Cell Biology Commons^™

Efficacy Of Mcl-1 Inhibitors In Multiple Myeloma Cells Resistant To Bortezomib, Emily Nelson, Omar S. Al-Odat, Sabrina M. Paparo, Daniel A. Guirguis, Gabriella Yao, Manoj Pandey, Subash Jonnalagadda, Tulin Budak-Alpdogan

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a type of cancer that affects plasma B cells. Patients with MM often experience frequent relapses and can develop resistance to drugs. As a medical researcher, it is important to understand the role of Mcl-1 in preventing intrinsic apoptosis and drug resistance. Mcl-1 belongs to the anti-apoptotic subgroup of Bcl-2 family proteins and plays a crucial role in these processes. Mcl-1 plays a crucial role in driving disease progression and contributing to drug resistance in MM. It has been observed that there is an increased expression of Mcl-1 in 52% of patients with MM during diagnosis, …

Investigating The Therapeutic Potential Of Soursop In Treating Hematologic Malignancies, Sabrina Marie Paparo, Rebeca Mendoza, Robert Chitren, Omar Al-Odat, Emily Nelson, Subash Jonnalagadda, Roger Strair, Manoj Pandey

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and Multiple Myeloma (MM) are hematologic malignancies that originate in the bone marrow and account for approximately 1.3% and 2% of cancer cases, respectively. AML is characterized by an accumulation of myeloblasts, or immature myeloid cells, that have the potential to spread to the peripheral blood. There is an uncontrolled proliferation of plasma cells in the bone marrow in MM. While the current treatment options for both AML and MM show promise in achieving initial remission, it is unfortunately common for patients to experience relapse and develop drug resistance. There is a theory that relapse and …

Intra-Accumbens Microinfusion Of The Dopamine D3 Receptor Partial Agonist (±)Vk4-40 Does Not Affect Basal Locomotion In Mice, Yeonwoo Sim, Nicole M. Hinds, Amy Hauck Newman, Daniel F. Manvich

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

The opioid epidemic remains a pressing public health crisis, prompting the search for alternative pharmacotherapies for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). This study explores the potential of the dopamine D3 receptor (D3R) partial agonist, (±)VK4-40, as a novel treatment option. We investigated the impact of intra-nucleus accumbens (NAc) microinfusion of VK4-40 on basal locomotion in mice. Results indicate that VK4-40 did not significantly alter basal locomotion, suggesting that its therapeutic effects may not be mediated through disruptions in generalized motor function. Future research will focus on elucidating the neuropharmacological mechanisms underlying VK4-40's therapeutic actions and exploring its effects on psychostimulant-induced hyperlocomotion. …

Swallowing Disrupts Tongue-Jaw Coordination During Chewing In A Rat Model Of Parkinson's Disease, Meejan Palhang, N. Charles, Francois Gould

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

The primary motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, including bradykinesia, rigidity, and tremor, are associated with difficulties regulating transitions between motor behaviors due to basal ganglia dysfunction. Chewing and swallowing, which are disordered in most patients with Parkinson’s disease, are two complex motor behaviors which overlap in time and share some neuromuscular components. The objective of this study is to identify how Parkinson’s disease affects the coordination of chewing and swallowing. We hypothesize that as a result of impaired regulation of shift between motor patterns, chewing cycles that occur with a swallow will be more affected that chewing cycles occurring in …

Extravasated Brain-Reactive Autoantibodies Perturb Neuronal Surface Protein Expression In Alzheimer's Pathology, Wardah Bajwa, Mary Kosciuk, Randel L. Swanson, Anuradha Krishnan, Venkat Venkataraman, Robert Nagele, Nimish Acharya

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background: Increased blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability is reported in both the neuropathological and in vivo studies in both Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and age matched cognitively normal, no cognitive impairment (NCI), subjects. Impaired BBB allows various vascular components such as immunoglobulin G (IgG) to extravasate into the brain and specifically bind to various neuronal surface proteins (NSP), also known as brain reactive autoantibodies (BrABs). This interaction is predicted to further enhance deposition of amyloid plaques.

Hypothesis: Interaction between extravasated BrABs and its cognate NSPs lower the expression of that NSPs in AD patients.

