Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Avaren-Fc, A Novel Immunotherapeutic, Recruits Nk Cells In B16f10 Melanoma Tumor Tissue, Sreevatsa Vemuri, Katarina Mayer, Nobuyuki Matoba

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the US, with limited effective immunotherapeutic options available for patients. Avaren-Fc (AvFc) is a novel experimental immunotherapeutic agent with a unique “lectibody” property. It is capable of targeting cancer cells through the selective recognition of high mannose glycans, which are aberrantly overrepresented on the surface of malignant cells. AvFc can interact with circulating effector immune cells equipped with Fc receptors, such as natural killer (NK) cells to induce antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and kill cancer cells. Previous work has shown that AvFc effectively induces ADCC activity against B16F10 cancer cells in vitro …

Novel Therapy Targeting Mutant-Krasg12d And Galectin-1 In Pancreatic Cancer, Ana I. Martinez Bulnes, Nirnoy Dan, Poornima Devi Shaji, Swathi Holla, Murali M. Yallapu, Sheema Khan

Research Colloquium

Introduction: Although, surgical resection and chemotherapy are the gold standard for treating Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC), low patient survival rate remains the problem. The activating point mutation of the KRAS on codon-12 is present in 70–95% of PDAC cases and so far, no success has been achieved to inhibit KRAS. KRASG12D regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis. Recent preliminary and published studies show high Galectin-1 (Gal-1) levels in both pancreatic cancer and stromal cells, which modulate tumor microenvironment and metastasis. Additionally, genetic deletion of gal1 inhibits metastasis and improves survival in KRAS mouse model of PDAC (1). Therefore, our objective is …

A Novel Approach To Target Tumor Immune Microenvironment And Improve Checkpoint Immunotherapies, Poornima Devi Shaji, Ana Martinez, Melida Flores Cantu, Anupam Dhasmana, Meena Jaggi, Stephen W. Behrman, Murali M. Yallapu, Subhash C. Chauhan, Sheema Khan

Research Colloquium

Background: Pancreatic cancer remains 3^rd deadliest disease, with less than 7-10% survival rate. Little progress has been seen in patient’s outcome due to high desmoplasia and chemo-resistance. Immunotherapy has shown promising results in cancers, except pancreatic cancer due to their characteristic fibrotic tumor microenvironment. The therapies are unable to penetrate fibrotic tumor leading to insufficient availability of therapeutic drugs at the tumor site. A recently identified mucin, MUC13 is aberrantly expressed in pancreatic tumors but not in normal pancreas, that makes it an excellent protein tumor target. This study is unique as it utilizes MUC13Ab for targeting the pancreatic …

Novel Therapy Targeting Mutant-Krasg12d And Galectin-1 In Pancreatic Cancer, Ana I. Martinez Bulnes, Poornima Devi Shaji, Swathi Holla, Nirnoy Dan, Shabnam Malik, Murali M. Yallapu, Meena Jaggi, Stephen W. Behrman, Subhash C. Chauhan, Sheema Khan

Research Colloquium

Introduction: In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), low patient survival rate remains a problem. The activating point mutation of KRAS on codon-12 is present in 70–95% of PDAC cases and so far, no success has been achieved to inhibit KRAS. KRAS^G12D regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis; recent preliminary and published studies show high Galectin-1 (Gal-1) levels in both PDAC and stromal cells, which modulate tumor microenvironment and metastasis. Therefore, we have developed a novel combination therapy for PDAC by targeting mutated KRAS^G12D and Gal-1 to target both proliferation and metastasis in PDAC. This includes the delivery of KRAS^{G12D …}

Tox3 Rs3803662 Polymorphism Is Associated With Breast Cancer Protection In Northeastern Mexican Woman, Orlando D. Solis-Coronado, Hazyadee F. Rodríguez-Gutiérrez, Monica P. Villarreal-Vela, Ricardo M. Cerda-Flores, Juan F. González-Guerrero, Oscar Vidal-Gutiérrez, Diana C. Pérez-Ibave, Maria Lourdes Garza-Rodríguez

Research Symposium

Introduction: Low penetrance genes are involved in breast cancer (BC) and confer risk for the development of this neoplasia. Different single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with BC have been identified, such as rs3803662 (TOX3), which is related to estrogen receptors in European and African-American women. The contribution of this variant in the Mexican population is unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate, through a case-control design, the association of the SNP rs3803662 (TOX3), with the risk of BC in women from northeastern Mexico.

