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Research Spotlights

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Timothy Barker, 2022 DRP Recipient

College of Charleston, Chemistry/ Biochemistry

PROJECT TITLE

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of 5-HT antagonists

PROJECT INFORMATION

This project uses computational software to model organic compounds that could be used for the treatment of depression as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The best compounds from the computational modeling will be prepared in the synthetic lab and evaluated with in vitro assays.

POTENTIAL OUTCOMES

The outcome of this project would be to validate our computational methods and progress towards identifying the best molecules in the in vitro assays. Ideally with a promising lead compound in hand, we would find a collaborator to continue the biological testing.

HOW INBRE FUNDING WILL HELP ACCOMPLISH

SC INBRE grant funding has allowed me to spend more time in the lab, preparing the desired compounds alongside my undergraduate researchers. I have also had more time researching the serotonin reuptake receptor because pursuing a medicinally focused project has been a new direction for my research lab.

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM/LAB

I am a violinist with little time to practice myself, but I do enjoy helping my two sons practice violin. I have been known to serenade my organic sections on my mandolin with organic chemistry lyrics to Beatles tunes. My family also enjoys hiking and spending time outdoors.

Meghan Breen, 2021, 2022 DRP Recipient

Furman University, Chemistry

PROJECT TITLE

Effects of Pdr1 phosphosites on azole resistance in Candida glabrata

PROJECT INFORMATION

My lab studies a protein called Pdr1 in the pathogenic yeast Candida glabrata. This protein plays an important role in the development of resistance to antifungal drugs, so we want to know what is occurring at the molecular level to regulate this process. My DRP project explores the hypothesis that phosphorylation at specific sites in Pdr1 affects “turning on” drug resistance.

POTENTIAL OUTCOMES

Long term, a better understanding of how drug resistance is regulated could inform the development of future therapeutics to treat drug resistant infections.

HOW INBRE FUNDING WILL HELP ACCOMPLISH

Besides the scientific goals of the research, an important part of my project is training undergraduate students. SC INBRE funding has paid undergraduate students to work full time in my lab over the summer and has helped me be able to bring students to national conferences.

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM/LAB

I grew up in a military family, and that definitely created a love of travel. Some highlights have been spending a summer during college working at an archeological dig in Belgium and seeing the northern lights in Iceland a few years ago.

Heather Dunn, 2022 DRP Recipient

Clemson University, Bioengineering

PROJECT TITLE

Novel Investigations of Breast Cancer Racial Disparities Based on Deep Learning and Bioinformatic Analysis

PROJECT INFORMATION

The incidence of breast cancer is not evenly distributed across racial groups. African American’s are diagnosed with aggressive sub-types of breast cancer almost twice as often as Caucasian patients. There is limited data that suggests genetic variability in breast tumors from different races, but this area of research is lacking. The goal of this project is to investigate racial disparities associated with breast cancer using artificial intelligence and bioinformatic approaches.

POTENTIAL OUTCOMES

The results of this project could eventually lead to reduced incidence, early diagnosis, and improved outcomes from patients diagnosed with breast cancer.

HOW INBRE FUNDING WILL HELP ACCOMPLISH

The financial support from SC INBRE has allowed me to obtain laboratory resources to conduct my research, fund part of my graduate student’s efforts, and travel to conferences to present our data. Professional support from INBRE has provided training and mentor connections where I am confidently preparing an NSF CAREER submission for Summer 2023 and NIH R01 submission early 2024. I have already gained immense knowledge of funding from INBRE, and I look forward to sharing my success with INBRE in the near future.

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM/LAB

I’m addicted to endorphins. I’ve run 20+ marathons and completed 9 Ironman’s. On my easy days I enjoy an hour of hot yoga. An early morning sweat session is the perfect start to my day.