Methods: We selected Western blotting technique to study …

Vitamin C Contributes To Epigenetic Regulation Of Genes Related To Diabetic Retinopathy In Retinal Endothelial Cells, Elizabeth L. Turner, Jonathon Reynolds, Walker Kay, Marianne Becnel, Matthew Conway, Alexander Kim, John A. Kriak, Kyle B. Bills, David W. Sant

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

The Dopamine D3 Receptor Antagonist Vk4-40 Attenuates Morphine-Induced Hyperactivity But Not Cocaine-Induced Hyperactivity In Mice, Desta M. Pulley, Jessica J. Debski, Daniel Manvich

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

In light of the increasing rates of opioid abuse in the US, the search for viable medications to treat opioid abuse disorder (OUD) has become ever more urgent. Opioids exert their abuse-related effects in part by indirectly increasing dopamine (DA) neurotransmission in the mesolimbic system, a dopaminergic projection arising in the ventral tegmental area and terminating in the nucleus accumbens. The DA D3 receptor (D3R), which belongs to the D2 family of dopamine receptors (D2, D3 , D4 receptor subtypes), is highly expressed in these brain regions and has shown strong potential as a pharmacotherapeutic target for the treatment of …

022— Examining P27 Expression And Quiescence In Clobetasol-Exposed Umscv-4 Vulvar Cancer Cells, Nina Mustico, Vincent Scalcione, Jani E. Lewis

GREAT Day Posters

Vulvar cancer is rare, mostly afflicting women aged 60 and older [1]. The cancer is often preceded by a common vulvar rash, lichen sclerosus, that is usually treated with the ultra-potent corticosteroid, clobetasol propionate. This treatment may, in turn, be associated with vulvar carcinogenesis. Our previous findings suggest that clobetasol is causing UMSCV-4 vulvar carcinoma cells to enter a state of quiescence. Quiescence is temporary removal from the cell cycle and can be thought of as a dormant state in which cells are not actively dividing [2]. There is growing evidence suggesting that quiescence may play a role in allowing …

Regenerative Medicine Therapy: Adipose Derived Extracellular Vesicles In Viral Myocarditis, David Gorelov, Damian N. Di Florio, Gary R. Salomon, Angita Jain, Nick E. Saikaili, Danielle J. Beetler, Swikriti Shrestha, Ming Tian, Joy Wolfram Phd, Delisa Fairweather Phd, Katelyn Bruno Phd, Judith D. Ochrietor Phd

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Objective: Myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle, is an autoimmune heart disease that can be caused by viruses, bacteria and toxins. Myocarditis can lead to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and heart failure. Currently there are no disease-specific therapies for treating myocarditis or preventing progression to DCM. Adipose Extracellular Vesicles (AEVs) are lipid bilayer nanoparticles that are released into the outside environment of adipocytes and provide promising regenerative potential for inflammatory diseases like myocarditis.

Methods: Lipoaspirate was obtained from women and men and AEVs isolated from the lipoaspirate using tangential flow filtration. We injected wild type male BALB/c mice with 250uL AEVs …

Targeting Pro-Inflammatory Function Of Microglia Using Small Molecules To Combat Neurodegeneration, Gabrielle C. Williams, Priya Prakash, Gaurav Chopra

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Microglia are the brain’s resident immune cells that are responsible for maintaining homeostasis in healthy conditions. During injury or infection, resting microglia get activated and produce pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1b, IL-1a, IL-6, etc. along with reactive oxygen species like nitric oxide (NO) to combat neuroinflammatory diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Inflammation is characterized by the activation of resident-immune cells in the brain called microglia that respond to the eat-me signals released by the toxic amyloid beta peptides as well as the dying neurons in the microenvironment. Recent studies have shown that activated microglia induce neuronal death by secreting …

P23. Elucidation Of The Signaling Pathway Of Mertk, Kyle Taruc

Western Research Forum

Background

Mer Tyrosine Kinase (MERTK) is a receptor which mediates efferocytosis – removal of apoptotic cells by phagocytes such as macrophages. MERTK plays a critical role in homeostasis, with mutations in MERTK associated with the development and progression of atherosclerosis, the buildup of cholesterol-laden plaque in the sub-arterial space. Indeed, one MERTK allele is associated with 66% (heterozygous) to 75% (homozygous) protection from atherosclerosis, while other alleles and SNP’s pre-dispose to atherosclerosis and autoimmunity. Complications resulting from atherosclerosis, including heart attack and stroke, are currently the second leading cause of mortality in Canada. Despite the importance of MERTK in atherosclerosis …

Pulmonary Surfactant Fortified With Cath-2 As A Novel Therapy For Bacterial Pneumonia, Brandon J. Baer

Western Research Forum

Background: Bacterial pneumonia is a leading cause of death worldwide, with high mortality rates persisting even after antibiotic treatment. Current treatments for pneumonia involve administration of antibiotics, however after the bacteria are killed they release toxic substances that induce inflammation and lung dysfunction. Host defense peptides represent a potential solution to this problem through their ability to down regulate inflammation. However, effective delivery to the lung is difficult because of the complex branching structure of the airways. My study addresses this delivery problem by using exogenous surfactant, a pulmonary delivery vehicle capable of improving spreading of these peptides throughout the …