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Andrew Hoover, a student at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, has won the 2008 Frank and Sara McKnight Prize in Undergraduate Chemistry. Mr. Hoover was awarded the $2,000 top prize for his work, titled “Lewis Base-Catalyzed Asymmetric Bromination of Alkenes.” The $1,000 second place award went to Jonathan Stefely, a student at Notre Dame, for his work on “Synthesis, Antitumor Activity, and Biological Evaluation of Novel 1,2,3-Triazole-Based Tubulin Polymerization Inhibitors.” Jacob Kanady, of the University of California at Irvine, received third place, and $500, for his research project, “Polychlorinated Sulfolipids as Inspiration for Organic Synthetic Development.”
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Rathi Srinivas, a student at Columbia University, has won the 2008 Frank and Sara McKnight Prize in Undergraduate Biophysics. Ms. Srinivas was awarded the $2,000 top prize for her work, titled “The Structural Dynamics of the Ribosomal L1 Stalk.” The $1,000 second place award went to Alex Augustyn, a student at the University of Chicago, for his work on “Development of a Novel Secondary Structure-Based Refinement Algorithm.” Molly Plovanich, of Johns Hopkins University, received third place, and $500, for her research project, “Enhancing the Stability of the Notch Ankyrin Domain through Consensus-Based Substitution.”
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Pavitra Chakravarty reports new way to kill cancer cells in vitro using nanotechnology, biomolecules and light.
Pavitra Chakravarty, a Biomedical Engineering graduate student working in the laboratory of Dr. Ellen Vitetta, and Dr. Radu Marches, assistant professor in the Cancer Immunobiology Center, reported testing a new way to kill cancer cells using carbon nanotubes (CNTs), monoclonal antibodies, and light in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on June 24, 2008. Carbon nanotubes were coated with monoclonal antibodies that targeted specific sites on lymphoma cells. Carbon nanotubes are very small cylinders of graphite carbon that heat up when exposed to near-infrared (NIR) light, generating enough heat to “cook” the cells they are bound to and kill them. In this study, Ms. Chakravarty and Dr. Marches demonstrated highly specific ablation of tumor cells in vitro using the antibody coated CNTs and exposure to NIR light. The research also showed that the specifically targeted cells were the only cells killed after exposure to the light. Because tissue is relatively transparent to NIR light, the results suggest that tumor cells within the range of NIR could be ablated in vivo using these targeted CNTs followed by noninvasive exposure to the light.
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Paul Denton and Dr. J. Victor Garcia-Martinez Stop HIV from Spreading in Mice
In a story broadcast worldwide last month, Paul Denton, a graduate student in Immunology, together with Dr. J. Victor Garcia-Martinez, his mentor, reported using anti-viral drugs to prevent vaginal transmission of HIV in a “humanized mouse” model. The study, appearing online January 14, 2008 in PLoS Medicine, used human/mouse chimeras that have fully developed immune systems and produce the infection-fighting cells that are specifically targeted by HIV in humans. While 90% of the chimeric mice inoculated vaginally with HIV became infected, none of the humanized mice given the drugs emtricitabine (FTC) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) daily before and after exposure to HIV displayed any signs of infection.
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Dara Burdette receives 2008 S. Edward Sulkin Memorial Scholarship award
Dara Burdette is a fifth year graduate student in the Molecular Microbiology Graduate Program. As a student in the laboratory of Dr. Kim Orth, her graduate work is focused on virulence factors secreted by the bacterial pathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus, the causal agent of gastroenteritis due to the consumption of contaminated shellfish. Dara's work involves elucidating the molecular mechanisms used by the V. parahaemolyticus type III secretion systems and she has contributed to and merited authorship on four peer reviewed papers, including one in PNAS (USA) in which she is co-first author. Currently, Dara is using molecular microbiology, biochemistry and cell biology to uncover the mechanism used by a novel virulence factor secreted by V. parahaemolyticus to induce acute autophagy in the infected host cell. |
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Ann Davis, a student in the laboratory of Dr. David Farrar, was recently awarded the Eliot Goldings Award for her outstanding achievements and scholarship in Immunology. Following the untimely death in 1988 of UT Southwestern faculty member, Eliot Goldings, MD, his friends and colleagues set up the award to honor this highly committed educator. The Eliot Goldings Award in Immunology is given to the top graduating student in the Immunology Graduate Program based upon scholastic achievement. Ann’s research, focused on the role of interferons in regulating T cell memory development to infections, was the foundation for two published studies in the Journal of Immunology and is the subject of a third manuscript being prepared for submission. She plans to defend her dissertation in the fall of 2008.
