRRSV N protein expression and an average of 5.4 fold decrease in virus titer in the supernatant were observed in IFITM3 overexpressing cells as compared to vector control cells at 24 hours post infection (hpi). Moreover, there was a positive correlation between interferon- induced IFITM3 up-regulation and reduced PRRSV replication. To determine the role of endogenous IFITM3 in PRRSV replication, siRNA induced knockdown of IFITM3 was employed. RT-PCR validated the successful silencing of …
Leveraging Queueing Theory To Develop Advanced Synthetic Biological Circuits, Prajakta K. Jadhav
Leveraging Queueing Theory To Develop Advanced Synthetic Biological Circuits, Prajakta K. Jadhav
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The complexity and redundancy in the network topology of the cell hinder our understanding of the natural system, making it challenging to engineer living organisms with the desired functionality. The long-term goal of synthetic biology and bioengineering is to engineer cells to perform specific functions with increased robustness. The robust engineered systems can be easily applied to different species with the same outcome. An effective approach is a bottom-up approach where we tease apart the biological pathways and study them independently. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of biological pathways can be further applied to construct complex biological circuits that function similarly …
Beneficial Plant-Microbe Interactions To Improve Nutrient Uptake And Biotic Stress Response In Crops, Jaya Krishna Yakha
Beneficial Plant-Microbe Interactions To Improve Nutrient Uptake And Biotic Stress Response In Crops, Jaya Krishna Yakha
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Mutualism is a very common phenomenon among living organisms on earth. Legumes because of their high protein content, serve as a great nutrient resource for animals. This group of plants can form a mutualistic symbiosis with beneficial microbes. For example, Alfalfa (Medicago) and soybean (Glycine max) can get colonized with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and rhizobia bacteria simultaneously forming a complex tripartite interaction for nutrient benefits. Most of the previous research evaluated individual symbionts, either rhizobia bacteria or AMF, but not both. There are only a few reports which discuss the nutrient exchange mechanisms in a tripartite interaction. Thus, there …
Characterization Of Porcine Respiratory Epithelial Cells And Their Innate Immune Responses To Bacterial And Viral Ligands, Yam Prasad Gautam
Characterization Of Porcine Respiratory Epithelial Cells And Their Innate Immune Responses To Bacterial And Viral Ligands, Yam Prasad Gautam
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In response to a pathogenic attack, the host produces a series of defense mechanisms through various intracellular signaling pathways. The byproduct of these signaling pathways helps tackle the invading pathogen and protects the body from getting into a diseased state. This system is called the immune system. The immune system can be divided into two branches namely the innate immune system and adaptive immune system. The groups of immune cells that provide protection regardless of the pathogen specificity constitute the innate immune system. The system that acts according to the pathogen specificity is called the adaptive immune response. The production …
Exploring Bioprocessing Technologies For Diverse Industrial Application Of Canola, Ahmad Fawzi N Alhomodi
Exploring Bioprocessing Technologies For Diverse Industrial Application Of Canola, Ahmad Fawzi N Alhomodi
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Globally, canola is the second largest oilseed crop after soybean, which is processed for the commercial production of high value oil. The industrial processing steps for canola oil extraction include preprocessing (cleaning, pressing, flaking, and cooking), mechanical pressing, and/or organic solvents. This process results in large quantities of protein-rich (~ 40% dry basis) meal as a co-product. The meal is used partially in animal diet (<30% inclusion) due to high levels of antinutritional factors (ANFs) such as high fibers, phytic acid, and glucosinolates, and low metabolizable energy. Thus, this research was designed to examine various bioprocessing technologies (i.e., traditional sprouting, solid state fermentation, submerged state fermentation, co-culture fermentation, mild pretreatments, and their combinations) for possible advancement in canola use. Canola seed sprouting for 6-day period led to an increase in protein content and a reduction in ANFs and oil content of sprouts compared to ungerminated seed. Subsequent submerged state fermentation of 6- day old sprouts using three different strains (Aureobasidium pullulans, Trichoderma reesei and Neurospora crassa) further increased protein content and lowered ANFs. Solid-state fermentation of 144 h old sprouts using A. pullulans, N. crassa and T. reesei enhanced the protein content and reduced ANFs of sprouts. Sprouting canola seed for three days helped in hull removal, leading to high protein meal accompanied by low fiber and phytic acid level. Three-day seed sprouting had no effect on oil yield, but free fatty acid content was higher compared to seed oil. Co-culture fermentation of HECM under solid state process showed maximum reduction in fiber content with co-culture of A. pullulans and N. crassa while a combination of A. pullulans and T. reesei promoted the highest GLS and phytic acid reductions compared to other combinations, which indicated the advantage of coculture inoculation over monoculture in terms of ANFs reduction. Mild pretreatment of HECM using deionized water resulted in washed HECM (WHECM) with lower soluble sugars and GLS compared to untreated HECM, whereas protein and amino acid were concentrated due to the removal of soluble components. WHECM compared to HECM showed higher protein digestibility when fed to rainbow trout. Subsequent mono- and coculture fermentation of HECM and WHECM under submerged process resulted in higher protein and amino acid content and lower ANFs levels compared to uninoculated controls. The results of cellulase, endoglucanase and β-glucosidase activity indicated the crucial role of used substrates, fungi, fermentation modes (solid state/submerged stated) and inoculation methods (mono-/co-culture) on enzyme activities.
Characterizing The Lir Domain Of Abin1 And Identifying Its Role As A Regulator Of Mitophagy, Andrew Rhiner
Characterizing The Lir Domain Of Abin1 And Identifying Its Role As A Regulator Of Mitophagy, Andrew Rhiner
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
A20 Inhibitor of NF-κB (ABIN1/TNIP1) is a known regulator of TNFα signaling induced cell death and inflammation. The regulatory activity has been attributed to ABIN1’s recruitment of the ubiquitin editing enzyme TNF-α-induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3/A20) to Receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 1 (RIPK1). The regulation of RIPK1 by ABIN1 and A20 relies on a third player, linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC), which is involved in the recruitment of ABIN1 to RIPK1. Loss of LUBAC or ABIN1 is embryonic lethal, but loss of A20 is not embryonic lethal. The embryonic lethality due to loss of ABIN1, paired with the lack of lethality …