Mindy Engevik, 2022 DRP Recipient

MUSC, Regenerative Medicine & Cell Biology

PROJECT TITLE

Microbial suppression of intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress

PROJECT INFORMATION

My lab is interested in the cross-talk between microbes and the gut epithelium. We found that a commensal "friendly" human gut microbe called Bifidobacterium dentium can secrete a molecule called y-glutamyl-cysteine. This compound can enter gut cells and then become glutathione- the most powerful antioxidant in the human body. To make y-glutamyl-cysteine, B. dentium must use cysteine and glutamate from the diet. We hypothesize that a diet high in cysteine will allow B. dentium to produce a large amount of y-glutamyl-cysteine. We speculate that y-glutamyl-cysteine will enter gut cells, elevate gluthatione levels and then suppress our chemically induced model of intestinal inflammation.

POTENTIAL OUTCOMES

We anticipate that this project will connect diet, microbiome and inflammation and provide a new strategy for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease — a life-long illness characterized by uncontrollable intestinal inflammation.

HOW INBRE FUNDING WILL HELP ACCOMPLISH

The SC INBRE grant will allow me to explore the novel hypothesis that the diet influences microbial metabolites that can suppress intestinal inflammation and provide preliminary data for an R01 application. This award will also provide my research with increased visibility and be a valuable steppingstone for my career.

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM/LAB

I love to travel!

Veronica Flores, 2022 DRP Recipient

Furman University, Psychology

PROJECT TITLE

The impact of innocuous taste experience on long-term taste-learning and memory persistence

PROJECT INFORMATION

Humans and animals alike often learn to make food decisions by factoring in the consequences of their past eating experiences. However, my research has shown that even inconsequential taste experiences can impact future food decisions. In this project, we will use a rodent model of learning to shed light on how inconsequential taste experience impacts neural plasticity mechanisms that can ultimately lead to enhanced taste-related learning and memory.

POTENTIAL OUTCOMES

A deeper understanding of the role of previous taste experience on future learning and neural mechanisms is critical to the understanding of how the brain learns about tastes. This can impact our knowledge of appetitive disorders which often lead to a wide array of serious health conditions.

HOW INBRE FUNDING WILL HELP ACCOMPLISH

SC INBRE funding allows my undergraduate students to earn hands-on research experience that will help prepare them for their future career goals. Furthermore, this award allows me to form collaborations with renowned scientists around the US and acquire the necessary equipment, supplies, and solutions to perform our behavioral experiments and analyze neural tissue.

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM/LAB

When not working, I like to hike with my husband and dog, travel, bake, play video games, and make espresso drinks.

Meredith Frazier, 2022 DRP Recipient

College of Charleston, Chemistry/ Biochemistry

PROJECT TITLE

Structural and Functional Characterization of Viral Ribonucleases

PROJECT INFORMATION

My project aims to uncover new information about the function of important enzymes in coronaviruses and related nidoviruses. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown we need to develop effective treatments for this virus family, since coronaviruses have the capability to cause serious disease in humans. These viruses share a common set of proteins that help them replicate and evade our immune system. Understanding the basics of the structure of these proteins and their function at a detailed level will inform future drug design. We will specifically focus on a group of viral nucleases to build a catalog of their properties.

POTENTIAL OUTCOMES

As a PI at a primarily undergraduate institution, providing enhanced mentoring experiences is my biggest goal. With this project, students will gain experience with cryo-EM, a cutting edge structural biology technique, as well as learn fundamental biochemistry. Additionally, we will be studying viral ribonucleases that have never been structurally and functionally characterized before. Our data will help fill out the larger picture of nidoviral evolution and understand how certain properties of coronavirus nucleases arose.

HOW INBRE FUNDING WILL HELP ACCOMPLISH

This grant will help me start my lab and generate data for future NIH/NSF grants. The DRP award will allow me to train more students during the summer, so they can work independently during the academic year. It will also help me purchase equipment and collection time to bring cryo-EM to the state of SC!

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM/LAB

During my postdoctoral training, I was introduced to the wonderful sport of curling! Even though we were far from Canada or Scotland, there was a thriving curling club in the area. I started playing on a rec team with people from work and got hooked. Charleston has a curling club as well, so I am excited to meet new curlers and get involved here!

