Molecular Biology Commons^™

Local Modulation And Measurement Of Macrophage-Derived Bioactive Proteins From Implanted Biomaterials In Rat, Geetika Bajpai

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fibrosis around the implanted medical devices is a severe problem that can plague long-term device reliability. Activation of macrophage phenotype (macrophage polarization) has emerged as a new and possible means for reducing fibrosis in the fields of biomaterials and regenerative medicine. Macrophages are phagocytic cells that respond to microenvironmental cues that direct their phenotype. Macrophage activation has been widely studied in mouse and human in the context of tumor biology, yet little information is available regarding how macrophage activation could be used in a biomaterials context. Further, rats rather than mice are the common subjects in biomaterials experiments. A significant …

The Therapeutic Targeting Of Folate Receptor Alpha Positive Tumors Via Folate Receptor Selective Novel 5- And 6- Substituted Pyrrolo [2,3-D]Pyrimidine Antifolates", Shermaine Kimberly Mitchell-Ryan

Wayne State University Dissertations

Ovarian Cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death of women in the United States. Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (EOC) constitutes 85-90% of malignancies within the ovary, with an alarming majority of these cases diagnosed at advanced stage. While most patients are initially highly responsive to the current treatment standard, there is a very high probability that they will recur with a drug resistant fatal disease. Currently there is no validated comprehensive model of disease progression for ovarian cancer, although tremendous progress has been made in understanding the origin of this disease and a putative precursor lesion has been identified …

Mach: A Model For Explaining Molecular And Cellular Mechanisms, Caleb M. Trujillo

Open Access Dissertations

Biologists use mechanistic explanations to understand behaviors of the immense complexity of molecular and cellular systems. In undergraduate biology courses, students are expected to explain molecular and cellular mechanisms, but teaching this skill presents many challenges due to the highly abstract, intangible nature of the cellular world, the influence of everyday language, and the tendency of students to overestimate how much they can explain. Therefore, across three studies this dissertation addresses these obstacles to teach undergraduate biology students to explain molecular and cellular mechanisms. ^ The first step was to model how biology experts explain molecular and cellular mechanisms, and …

Photodynamic Therapy As An Effective Therapeutic Approach In Mame Models Of Triple Negative And Inflammatory Breast Cancers, Neha Aggarwal

Wayne State University Dissertations

Introduction: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a minimally invasive, FDA approved therapy for

treatment of several indications including endobronchial and esophageal cancers that are

accessible to light. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and inflammatory breast cancer (IBC)

are aggressive and lethal subtypes of breast cancer that spread to chest wall and dermal

lymphatics, respectively, sites that would be accessible to light. Both TNBC and IBC patients

have a relatively poor survival rate due to lack of targeted therapies. Use of PDT is

underexplored for breast cancers but has been proposed for treatment of subtypes for which a

targeted therapy is unavailable. …

Rna Aptamers For Molecular Chaperones Hsp27 And Hsp90, Sathishkumar Kumar Munusamy

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Hsp90 and Hsp27 are members of the heat shock protein family of chaperones that perform multiple roles in cellular maintenance through protein folding and inhibition of apoptosis. They are abundantly expressed in cells and are over-expressed during conditions of stress. Hsp90 requires ATP for its chaperone function while Hsp27 self-associates into higher order oligomers enclosing its substrate. Their ability to interact with other proteins or with themselves lies at the heart of their mechanisms. The specific consequences of each of their interactions on global cellular health have not yet been fully discovered. The sheer diversity of proteins that interact with …