Cell and Cancer Biology Track News & Announcements

2015 Cancer Biology student, Ila Datar, invited to attend 68th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

Ila Datar, Ph.D., 2015 graduate of the Biomedical Sciences Cancer Biology program, mentored by
Drs. Kam Yeung and Ivana de la Serna, participated in the 68^th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau, Germany, June 24-29, 2018. The Lindau meetings are held annually for 500-600 international undergraduates, PhD candidates, and post-doctoral fellows who are nominated for participation from 200 of the most prominent science and research institutions from throughout the world. In order to participate in this meeting, Ila had to pass a multi-step application and selection process where a scientific review panel evaluated her application and letter(s) for recommendation.

The 68^th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting was dedicated to physiology and medicine, 43 Nobel Laureates (more than any previous medicine meeting) and 600 international young scientists participated in plenary lectures and panel discussion as well as networking and social events. The mission of Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings is not only to facilitate the transfer of knowledge between Nobel Laureates and young scientists but also among the international scientific community and the general public. The opportunity for participants to form international networks of scientists is also regarded as a prime objective by the organizers. The Meeting's theme is Educate, Inspire, Connect. For more information, please visit http://www.lindau-nobel.org.

Dr. Datar is a Research Associate at Case Comprehensive Cancer Center in Cleveland, OH.

Cory Howard Receives 2018 Graduate Research Award

Congratulations to Cory Howard, 2nd year Cancer Biology track student, on receiving a 2018 Graduate Research Award. This $2,000 research grant is awarded annually by UT's Graduate Student Association. The purpose of the award is to provide financial support for costs associated with approved research projects. He was selected for his award based on his proposal regarding translation of oncogenic mRNAs with secondary structure and their role in breast cancer progression and metastasis. He is mentored by Dr. Daya Raman.

Zehui Li Presents at Cold Spring Harbor Symposium

Zehui (Lesley) Li, a 4th year student in the Biomedical Sciences Cancer Biology track (Advisor: Dr. William Maltese), presented a poster entitled "Mechanisms of Methuosis Defined through the use of Indolyl Chalcon Analogs in Glioblastoma Cells" at the Cold Spring Harbor Symposium on Cell Death in August 15-19, 2017.

Tupa Basuroy Receives Travel Award

Tupa Basuroy, 4th year student in the Biomedical Sciences Cancer Biology track (Advisor: Dr. Ivana de la Serna), received a $1000 travel award to attend the 2017 International Pigment Cell Conference, August 26-30, 2017, in Denver, CO. Tupa presented an abstract entitled "BRD9 (Bromodomain Containing Protein 9) Plays Roles in Melanogenesis and Melanoma Proliferation".

Cancer Biology Student Articles Published in The Toledo Blade

The Toledo Blade is publishing a series of articles written by Biomedical Sciences students here at the University of Toledo College of Medicine & Life Sciences. Following is the series by our Cancer Biology students:

Cory Howard (7/1/19) - Proteins may fuel life, but some also feed cancers

Augustus Tilley (10/1/18) - Toledo researcher works to disrupt metastatic breast cancer

Kaitlyn Dvorak (7/2/18) - Microenvironment play a role in cancer progression

Kalpana Gardiyawasam (5/5/18) - Researchers aim to block breast cancer metastasis

Zehui (Lesley) Li (12/31/17) - Cancer researchers focus on how cells communicate

Daniel Craig (10/1/17) - Researchers seek blood test to determine cancer risk

Rose Zolondek (4/3/17) - UT researchers map genetic does to determine cancer risk

Shengnan Du (8/2/16) - Chemical that disrupts cell division could help to treat cancer

Kari Lavik (4/4/16) - Zebrafish help in the fight against cancer

Tupa Basuroy (12/7/15) - UT students research how to prevent melanoma

Dissertation Defense Announcements

	CONGRATULATIONS to Daniel Craig, Ph.D. Dr. Craig successfully defended his dissertation entitled "Low Frequency Airway Eipthelial Cell Mutation Pattern Associated with Lung Cancer Risk" on May 3, 2019. He has been mentored by Dr. James C. Willey.
	CONGRATULATIONS to Tupa Basuroy, Ph.D. Dr. Basuroy successfully defended her dissertation entitled "The Role of Bromodomain Containing Protein 9 (BRD9) in Melanogenesis and Melanoma" on August 21, 2018. She has been mentored by Dr. Ivana de la Serna.
	CONGRATULATIONS to Zehui Lesley Li, Ph.D. Dr. Li successfully defended her dissertation entitled "Effects and Mechanisms of Methuosis Defined Through the Use of Indolyl Chalcone Analogs in Glioblastoma Cells" on May 23, 2018. She has been mentored by Dr. William Maltese. Dr. Li has accepted a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Michel DuPage, Dept. of Immunology and Pathogenesis at the University of California, Berkeley.
	CONGRATULATIONS to Kaitlyn Dvorak, Ph.D. Dr. Dvorak successfully defended her dissertation entitled "A Role for the Tumor Microenvironment in Regulating Cytoskeletal Dynamics in the Setting of Breast Cancer Migration and Invasion" on March 30, 2018. She has been mentored by Dr. Kathryn Eisenmann. Dr. Dvorak is a Clinical Research Coordinator at OSUCCC-James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.
	CONGRATULATIONS to Shengnan Du, Ph.D. Dr. Du successfully defended her dissertation entitled "Novel Microtubule-Disrupting Indole-Based Chalcones That Induce Cell Death in Glioblastoma" on December 7, 2017. She has been mentored by Dr. William Maltese. Dr. Du has accepted a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Daphne Bell, Cancer Genetics and Comparative Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. Dr. Du has accepted a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Daphne Bell, Cancer Genetics and Comparative Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
	CONGRATULATIONS to Nneka Mbah, Ph.D.! Dr. Mbah successfully defended her dissertation entitled "Defining the Mechanisms of Methuosis, a Non-Apoptotic Cell Death Induced by Indole Chalcone Compounds in Glioblastoma Cells" on November 30, 2016. She has been mentored by Dr. William Maltese. Dr. Mbah has accepted a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Michigan Medical School, Department of Pediatrics & Comunicable Diseases, Pediatrics-Hematology/Oncology.
	CONGRATULATIONS to Xiaolu Zhang, Ph.D.! Dr. Zhang successfully defended her dissertation entitled "Cis-acting genetic variants that alter ERCC5 regulation as a prototype to characterize cis-regulation of key protective genes in normal bronchial epithelial cells" on March 14, 2016. She has been mentored by Dr. James Willey. Dr. Zhang has accepted a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the NIH NHGRI.
	CONGRATULATIONS to Kari Lavik, Ph.D. Dr. Lavik successfully defended her dissertation entitled "A Collaborative Role for Neuronal-Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome Protein and Mamalian Diaphanous-Related Formins during Invadopodia Formationand Invastion" on January 8, 2016. She has been mentored by Dr. Kathryn Eisenmann. Dr. Lavik has accepted a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Michigan Medical School, Department of Pediatrics & Communicable Diseases, Pediatrics-Hematology/Oncology.