Linnea Freeman, 2022 BIPP Recipient

Furman University, Biology

PROJECT TITLE

Fecal microbiome evaluation in a mouse model of autism

PROJECT INFORMATION

This BIPP-funded project builds on a previous project funded by an NSF EPSCoR Stimulus Research Program (SRP) grant. The NSF EPSCoR SRP grant brought together researchers from across the state of South Carolina to investigate the biological underpinnings of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with a focus on metabolic dysfunction. Our laboratory utilized a valproic acid mouse model of ASD and applied a metabolic intervention, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), to increase mitochondrial energy production. We measured sociability and anxiety behavior and we are continuing to analyze cellular effects in the brain. To build on these experiments as well as another interest in the laboratory, we will analyze the fecal microbiome of male and female mice from the ASD study in order to determine if there are sex differences, effects from the valproic acid model of autism, and/or effects from the metabolic intervention on fecal microbiome composition and diversity. We expect decreased fecal microbiome diversity in the ASD model and at least a partial rescue in the NAD-treated mice.

POTENTIAL OUTCOMES

We plan to publish the results of this project, including the completed behavioral data as well as results from this fecal microbiome investigation.

HOW INBRE FUNDING WILL HELP ACCOMPLISH

This fecal microbiome investigation is made possible thanks to the BIPP funding.

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM/LAB

I love to cook and bake, and I get inspiration from watching cooking shows and reading cookbooks. I also love to hike.

Chiara Gamberi, 2022 DRP Recipient

Coastal Carolina University, Biology

PROJECT TITLE

Modeling renal cyst mechanisms in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster

PROJECT INFORMATION

A molecular biologist by training, I became interested in how molecular interactions affect the whole organism and embraced developmental biology. As a new faculty at Coastal Carolina University, my group and I study how gene expression is regulated in space and time in living organisms in health and disease. Employing the genetic model organism of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to model human disease, we use traditional and innovative strategies to decipher the genetics and molecular features of polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and perform fly-powered drug discovery.

POTENTIAL OUTCOMES

The pathological mechanisms of PKD are complex and poorly understood. Having made a unique fly model of PKD, with this project we will dissect the genetic network of renal cyst formation to advance understanding of this incurable pathology and inspire future effective therapies.

HOW INBRE FUNDING WILL HELP ACCOMPLISH

Beyond providing us with the necessities of a research lab, this award has increased my time for research, and allowed connection with two mentors whom I am looking forward to work with.

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM/LAB

I enjoy sports. Now, I am loving to explore coastal South Carolina on my bike.

Breanna Pederson, 2021 SIRP Recipient

USC School of Medicine Columbia, Cell Biology & Anatomy

PROJECT TITLE

Predicting Outcomes of Femoral Endarterectomies from Protein levels

PROJECT INFORMATION

Peripheral Arterial Disease is a common disease associated with aging in which the blood flow to the lower limbs is reduced, often affecting mobility. A common treatment is a femoral endarterectomy surgery, in which a plaque is removed from the femoral artery to help increase blood flow. In this study we investigated the concentration of six proteins in the blood of patients undergoing this procedure and compared them to healthy individuals. We also quantified the amount of calcium in the patient’s arteries as well as in the plaque which was removed. We are using this information to try to predict the outcomes of PAD in patients as well as to identify the relationship of the proteins to calcium amount.

POTENTIAL OUTCOMES

We want to use this information to be able to differentiate between PAD patients and healthy individuals and therefore have a cheap and independent diagnostic tool. Additionally, we would like to use this data to predict which patients will benefit from femoral endarterectomies.

HOW INBRE FUNDING WILL HELP ACCOMPLISH

The funding from the SC INBRE grant allowed us to quantify the protein concentrations in our patient blood samples.

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM/LAB

Outside of the classroom I really enjoy traveling, especially to historical places, and high-ropes courses, which are like obstacle courses elevated off the ground.

