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Joel Bryan
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A411 Barton Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19122
Phone: 215-204-8187
Fax: 215-204-1255
Email: communications.cst@temple.edu
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Research NEWS
JULY
Sbarro Institute researchers uncover possible apoptosis role for new gene family
July 29, 2008
Isoforms from Novel Structure Proteins (NSP), a new family of genes discovered by researchers in the Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine in Temple University’s College of Science and Technology, could be involved in apoptosis or programmed cell death. More Information
Chemistry's Borguet obtains NSF grant
July 16, 2007
Dr. Eric Borguet will receive an estimated $426,205 through 2011 in support of his project “A Molecular Resolution Investigation of Electron Transfer at Electrochemical Interfaces.” Borguet and his students will research chemical reactivity at solid-liquid interfaces for a greater understanding of molecular charge transfer and transport at charged interfaces. His group focuses on interfacial and nanoscale phenomena at a fundamental level, with spatial and temporal resolution sufficient to resolve the making and breaking of individual bonds. More Information
Mark Feitelson of Biology receives NIH grant to study antiviral combination therapies
July 1 , 2008
Dr. Mark Feitelson is applying the HIV model of combination therapy development to drug treatments for hepatitis B, cirrhosis and and cancer of the liver. The estimated $1,783,000 grant, entitled "Combination Therapies for Chronic HBV, Liver Disease and Cancer," supports his efforts to isolate the most effective combinations of the many new antiviral drugs being approved by the FDA.
JUNE
Sbarro Institute researchers isolate role of gene variation in muscle regeneration
June 30, 2008
Researchers at the Sbarro Institue have uncovered the role of the gene variation cdk9-55 in muscle regeneration. Their article published in the Journal of Cellular Physiology shows that the gene is necessary for the reprogramming of muscle stem cells required to complete the tissue regeneration process. More Information
Chemistry’s Matsika and Shackman receive grants
June 23, 2008
Drs. Spiridoula Matsika and Jonathan Shackman recently received separate government grants funding their research.
Dr. Matsika received $200,000 from the Department of Energy for her project "Combining High Level Ab Initio Calculations with Laser Control of Molecular Dynamics." The research aims to advance understanding of laser selective chemistry by combining high level ab initio electronic structure calculations with molecular fragmentation and isomerization experiments using shaped ultrafast laser pulses. The work will be carried out in collaboration with the experimental group of Thomas Weinacht at the Department of Physics, Stony Brook University.
Dr. Shackman received $99,975 from the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory for his project “Microfluidic Counter Flow Electrophoretic Enrichment Separations Coupled to Chiral Capillary Electrophoresis for Trace Biomarker Analysis.” The objective is the development and application of a sensitive, two-dimensional microfluidic technique combining a counter flow electrophoretic separation and a pre-concentration dimension with a chiral capillary electrophoresis dimension.
Biology's Greg Smutzer develops new clinical taste testing strips
June 10, 2008
Using the same concept behind commercial breath-freshening strips, Dr. Greg Smutzer, director of the Laboratory of Gustatory Psychophysics in the Biology Department, has developed a new, easier method for clinical taste testing. More Information
Articles about Dr. Smutzer's research have appeared in Medical News Today, UPI.com (United Press International) and Medindia.com.
APRIL
Physics Professor Zein-Eddine Meziani named recipient of 2008 Temple University Faculty Research Award
April 23, 2008
Physics Professor Zein-Eddine Meziani, an internationally recognized researcher in nucleon and nuclear physics, has been named the recipient of the 2008 Temple University Faculty Research Award. More Information
MARCH
Hai-Lung Dai Receives Grant from the Air Force Office for Scientific Research
Hai-Lung Dai, Dean of the College of Science and Technology, has received a grant from the Air Force Office for Scientific Research for a project titled “Structure and Spectroscopy of Buried Interfaces in Organic Thin Films and Colloids.” The research aims to develop nonlinear optical approaches for characterizing the structure, bonding, and kinetic and dynamic processes occurring at the interfaces in colloids and organic thin films. The grant will pay $450,000 over three years. Dr. Dai is also funded by the National Science Foundation for a research project on vibrational spectroscopy of colloidal particles.