Methods: We included 434 cases and 228 controls. Genotyping was carried out using RFLPs. The …

Smoking And Drinking Activates Nf-Κb /Il-6 Axis To Promote Inflammation During Cervical Carcinogenesis, Vivek Kumar Kashyap, Prashanth Kb Nagesh, Ajay K. Singh, Andrew Massey, Godwin P. Darkwah, Murali M. Yallapu, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan

Research Symposium

Background: High-risk strains of HPV are known to cause cervical cancer. Multiple clinical studies have emphasized that smoking and drinking are critical risk factors for cervical cancer and its high-grade precursors. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms involved in the interplay of smoking and/or drinking with HPV infectivity and defined a systematic therapeutic approach for their attenuation in cervical cancer.

Methods: The impact of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and/or ethanol (EtOH) exposure on cervical cancer cells was assessed by measuring changes in cell proliferation, clonogenicity, biophysical properties, cell migration, and invasion. Expression of HPV16 E6/E7, NF-κB, cytokines, cell cycle, and …

Human Ipsc Derived Cardiomyocyte Model Reveals The Transcriptomic Bases Of Covid-19 Associated Myocardial Injury, Kashish Kumar, Satish Kumar, Erica De Leon, Joanne E. Curran, Sarah Williams-Blangero, John Blangero

Research Symposium

Background: Multi-organ complications have been the hallmark of severe COVID-19; cardiac injuries were reported in 20% to 30% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, although the disease etiology remains poorly understood. This study leveraged genome-wide RNA-sequence data generated using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) differentiated cardiomyocytes (CMs) and in vitro modeling of SARS-CoV-2 infection in CMs, to understand the molecular mechanisms of COVID-19 myocardial injuries for novel diagnostic and therapeutic development.

Methods: Raw RNA-sequence data sets, GSE165242 and GSE150392 were aligned to human genome assembly GRCh38 and gene expressions were quantified. Differentially expressed (DE) genes between experimental groups were identified using moderated …

Differential Gene Expression Between African American And Caucasian American Prostate Cancer, Daniel L. Shen, Gregory T. Maclennan, Sanjay Gupta

Research Symposium

Background: African-American (AA) men have higher incidence and mortality from prostate cancer compared to Caucasian-American (CA) men. Increasing evidence suggests that genetic and molecular alterations play important roles. We identified a 5 gene panel viz. p-Akt (Ser473), chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4 (CXCR4), fatty acid synthase (FASN), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9) highly expressed in prostate cancer and analyzed their expression in AA and CA cohorts.

Methods: IHC of p-Akt, CXCR4, FASN, IL-6 and MMP-9 were evaluated in RRP specimens (n=20) from each ethnic group exhibiting Gleason scores ranging from 6 through 9.

Results: Low to medium staining …

An Ngqd Based Diagnostic Tool For Pancreatic Cancer, Ryan Ketan Ajgaonkar, Bong Lee, Alina Valimukhametova, Anton Naumov, Giridhar Akkaraju

Research Symposium

Background: Pancreatic cancer remains difficult to detect at early stages which contributes to a poor five-yearsurvival rate. Therefore, early detection approaches based on novel technologies should be explored to address this critical health issue. Nanomaterials have recently emerged as frontrunners for diagnostic applications due to their small size in the 1-100 nm range, which facilitates one-on-one interactions with a variety of biomolecules like oligonucleotides and makes them suitable for a plethora of detection and delivery applications. In this work, the presence of specific pancreatic cancer miRNA (pre-miR-132) is detected utilizing the fluorescence properties of highly biocompatible nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots …

Cell-Based Experimental Evidence To The Anti-Covid-19 Potential Of Ashwagandha And Honeybee Propolis Ingredients, Renu Wadhwa, Durai Sundar, Yoshiyuki Ishida, Keiji Terao, Sunil C. Kaul

Research Symposium

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic emerged in December 2019 by a novel strain of SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) has led to new endeavours in repurposing of existing drugs, anti-COVID-19 vaccine and drug development. Natural products, due to their general safety and wider availability, have attracted research and public attention. In this study, we report anti-COVID potential of compounds from honeybee propolis and Ayurvedic herb, Ashwagandha. Effect of active ingredients was studied on human cell surface receptors (ACE-2:Angiotensin Converting Enzyme-2/Spike protein and TMPRSS2:Transmembrane Protease Serine 2), critical for virus infection and virus main protease (Mpro, essential for virus replication), …

Is Having Difficulty Meeting The Recommended Physical Activity Guidelines Associated With Cognitive Difficulties In Us Adults?, Serena C.L. Buchwald, Daniel Gitelman, Noël C. Barengo, Pura Rodríguez De La Vega

AMNET XX Conferencia Internacional

This abstract summarizes and gives a brief overview of our analytical research study on the associations of meeting physical activity guidelines and cognitive difficulties such as difficulty remembering/concentrating.

Noninvasively Monitoring Of Cerebral Blood Flow In Piglet Models Of Graded Hemorrhage And Hypoxic Ischemic Brain Injury Using Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy And Near-Infrared Spectroscopy, Randolph Sinahon, Danielle Shoshany, Shadi Malaeb, Mert Deniz Polat, Meltem Izzetoglu, Kurtulus Izzetoglu

St. Chris Research Day

No abstract provided.

Functional Evaluation Of A Novel Rpl30 Mutation And Its Role In Diamond Blackfan Anemia (Dba), Alexandra Prosser, Alexandria Cockrell, Danny Miller, Chris Seidel, Tamara Potapova, John M. Perry, Midhat Farooqi, Erin M. Guest, Jennifer Gerton

Research Days

Background: Bone marrow failure is life-threatening and requires prompt, intensive treatment, which is dependent upon identification of genetic drivers. Although there has been investigation into associated genetic mutations, especially in Diamond Blackfan anemia (DBA), the relationship between genotype and phenotype remains unclear.DBA has been identified as a ribosomopathy, also known as a disease associated with defects in ribosome biogenesis. We identified a novel heterozygous variant (c.167+769C >T) in the noncoding region of RPL30 in a patient with clinical diagnosis of DBA. Clinical RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) suggests the variant generates a novel splice acceptor site resulting in truncated RPL30 transcripts. Elucidation …

Awareness & Prevention Of Health Hazards For Americans Embarking In Space Tourism, Krzysztof Zembrzuski

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Since the beginning of spaceflight, keeping humans healthy has been a serious concern. Prior to 2021, astronauts had to undergo an elite selection process to embark in space travel. Now that commercial spaceflight is a reality, the criteria to experience space has been significantly loosened, raising health concerns to a larger and unhealthier pool of travelers. Most commercial spaceflight clients are anticipated to be middle-aged adults, which implies many will suffer from high blood pressure and heart disease, both of which are frequent ailments in this age group. Because of the massive compression the body undergoes during takeoff and return, …

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 …

Effect Of Dual Tasking And Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesia On Postural Sway In People With Parkinson's Disease, Joseph Ayotunde Aderonmu, Carolin Curtze

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that results in motor impairments such as gait and balance deficits. Levodopa is one of the most effective drugs in treating the slowness of movement in individuals with PD. However, the long-term use of levodopa in treating PD often causes undesirable involuntary and uncontrollable movements, known as levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID). LID is a known cause of increased postural sway. Yet, the relative contribution of the body segments often affected by dyskinesia to postural sway is unknown. We aimed to investigate the contribution of different body segments to postural sway in PD for individuals …