Alia Sadek, 2022 SIRP Recipient

USC School of Medicine Greenville, Biomedical Sciences

PROJECT TITLE

Identifying Mechanisms of Resistance in Novel Acinetobacter baumannii Necrotizing Fasciitis Isolates

PROJECT INFORMATION

Over the past decade, multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains of Acinetobacter baumannii- one of the world’s most prevalent hospital-acquired pathogens- have been isolated from rare but fatal cases of necrotizing fasciitis (i.e. flesh-eating disease). Currently, the virulence factors behind these atypical strains remain largely unknown, resulting in ineffective clinical treatment and high mortality rates. Our project is focused on identifying mechanisms of resistance expressed by these virulent A. baumannii strains to provide novel therapeutic targets for the development of new first-line antibiotics.

POTENTIAL OUTCOMES

By identifying new biological targets, total antibiotic resistance to current therapeutics may be avoided, and life-threatening infections driven by MDR A. baumannii strains can be treated. In a much broader sense, this knowledge can also contribute to current gaps in our understanding of pathogen adaptation and evasion during host infections.

HOW INBRE FUNDING WILL HELP ACCOMPLISH

The funding provided by the SC INBRE will not only provide a means for pursuing this project as a medical student, but will also allow me to gain invaluable training towards becoming an active scientist as a future clinician. This award also serves as my very first extramural grant, which is a tremendous step forward in both my professional goals and personal passion for research.

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM/LAB

I am a competitive powerlifter in my free time! Weightlifting has always been a passion of mine and my first USPA competition was in 2019 where I won Best Overall Women’s Lifter! I am currently training to get back on the platform this fall!

Daniel Stovall, 2021, 2022 DRP Recipient

Winthrop University, Biology

PROJECT TITLE

Role and Regulation of Ring1 and YY1 binding protein in Glioblastoma Multiforme

PROJECT INFORMATION

We are studying the role of a chromatin-modifying protein, RYBP, in an aggressive type of central nervous system cancer called glioblastoma. RYBP functions as part of a network of transcriptional regulators that control gene expression; the loss of this regulation contributes to cancer development and progression. Since cancer cells preferentially reduce RYBP levels, we seek to determine what tumor suppressive effects may be achieved by restoring RYBP expression in glioblastoma cells. We are also investigating the various mechanisms that cancer cells use to inhibit RYBP function.

POTENTIAL OUTCOMES

Glioblastoma is the most common and lethal form of tumor in the central nervous system, with a median survival rate of approximately 12 months. Most patients are either not responsive or develop resistance to current therapies. We expect our work to elucidate molecular pathways that are responsible for driving or contributing to glioblastoma progression, thereby leading to the development of more informed and effective therapeutic approaches in the treatment of glioblastoma patients.

HOW INBRE FUNDING WILL HELP ACCOMPLISH

Funding from SC INBRE has allowed us to involve so many undergraduate biology majors at Winthrop University in biomedical research! Funds are also used to purchase the necessary supplies and reagents needed, without which this work would not be possible.

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM/LAB

When I am not in the lab or classroom, I enjoy spending my time reading, traveling, and sketching.

Kristy Welshhans, 2022 DRP Recipient

University of South Carolina, Biological Sciences

PROJECT TITLE

Molecular and cellular basis of altered neural development in Down syndrome

PROJECT INFORMATION

Down syndrome is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability. However, much is still unknown about how connectivity formation during brain development is changed in Down syndrome, resulting in intellectual disability. This project uses human induced pluripotent stem cells created from individuals with Down syndrome and differentiates them to a type of neuron implicated in the intellectual disability phenotype. Using this human model of Down syndrome, we can examine the cellular and molecular mechanisms contributing to altered brain connectivity in individuals with Down syndrome.

POTENTIAL OUTCOMES

Our goal is to identify cellular and molecular mechanisms that change connectivity formation in the developing brain and contribute to the altered cognition present in individuals with Down syndrome. This research can provide insight into potential therapies for Down syndrome. In addition, this project will provide training for the next generation of scientists working on neurodevelopmental disorders.

HOW INBRE FUNDING WILL HELP ACCOMPLISH

This SC INBRE grant provides funding for supplies needed to do the research and protected time for me to focus on these research questions. It also will help fund the summer stipend for a Ph.D. student working on this project.

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM/LAB

I enjoy spending time with my family (my husband and two children). We love to do outdoor activities, like hiking and mountain biking.