FEBRUARY
Physics Postdoc Receives Fellowship from Jefferson National Accelerator Lab
February 8 , 2008
Research that will cast a new spin on particles inside the atomic nucleus has Brad Sawatsky, a postdoc in the Physics Department, the first-ever JSA Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. Sawatzky will spend the fellowship's $10,000 research grant to purchase and assemble components of a flash-ADC-based data acquisition system. This cutting-edge electronics system, which is still in development, may allow researchers to record five times more data than they can currently capture. Full Story
2007
NOVEMBER
Mark Feitelson, Professor of Biology: Hepatitis B & C Research
Over 500 million people worldwide are infected with the hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, or both. These infections cause inflammation of the liver (hepatitis), which leads to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and other liver diseases. Over the course of his career, Mark Feitelson has developed a variety of cell- and animal-based models to study liver disease, and is currently working on several projects that address the best way to diagnose and treat people who are chronically infected with these pathogens.
The thrust of the work being conducted in Dr. Feitelson’s lab involves “Understanding the signal transduction pathways whereby hepatitis B and C promote their own replication, prevent cells from being eliminated by the immune system, and promote cellular growth and survival, which are characteristic of chronic infections and cancer.” Some of this work is funded by the National Cancer Institute.
“We introduce the cancer-causing gene of the viruses into liver cells, and then follow it around to see what it’s doing, what it’s binding to, how expression of host genes are altered by these viruses—basically any changes that take place.” Once these changes are recognized, they can be used as biomarkers for liver disease, which may help doctors identify chronically infected patients most likely to develop cancer.
Some of these markers might also be targets for drug discovery, which is the focus of another NCI-funded project. “Understanding the underlying molecular biology of the virus can lead to unique ways to combat its effects,” said Dr. Feitelson. “If we learn that liver pathways affected by hepatitis B are also affected by hepatitis C, we may be able to treat it with a similar combination of drugs. We can also generate tests for these early markers of cancer, which will result in earlier diagnosis.”
Dr. Feitelson is also heading a study funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism that examines the relationship between ethanol and hepatitis B, both of which attack the liver. This study is exploring whether treatments that lessen the effects of alcohol also have an antiviral effect, and, by the same token, whether antiviral treatments lessen the effects of alcohol on the liver.
“We have learned that ethanol stimulates virus replication in mice, which is important because the same thing appears to happen among chronically infected alcoholics,” said Dr. Feitelson. “The more virus you have, the more active your immune system, and the greater the risk for more severe liver disease. As a result, the National Institutes of Health recommend that people with hepatitis C should not drink at all. It’s like throwing gasoline on a house fire.”
Dr. Feitelson’s research is a critical part of addressing the spread of hepatitis B and C and curbing the consequences of these viruses. “It is essential to find ways to tell whether the liver disease is progressing in order for efficient and cost-effective treatment strategies,” he said.
OCTOBER
Megalooikonomou Receives NSF Grant to Explore Mining Biomedical and Network Data Using Tensors
Vasileios Megalooikonomou, associate professor in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences, has received a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation to explore Mining Biomedical and Network Data Using Tensors. This collaborative project with Carnegie Mellon University aims to find patterns and correlations in large amounts of fMRI data over time. Analysis of fMRI data can help understanding how the brain functions, which parts of the brain collaborate with what other parts, and whether there are variations across subjects and across task-related activities.
AUGUST
Researchers may have unlocked the mechanisms that silence the estrogen receptor gene alpha during breast cancer
August 21, 2007
The mechanisms that silence the estrogen receptor gene alpha (ER-α) in certain breast cancer cell lines may be closer to being unlocked, according to a study by researchers at Temple University’s Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine.
The researchers reported their findings, “Epigenetic Modulation of Estrogen Receptor-α by pRb Family Proteins: A Novel Mechanism in Breast Cancer,” in the Aug. 15 issue of the journal Cancer Research (http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/67/16/7731).
CST researchers have observed porphyrin electron-transfer reactions at the molecular level
August 20, 2007
Researchers at Temple University have observed and documented electron transfer reactions on an electrode surface at the single molecule level for the first time, a discovery which could have future relevance to areas such as molecular electronics, electrochemistry, biology, catalysis, information storage, and solar energy conversion.
The researchers have published their findings, “Dynamics of Porphyrin Electron-Transfer Reactions at the Electrode–Electrolyte Interface at the Molecular Level,” in the international scientific journal, Angewandte Chemie (Journal). Findings have also been reported in Nanowerk News, Science Daily, and A to Z of Nanotechnology.
Chemistry’s Daniel Strongin helps unlock the structural determination of the nanocrystalline material ferrihydrite
August 20 , 2007
A group of researchers that includes Chemistry's Daniel Strongin has unlocked the structure of ferrihydrite, a nano-phased mineral that acts as a very effective absorbent in nature and could have possible applications in environmental clean-up.The researchers published their findings, “The Structure of Ferrihydrite, a Nanaocrystalline Material,” in the June 22 issue of Science.
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