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Euiseok Kim is Recipient of a Society for Neuroscience Chapters Graduate Student Travel Award.
Euiseok Kim, a graduate student in the Neuroscience Program, was selected as a recipient of the SfN Chapters Travel Award to attend the 2007 Annual Meeting for the Society of Neuroscience. He is one among 51 students honored nationally this year. “This award, supported by Eli Lilly & Co, is designed to recognize the promising work of graduate students who have been nominated by their local chapters for excellence in neuroscience.” Euiseok Kim will present his research on in vivo analysis neural progenitor cells in adult neurogenesis and gliogenesis. Euiseok is mentored by Dr. Jane Johnson in the Department of Neuroscience.
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Ann Davis and Amy Mellgren Receive Philanthropic and Educational Organization Scholar Award
Ann Davis, a fourth-year PhD student in the Immunology Graduate Program, and Amy Mellgren, a sixth-year MSTP student in the Genetics and Development Graduate Program, were each recently awarded the $10,000 Scholar award from the Philanthropic and Educational Organization (PEO), which awards competitive scholarships to women attending graduate school in the United States and Canada. The PEO was founded in 1869 by seven women students on the campus of Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. The organization has grown to more than a quarter of a million members in chapters throughout the United States and Canada. to date, they have granted Scholar Awards of more than $8 million.
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Shondra M. Pruett Honored by Ida M. Green Award
Shondra M. Pruett of the Cell Regulation Graduate Program has been selected as this year's Ida M. Green Award recipient. This award honors Mrs. Green, a major benefactress and long-time friend of UT Southwestern Medical Center, and recognizes Shondra's outstanding commitment to the well-being of fellow graduates, research excellence, and exceptional community service activities.
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Rochelle Hinman Recipient of the Dean's Discretionary Award
Rochelle Hinman of the Immunology Graduate Program is the recipient of the Dean's Discretionary Award. Please congratulate Ms. Hinman for her commitment in service to the graduate school and research excellence in her field. |
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Omar Nelson receives First Place at 64th Joint Annual Meeting of Beta Kappa Chi/National Institute of Science
Omar Nelson, a graduate student in Neuroscience, was awarded first place for the best graduate student presentation, "Familial Alzheimer's disease mutations in presenilin 1 disrupt endoplasmic reticulum calcium leak" at 64th Joint Annual Meeting of Beta Kappa Chi/National Institute of Science in North Carolina. He was awarded $500 cash prize for his presentation and a $1000 travel award. This conference offers minority undergraduate and graduate students a chance to share their research and compete for cash prizes. |
 Agnel Sfeir, who earned her Ph.D. this year, is the 2006 recipient of the Nominata Award for excellence in research, the highest award bestowed upon a graduate student at UT Southwestern. Dr. Sfeir distinguished herself as an exceptional researcher in the study of telomeres, which are “caps” on the end of chromosomes that shorten with each cell division, regulating how many times a cell can divide. She was a student of the graduate program in Integrative Biology and was guided by two mentors, Drs. Jerry Shay and Woodring Wright, in the Dept. of Cell Biology. The Nominata Award included a $2,000 cash prize and the opportunity to present her dissertation research at the University Lecture on May 17. Dr. Sfeir is now pursuing postdoctoral training at the Rockefeller University under the tutelage of Titia Delange and intends to remain in academia.
