CSF1R Inhibition Restores Cognition Following Immunotherapy

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Patients that undergo CAR T-cell therapy often experience significant side effects, including cognitive decline. We have found that CAR T-cell therapy increases microglial activation and disrupts the myelin sheath that is necessary for saltatory conduction. We seek to understand the long term neurological effects of CAR T-cell therapy and ways to restore cognition in patients undergoing immunotherapy.

Cultural Fire Behavior and Effects on Hazel Shrubs

Thomas Paulson, Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Prescribed fire is a widely used land management technique that accomplishes many important cultural and ecological benefits to people and wildlife. Since 1935, wildfires have been suppressed and prescribed fires have been largely removed from the landscape. This has led to the loss of important cultural practices conducted by tribes in the Klamath Mountains. Prescribed fire is particularly useful for producing hazel plants that are optimal for basket weaving material used by the Karuk tribe. The goal of this study is to develop an allometric equation to quantify the relationship between hazel height and basal diameter and look into fire effects interactions with hazel.

Current Technology for Vaccine Development in Coronaviruses and Potential Strategies for COVID-19 Drug Discovery

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

In late 2019 a novel coronavirus was identified in China, and over the next 2 months, had spread to over 20 countries; it was declared a global pandemic by the WHO on Feb. 11th. With over 3.2 million cases worldwide, there is tremendous need for a vaccine. This is a daunting task since there are still none commercially available for SARS or MERS. In this review, we analyze the current challenges facing researchers, the technologies for vaccine development which are emerging and promising, and the progress thus far. We found recombinant MHC assays based on SARS epitopes promising for drug development, and anticipate that nanoparticle technology will be the most efficient delivery system.

Deciphering the Crosstalk within Human Coronary Atherosclerotic Plaque

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Our project investigates the cross-talk between cells contained within the human coronary atherosclerotic plaque using single-cell technologies. We mapped the transcriptome of the plaque using 10x transcriptomics and validated our findings with immunohistochemistry and in vitro assays. We found a predominance of memory T cells suggesting T cells were recruited by antigen engagement with their cognate peptide presented by myeloid cells. Using in vitro assays, we also found activation of pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic pathways in smooth muscle cells after exposure to T cell cytokines. Our analysis suggests that T cells communicate with myeloid and smooth muscle cells within the plaque

Delving into the Significance

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Understanding the significance of basket weaving such as the materials that are used and the importance that it holds for indigenous communities.

Demonstration of Lead Binding for Bioremediation in Engineered RsaA S-Layer Proteins on C. vibrioides

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Heavy metal contamination of soils and waterways due to industrial processes, such as mining, continues to be a problem in the U.S., such as Flint Michigan. Microbial surface layers (S-layers) have shown promise for binding and sequestering heavy metals. Modifications to the S-later protein (RsaA), in C. vibrioides, could increase this efficiency. Our modified strains absorbed more lead per cell mass. Strains HCm 021, 027, 028 absorbed 197.78 ±2.14, 231.32 ±3.10, and 168.69 ±22.65 (ppm Pb+2/g cells) versus 90.55 +/- 1.07 (ppm/g) for the wild-type. Future goals of this project include determining association constants of lead to cells, and construction of a bioremediation filter.

Design of a ChiA surface expression system for enhanced biofuel feedstocks.

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The ChiA protein from Serratia marcescens is responsible for the hydrolysis of 1,4 glycosidic bonds in N-acetyl-glucosamine chains, that comprise chitin. Chitin, being the second most abundant polymer, has untouched potential as a source for biofuel feedstocks. Here we aim to enhance chitinase activity through displaying the ChiA on the surface layer proteins (S-layers) of Caulobacter vibrioides. The S-layer of C. vibrioides is a nanometer scale hexagonal 2-D crystalline lattice composed of a single protein, RsaA, and covers the entire surface of the organism. In this study, the chiA gene isolated from S. marcescens was designed and amplified for expression in the C. vibrioides S-layer.

Design of Possible Organic Photovoltaic Compounds and Their Initial Computational Assessment

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The excessive use of fossil fuels has surged the need for alternative energy sources, such as solar energy. Here, possible organic photovoltaic (OPV) compounds were designed and their initial computational assessment was done. Density Functional Theory was used to calculate the HOMO-LUMO gap of the 26 compounds designed. Semiconductors such as naphthalene, 1,1’-biphenyl, and ɑ-septithiophene were used as the backbone and the main electron-withdrawing group (EWG) used was thien[3,4-c] [1,2,5]thiadiazole-2-sIV(8CI,9CI), among other thieno-thiadiazole derivatives.

Designing a Radiant Heating System that Recovers Waste Heat from Shower Wastewater

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

To design a hydronic floor heating system that maximizes the amount of heat transfer from the shower wastewater to the bathroom floor.

Detection of Trace Metals in Seawater: The Importance of UV-Oxidation

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

According to oceanographic research, trace metals are essential in life of marine phytoplankton, since many trace metals are micronutrients that are essential for biological processes. However, due to extremely low concentrations of trace metals in seawater, it is difficult to measure their concentrations; therefore, specific analysis methods must be performed in order to determine the concentrations of trace metals. Preliminary data on the effectiveness of UV irradiation to the recovery and analysis of cobalt and copper will be presented.