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December 9, 2009 Dr. Cheryl Jorcyk, of the Department of Biological Sciences, was awarded $211,500 by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The grant provides funding to determine the mechanisms by which the cytokine, Oncostatin M, promotes vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in breast cancer. This is Jorcyk’s second R15 award from the NCI, and both awards help with conducting research on the effects of Oncostatin M in breast cancer. The grant funding provides specific benefits for undergraduate students. Jorcyk said, “I see the grant as a huge benefit to undergraduate students by specifically requiring undergraduate researchers. Typically grant funded research is geared toward graduate students and post doctorates. Without this grant, undergraduates would have less of an opportunity to work in my lab.” Because the R15 award gives Jorcyk more opportunities for undergraduate students to work in her lab, a system to recruit undergraduates is needed. Jorcyk has a unique way of seeking undergraduate students that would like the opportunity to work for and with her. She has a sign next to her office door that reads, “Would you like to do cancer research? Fill out an application and submit it to Dr. Jorcyk.” She believes the volume of volunteers she gets is due partly to the fact that many students have been impacted by cancer, and thus develop an interest for it. “I have more volunteers than I have room for in my lab.” said the Biology professor. One of the requirements for working in her lab is a commitment of time. She usually requests a two semester commitment minimum. Her graduate students and research assistants take time out of their busy lives to help train undergraduate students. Therefore, Jorcyk likes knowing that the students commit to working in her lab long term. Besides undergraduate students, Jorcyk also has other individuals working in her lab. These include a high school student, graduate students and a couple of researchers who have already received their Bachelors degrees. Not only does Jorcyk enjoy conducting research with students but she is also researching with Drs. Bernard Yurke and Will Hughes of the Materials Science and Engineering Department as well as Drs. Julia Oxford and GongXin Yu, both of the Department of Biological Sciences. She is collaborating outside of Boise State with the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia, in addition to Oregon State University, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. December 9, 2009 The National Institute of General Medical Sciences granted Dr. Jennifer Smith, of the University’s College of Engineering, $211,500. Smith’s research looks to improve the effectiveness of computer programs used for bioinformatics which search genomic databases for genes that specify RNA molecules which have biological function without conversion into protein. These molecules are involved in human disease and aging processes. Finding additional genes of this class will improve the ability to design drugs and other therapies for human disease and age-related health degeneration. Dr. Smith believes the NIGMS award funding gives her more opportunities. She said, “The grant funding allows me to travel more which means I’m able to attend more conferences. I am able to hire student researchers. It also gives me more exposure to the National Institutes of Health.” Dr. Smith has gone to the Idaho State University Bioinformatics Workshop. She was able to take her undergraduate research assistant along for the experience. She will be attending the Rocky ’09 Bioinformatics Conference in Colorado in December. She also plans to be present at the Computational Intelligence in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology symposium in Montreal, Canada in May of 2010.
Dr. Smith believes conferences are beneficial when it comes to meeting fellow researchers. “Since the Boise State bioinformatics community isn’t very big, it is important to make contacts outside of Boise State University,” Dr. Smith said. “I meet other researchers at conferences, get their contact information and thus the door is open for future collaborations.” Collaborating not only occurs at conferences, but also at other research institutes and universities. Dr. Smith collaborated with researchers at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. She also plans on collaborating with Newcastle University in England in the future. December 9, 2009 Dr. Julia Oxford, of the Department of Biological Sciences, was awarded $211,500 by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Oxford will investigate the role of Collagen Type XI in skeletal development using zebrafish as a model for vertebra development. The importance of extracellular matrix and collagen in bone development is demonstrated by some of the most debilitating congenital diseases such as Stickler syndrome and Marshall syndrome. These congenital diseases present defects such as cleft palate, hearing loss, and vision deficiency. Relatively little is known about how the extracellular matrix functions during skeletal development. Through research, Oxford hopes to strengthen the understanding of the normal process of healthy development through utilization of the zebrafish as a model system. Oxford is presently joining forces with researchers at Oregon Health and Sciences University, College of Idaho, Northwest Nazarene University, Harvard, Brigham Young University, University of Idaho and the Mayo Clinic. Oxford views collaborating as “tremendously beneficial. It is one thing to work in isolation, but it’s another to work as part of a team. Fellow researchers provide intellectual input, feedback, valuable reagents and other contributions. I view collaborating as a means by which to get an answer more efficiently. It provides great strength in research techniques as well as a fun working environment.” Collaborating outside of Boise State puts Boise State University on the same playing field as Harvard, the Mayo Clinic and other prestigious research universities. It also provides more credibility to Boise State as an emerging research university. Dr. Oxford enjoys a variety of hobbies outside of the science world. These include: boating, white water rafting, kayaking, sailing and other outdoor activities. December 9, 2009 Dr. Don Warner, of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, recently received a second Academic Research Enhancement Award totaling $218, 815 from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). His first, also awarded from NCI, was awarded in 2005. Warner researches the bifunctional DNA-binding agents known as Aziridinomitosenes (AZMs) to reveal their unique chemical and biological properties. AZMs are associated in structure to the natural product from bacteria known as mitomycyin C (MC). MC has been proven effective in treating gastric, colorectal and lung tumors when used in monotherapy. The therapeutic potential of AZMs have not yet been determined. The goal is to understand the way in which AZMs combat and kill tumor cells. This will enable the development of different structures that are even more effective at stopping tumor cell progression as well as less toxic than existing cancer therapies. The AREA grant provides a cycle of research opportunity for undergraduate students at Boise State. Students are enabled to do research which will yield research results. The students are then provided the opportunity to present these results, which in turn leads to new research questions and additional research opportunities. Warner said, “Working with the students is always the best part of my job. If they work hard for me, I work hard for them.” Warner regularly sponsors student participation at national scientific conferences. He believes if he provides his students with resources and opportunities to excel in scientific research then the experience is ultimately mutually beneficial. Dr. Warner has collaborated with other researchers at Boise State including Drs. Henry Charlier and Ken Cornell also of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. His collaborations also extend outside of the Boise State campus. He has worked with researchers at the Boise VA Medical Center as well Pacific Lutheran University among others. As an emerging research university, collaborating creates a networking system that is useful to researchers here at Boise State. “Collaborating provides significant guidance in areas where I’m not as knowledgeable,” said Warner. When Warner is not in his lab or teaching students, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children as well as taking photographs and gardening.
November 9,2009 Four BRC researchers receive AREA grants to support undergraduate research Four Boise State professors have been awarded research grants which totaled more than $840,000. Doctors Cheryl Jorcyk, Julia Oxford, Jennifer Smith, and Don Warner were selected as recipients for the Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) after submitting their protocols in the last year. |