 Dan Motola, of the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) was mentored by Dr. David Mangelsdorf, and recognized by the Endocrine Society as having made outstanding achievements in basic endocrine research. Dan received an Endocrine Scholars Award at the annual meeting held in Boston in June. In the same month Dan completed his Ph.D. His work focused on the identification of the hormonal ligand for the C. elegans nuclear receptor, DAF-12, which was published in the March 24, 2006 issue of the journal Cell. In addition information on his research was described in the UT Southwestern Center Times. Dr. Matola returned to medical school in July.
  UT Southwestern Radiological Sciences students were awarded two of the five fellowships given by the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) at their mid-winter Educational Symposium. The awards are given based upon demonstration of "outstanding competence in molecular and nuclear imaging research. " Mai Lin (left), as one of the top three candidates, was also named a Bradley-Alavi Fellow. His research was titled "Targeted PET Imaging of Lung Cancer via a Tetrameric Peptide". Gang Ren's research title was "Targeted Radionuclide Imaging of Adenoviral Delivery (TRIAD)". Both students are working toward their Ph.D.
 Rashu Bhargava Seth, who is a graduate student in our Cell Regulation Program, has been named the 2006 Young Cell Signaler. She was chosen from among five finalists and more than 86 entries in the Upstate 2006 Young Cell Signaler Award competition at the Third Annual Cell Signalling Symposium held in Scotland. Seth's presentation was entitled "Understanding Host Antiviral Signaling Pathways. " The award included $17,000 worth of support funding for her laboratory, a personal cash prize of $8,500 and a trophy. Seth is mentored by Zhijian (James) Chen, Ph.D. in the Department of Molecular Biology.
 Eileen Foy, a student in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), is the only student to receive both the Nominata and the Ida M. Green Awards. The Nominata Award is for excellence in research, the highest award bestowed upon a graduate student at UT Southwestern. Eileen was mentored by Michael Gale and distinguished herself as an exceptional researcher on mechanisms of pathogenesis of the hepatitis C virus (full story). The Ida M. Green Award is given annually to a female graduate student or students for their commitment to the school and community. Eileen was an active student member of the Women in Science and Medicine Advisory Committee (WISMAC) at UT Southwestern and she participates in a number of significant volunteer activities that contribute positively to our community (full story)
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UT Southwestern scientist honored among best in Texas research
Dr. Rama Ranganathan, professor of pharmacology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, was recognized today as one of the state’s top rising stars in research by The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST).
Dr. Ranganathan was named a recipient of one of three 2009 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards by the academy at its annual conference in Dallas. Dr. Ranganathan is director of the Systems Biology Division of the Cecil H. and Ida Green Comprehensive Center for Molecular, Computational and Systems Biology at UT Southwestern, where he also holds the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Chair in Biomedical Science. Full Story
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Cancer requires support from immune system to develop, researchers report
Tumors that grow around nerves in a rare genetic disease need cooperation from cells from the immune system in order to grow. Treating mice with a drug that attacks the immune cells — not the tumor — greatly reduced the size and metabolism of the tumors, the scientists reported. A clinical trial of the treatment in humans has begun.
“It was not the tumor being treated, but its environment,” said Dr. Luis Parada, chairman of developmental biology at UT Southwestern and co-senior author of the study, which appears in the Oct. 31 issue of the journal Cell. “This insight has led to a very promising therapy of a previously untreatable tumor. Full Story |
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UT Southwestern faculty members named Howard Hughes investigators
Three researchers who originally joined the UT Southwestern Medical Center faculty as part of the institution’s acclaimed Endowed Scholars Program in Medical Science are among 56 distinguished biomedical scientists nationwide who today were named Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators.
Dr. Lora Hooper, assistant professor of immunology, Dr. Youxing Jiang, assistant professor of physiology, and Dr. Hongtao Yu, associate professor of pharmacology, were named in a national competition by the institute, a philanthropic organization that promotes biomedical research. Full Story |
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Mangelsdorf elected to National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences today elected Dr. David Mangelsdorf, chairman of pharmacology at UT Southwestern Medical Center and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, to membership, one of the highest honors attainable by an American scientist.
