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Latest News and Events
Courtney Abram, senior chemical engineering major, won a Provost Undergraduate Research Award in October 2009 to study cancer cell behavior in the metastasis process. Metastasis occurs when cancer cells break free from the tumor and travel through the bloodstream. As these cells are flowing through the bloodstream, they adhere to endothelial cells if appropriate adhesion molecules are expressed. Endothelial cells are those which line the blood vessel walls. Endothelial cell adhesion is the first step in distant metastasis. Hyaluronic Acid (HA), a molecule located on the surface of cells and within the extracellular matrix (ECM), is believed to play a significant role in cell adhesion. The end goal of the project is to show the result of eliminating hyaluronic acid synthases and HA in head and neck cancer cells, which could provide insight into the use of hyaluronic acid synthases and HA as a diagnostic or treatment target of head and neck cancer. Courtney will be working with Dr. Monica Burdick, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering.
Courtney Abram and Jocelyn Marshall, both senior chemical engineering majors, won Student Enhancement Awards in the spring of 2009 to travel to Brazil to spend time in the laboratory of one of the collaborators of Dr. Monica Burdick, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering. Courtney and Jocelyn will be Rio de Janeiro for several weeks in December 2009 to continue their research project on biophysical/biochemical characterization of cancer cell glycosphingolipids. Dr. Burdick is collaborating with Dr. Leonardo Nimrichter of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.
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