Understanding The Contributions Of Hormonal Contraceptives And Cortisol Levels To Fear Learning In Women, Sahil Bardai

Symposium of Student Scholars

Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder than men. Eighty-five percent of women in the US will use hormonal contraceptives at some point in their lifetime. Women who use hormonal contraceptives show heightened startle reactivity to a threatening stimulus. Previous results from our lab showed a significant increase in fear-potentiated startle (FPS) in women who were on hormonal contraceptives compared to women who were naturally cycling. These results stayed consistent throughout three acquisition trials. Others have shown that the use of OCPs (oral contraceptive pills) is related to the dysregulation of the HPA-axis and elevated …

Improving Governance In Ontario Health Teams, Mausam Vadakkayil

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

The aim of this research brief is to provide recommendations on how Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) can incorporate the three key functions of successful health systems, priority setting, performance monitoring, and accountability, within their governance structure.

Recolonization Of Microbiomes’ Influence On Autism Spectrum Disorder, Hattie Cole

Capstone Showcase

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of studies conducted on the complications of gastrointestinal (GI) comorbidities associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children. Some of these GI issues include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diarrhea and constipation. The causes of these disorders are poorly understood. The dominant gut phyla are Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Fusobacteria and Verrucomicrobia. Research conducted on children with ASD compared with typical developing (TD) children showed higher ratios of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes in the ASD group. Biflobacterium, Actinobacteria phyla, has been shown to be a good intestinal bacterium that may help with …

The Role Of Mathematics In 21st Century Medicine, Reinhard Laubenbacher

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Generating Cisplatin Resistant Hpv-Positive Hnscc Cell Lines, Temitope Akintola

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Acquired or innate resistance to chemotherapy poses a significant challenge in the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). HNSCCs are often treated with a combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, with cisplatin being a standard-of-care chemotherapy drug. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) associated HNSCCs have better treatment outcomes and prognosis when compared to HPV- HNSCCs. However, a subset (15-20%) of HPV+ patients develop treatment resistant diseases. The purpose of this study is to generate in-vitro models of cisplatin resistance in five HNSCC cell lines. We aim to characterize the generated cells in order to identify target genes that may …

Variability In Naltrexone Biotransformation, Stephani L. Stancil

Research Days

No abstract provided.

Cell-Free Dna Release During Programmed Cell Death In Ischemia Reperfusion Injury, Alexander Dionne, Anthony M. Jevnikar, Zhu-Xu Zhang

Western Research Forum

Transplantation is invariably associated with acute allograft injury caused by ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI). This injury causes cells of the allograft to undergo various forms of programmed cell death including apoptosis and necroptosis. During programmed cell death, immunogenic molecules are released from cells, one of which is cell-free DNA (cfDNA). We hypothesize that cfDNA is released by microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs) during programmed cell death of IRI and that cfDNA acts as both a biomarker for cellular injury as well as a biologically active molecule capable of amplifying inflammation and organ injury.

Our results indicate that cfDNA is released by …

Preventing Osteosarcoma Progression With Small Molecular Inhibitors Targeting Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor : Cd74 Interaction, Sana Farooki

Research Days

No abstract provided.

Changes In The Left Atrial-Esophageal Relationship With The Insertion Of An Esophageal Protective Device: A Cadaveric Imaging Study, Akmal Shahzad, Charys M. Martin, Michele L. Barbeau

Western Research Forum

Background: Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac rhythm disorder in North America and is frequently treated by a minimally invasive procedure called catheter ablation. A rare, but often fatal complication of this procedure is development of an atrial-esophageal fistula (AEF) due to the proximity of the esophagus to the left atrium (LA) of the heart. Esophageal protective devices may potentially mitigate the risk of developing an AEF but their impact on the relationship between the esophagus and LA is unknown. This study will investigate the relevant anatomical changes that occur upon insertion of an esophageal protective device.