With Dr. Mangelsdorf’s election, UT Southwestern now has 18 faculty members currently serving in the esteemed organization. There are now 24 NAS members at Texas academic medical institutions, and 75 percent of those are at UT Southwestern...(full story)
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HHMI grant to UT Southwestern to give DISD schools new avenues to view science
Science will be coming to Dallas classrooms in a new way soon, thanks to a recent $750,000 grant to UT Southwestern Medical Center and a collaboration with the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) and several medical and scientific organizations.
“We will be targeting teachers who would like to improve their skill set in teaching biology, as well as developing and maintaining Advanced Placement (AP) biology programs in their schools,” said Dr. Joel Goodman, professor of pharmacology and director of STARS, a program established in 1991 to improve science education in North Central Texas. “It’s a 15-month program and will cycle and repeat for the next five years.” |
Dr. Joel Goodman |
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Circulating fats kill transplanted pancreas cells, study shows
Dr. Roger Unger, professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern and senior author of the study, led research that shows dietary restrictions or other strategies to limit fat formation might make pancreatic cell transplants more effective. Using animal models, the researchers discovered that pancreatic islet cells transplanted into the liver fail not only because of immune rejection, but also because of overexposure to toxic fats that are synthesized by the surrounding liver cells and flood the pancreatic transplants. Their findings appear in the September issue of the journal Diabetes. |
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Hobbs elected to National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences today elected Dr. Helen Hobbs, director of the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development at UT Southwestern Medical Center and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, to membership. With her election, UT Southwestern now has 17 faculty members currently serving in the esteemed organization.
Dr. Hobbs’ research focuses on identifying genetic factors that contribute to variations in the levels of cholesterol in the blood, especially LDL cholesterol. High levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood increase the risk of a heart attack.
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Parada elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences has elected Dr. Luis Parada, chairman of developmental biology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, to membership. With his election, UT Southwestern now has 14 faculty members currently serving in the esteemed organization.
Dr. Parada, 52, directs the Kent Waldrep Center for Basic Research on Nerve Growth and Regeneration. He holds the Diana K. and Richard C. Strauss Distinguished Chair in Developmental Biology and the Southwestern Ball Distinguished Chair in Nerve Regeneration Research.
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Tiny molecule controls stress-induced heart disease
Dr. Eric Olson (right), chairman of molecular biology, and Dr. Eva van Rooij, a postdoctoral researcher, helped discover that a minute snippet of RNA, a chemical cousin of DNA, controls damage to the heart under several types of stress. The discovery could mean that blocking the small molecule might eventually become a way to prevent or treat heart damage.
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UT Metroplex institutions to collaborate on biomedical research
Thirteen interdisciplinary research teams of faculty from UT Southwestern Medical Center, UT Arlington and UT Dallas have received grants totaling about $1.3 million to pursue collaborative projects, with the goal of stimulating efforts at the interface between biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, computer science and mathematics. (full story)
Novel laboratory technique nudges genes into activity
Dr. David Corey, professor of pharmacology, graduate student Rosalyn Ram and Dr. Bethany Janowski, assistant professor of pharmacology, have activated certain genes in cultured cells using strands of RNA to perturb the mixture of proteins that surround chromosomal DNA, proteins that control whether genes are turned on or off. The new technique could lead to therapeutics for conditions in which nudging a gene awake would help alleviate disease. |
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 Dr. Russell DeBose-Boyd, assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics at UT Southwestern and a member of the Cell Regulation program, was named a Distinguished Young Scholar in Medical Research by the Los Angeles-based W.M. Keck Foundation. This award was established in 1998 to support groundbreaking research addressing the fundamental mechanisms of human disease. The award of up to $1 million over five years will support Dr. DeBose-Boyd’s work on the enzymes that regulate and control cholesterol production, studies that may shed light on the prevention and treatment of heart disease. Before joining UT Southwestern as an instructor in 2001, Dr. DeBose-Boyd was a postdoctoral fellow in the molecular genetics laboratory of two of UT Southwestern’s Nobel laureates, Dr. Michael Brown and Dr. Joseph Goldstein.
 The Hong Kong-based Shaw Prizes are sometimes referred to as the "Nobel Prizes of the East,"; they honor individuals who have achieved significant breakthroughs in academic and scientific research or application, and whose work has resulted in a positive and profound impact on mankind. The Shaw Prize carries a one million dollar award and recognizes Dr. Wang's discovery of "the biochemical basis of programmed cell death, a vital process that balances cell birth and defends against cancer", according to the award citation . Dr. Xiaodong Wang, who is a member of the Department of Biochemistry, trained at UT Southwestern as a graduate student and as a postdoctoral scholar. In 2004 he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Wang mentors postdoctoral scholars and graduate students as a member of our Biological Chemistry, Cell Regulation, and Integrative Biology graduate programs. Full story
 Dr. Jerry Shay , professor and vice chairman of Cell Biology, has been named the sixth-most internationally cited researcher in general biomedicine by Science Watch. With 11,256 citations between January 1995 and August 2005, he is also the most cited clinical medicine scientist in Texas. The rankings were established by tracking citations in Thomson Scientific Essential Science Indicators over the last decade. Dr. Shay holds the Southland Financial Corporation Distinguished Chair in Geriatrics.
Thomas Scheuermann, Ph.D., is Recipient of American Cancer Society Award
Thomas Scheuermann, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Dr. Kevin Gardner in the Department of Biochemistry, was awarded the first American Cancer Society High Plains Division - North Texas Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2007. Dr. Scheuermann is using a combination of biophysics and biochemistry to learn how human cells respond to low oxygen levels. |
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Postdoctoral Poster Session and Symposium Winners
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Grand Prize Winners for 2007 are:
- Joseph Yuan, Ph.D., Physiology, mentor Shmuel Muallem, Ph.D
- Noriko Funato, DDS, Ph. D., Molecular Biology, mentor Hiromi Yanagisawa, MD, Ph.D.
- Junseog Kang, Ph.D., Pharmacology, mentor Hongtao Yu, Ph.D.
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Award for Excellence in Postdoctoral Research
This is the inaugural year for the Award for Excellence in Postdoctoral Research. Criteria for the award included the scholar’s creativity, productivity, and presentation skills, his or her research project’s probable scientific impact, originality, and potential to set a continuing research path. The award includes a check for $2000, a framed certificate, and the prestige of presenting the award winning research at the University Lecture on December 12, 2007. The 2007 winner of the Award for Excellence in Postdoctoral Research is Angelique Whitehurst, Ph.D., Department of Cell Biology, mentor Michael White, Ph.D. |
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Gwyn Harburg, graduate of UT Southwestern Integrative Biology program, awarded Sir Keith Murdoch Fellowship.
The Sir Keith Murdoch Fellowships support of intellectual collaboration and discourse between Australia and the United States. Each year the American Australian Association receives applications from students seeking to continue their research in diverse fields from business, engineering to science and biomedical research. The successful Fellows will undertake research into applied conservation biology, marine ecology, stem cell research and climatology.
Gwyn has a PhD in Integrative Biology from the University of Texas' Southwestern Medical Center and her research focuses on the regulation of adult neural stem cells. She is interested in understanding the fundamental biology of adult stem cells as well as their possible interrelationship with cancer.
 UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences alumna, Linda Buck, Ph.D. was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2004. In the picture, Dr. Buck celebrates after the award ceremony with her Ph.D. mentor, Ellen Vitetta, Ph.D. (right), who is current Professor and Director of the UT Southwestern Cancer Immunobiology Center.
Campus In the News
Nature Profiles On-going Expansion at UT Southwestern
 An article in Nature, Volume 434, 28 April 2005, outlines efforts underway at UT Southwestern to expand research facilities and faculty to position itself as a top-tier academic medical center. 
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