Methods: 13 …

The Effect Of Arm Swing On Countermovement Vertical Jump Performance, Arash Mohammadzadeh Gonabadi

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Vertical jumping is one of the popular ways to evaluate ankle-knee efficiency in athletic population. Arm swing can play a crucial role in enhancing vertical jump performance. This study aimed to address the differences in kinetic and kinematic parameters during countermovement jump motion with arm swing (AS) and no arm swing (NAS). We used OpenSim to examine the efficacy of AS in reducing the impulse applied to the body and changes in range of lower limb joint angles at landing instant. We calculated the maximum vertical peak of the ground reaction force and impulse generated at landing in two different …

Investigating Ampk Signalling Regulation Of Autophagy In A Model Of Ovarian Tumour Dormancy, Jeremi Laski

Western Research Forum

Investigating AMPK signalling regulation of autophagy in a model of ovarian tumour dormancy

Jeremi Laski and Trevor G. Shepherd

Background:

Ovarian cancer is the most deadly gynecologic malignancy in women. A particular subset of this disease, epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), is responsible for over 70% of all diagnosed ovarian cancer cases, yet the mechanisms governing disease progression are poorly understood. One of the unique hallmarks of EOC metastasis lies in the process of spheroid formation, whereby tumour cells aggregate into larger 3D structures. These EOC spheroids have been shown to be metabolically dormant, while concurrently up-regulating autophagy (cellular waste …

Implementation Of A Low-Cost Unna Boot Alternative As Adjunctive Treatment For Kaposi Sarcoma, Alexander Robert Mills, Edith Tonui, Sonak Pastakia, Rakhi Karwa, Phelix Were

Engagement & Service-Learning Summit

There are 6 million people living with HIV; 70% reside in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Furthermore, 1.1 million deaths occur due to opportunistic infections (OIs) that can be minimized with antiretroviral therapy. In Kenya, Kaposi Sarcoma (KS) is an especially debilitating OI that presents with dermatologic lesions; magnifying the stigma that patients with HIV face physically and psychosocially. Dermatology research is underway to determine the effectiveness of an unna boot (medicated, layered compression dressing) to speed the healing of these lesions with anecdotal success. Commercially available unna boot products are too expensive and not readily available in SSA. Clinicians from Purdue …

A Novel Hybrid Imaging System To Aid In Surgical Decision Making, Lawrence Yip, Madeleine Van De Kleut, Ivan Kosik, Astrid Chamson-Reig, Jeffrey Jl Carson

Western Research Forum

Background:

Breast cancer accounts for 25% of all cancer cases among women. In breast-conserving surgery, a common treatment, the tumour is excised with a healthy tissue margin. However, detection of the margin can be difficult. Current techniques to guide excision are often insufficient, and re-excision can occur up to 25% of the time.

Methods:

Photoacoustic imaging is a hybrid imaging modality that combines the advantages of optical imaging and ultrasound while using safe non-ionizing light. This project involves the development of a novel imaging system with a new scanner design to overcome common limitations and provide images to aid in …

Characterization Of Left-Ventricular Thrombus Formation Using High Frequency Ultrasound, Kelsey A. Bullens, Arvin H. Soepriatna, Pavlos P. Vlachos, Craig J. Goergen

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Heart failure is a leading cause of death in the United States, and cardiac thrombus, a common morbidity associated with heart failure, significantly increases a patient’s risk of embolic events. The objective of this project is to characterize left-ventricular (LV) thrombus development using high frequency ultrasound imaging in a murine model. C57BL/6J wild-type mice (n=6) were injected intraperitoneally with iron dextran five times a week for six weeks to increase oxidative stress in the heart. Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) was subcutaneously injected daily during the second week to initiate stem cell migration and stimulate endothelial cell activation, thus increasing the …