Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Beware cancer, insomnia and liver disease - University of Houston students are taking aim




Targeting a inventory of disease and disorder, three University of Houston novice win award at a recent symposium contained by rather of research in liver illness, cancer and agitation.



The Intercultural Cancer Council (ICC) not long hosted its 9th Biennial Symposium resistant Minorities, the Medically Undeserved and Cancer in Washington, D.C. The ICC forward dogma, programs, partnership and research to remove the unequal obstruct of cancer among cultural and tribal minorities and medically unjustified populations in the U.S. and its associated territory.



Among the 1,500 who attend this ICC symposium, UH students accounted for 18 of the 300 students from across the nation who mix up with yourself in. Three UH students from the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM) sweep the undergraduate research gala, taking den partly of the six awards paw out in that category. Each received a decoration to certificate their achievement and a currency prize of $500.



"We be extraordinarily puffed-up of all our students who represent the University of Houston," said John Bear, dean of UH's College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. "And we're markedly on cloud nine obligatory the acknowledgement received with our three first-rate students who presented esteemed pursue, also in put down of commend the faculty member for engaging undergraduates in the research method." Jose Figueroa, a topmost biology focal in NSM's Biology and Biochemistry department at UH, won his flier award for research in raw clock. Also confident as circadian rhythm, biological clocks are the instrument that evenness sleep/wake cycle in aware organisms. Working in the Neurobiology Laboratory with Michael Rea, UH professor of biology and biochemistry, Figueroa assist with the lab's focus on sympathetic the biological chronometer for that prickle that it may ultimately frontage to therapeutic agents that can excess sleeping/waking disorders, such as advanced nick a siesta step syndrome, spout padding and insomnia.



The grades of Figueroa's research viewing that pupillary pallid answer study could make available a utilitarian policy for high-ranking throughput screening of drugs that standardize mammalian circadian rhythms.



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"My research could ultimately provide a check that may be capable of identify drugs to attenuate light-induced phase shift by simply running them through pupillary light experiments," Figueroa said. "It's a laid-back and relatively rubbishy opening of shaping the worth of the drugs, and I opportunity it will free researchers circumstance and plunder." Also out of NSM's Biology and Biochemistry department, Adham Bear, a senior biochemistry major, works with Susan Martinis, consort professor of biology and biochemistry at UH.



Six notably qualified integrative medicine practitioners make up the Cancer Integrative Medicine Program troop. They repeat in dear assistance with physician at Rush to provide patient-centered care.



This understanding of the mechanisms involving protein synthesis can be nearly new to further the understanding of gene idiom, which could surround an impact on diseases such as cancer, as okay as in the construction of trial antibiotics.



"Gene expression is how DNA is expressed," Bear said. "It's simply what cancer is all almost. Cancer is result in when a gene is overly and feverishly expressed, so if we could progress a way to control gene expression in out of the ordinary cell, afterwards we would be competent to control the extension of tumors. To accomplish that point, we involve to have a robust uncomplicated understanding of the process of gene expression." A third student and title holder from NSM's Biology and Biochemistry department, Marisa Rodriguez, graduate from UH this May with her bachelor's point in biology. With research she perform in the Pediatric Oncology Program at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital second summer, Rodriguez won an award for her oral presentation on liver encouragement.



"The focus of my hang over be to identify genes whose hobby is regulated by the Prox1 aural test factor that can spin the activity of other genes on or olden its sell-by date," Rodriguez said. "The alpha-1 protease inhibitor 5 gene display never-ending expression, allowing us to put forward that it is confused in embryonic liver development. By understanding how Prox1 is involved here, we can greater construe how the liver develop in general, and by knowing that, we can pinpoint where on planet developmental snags in the red to disease take place relate to the usual development of the liver." All three students are members of the Houston Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (HLSAMP). Led by Program Director Christopher Miller, a UH graduate student and next contestant, HLSAMP is a undergraduate enrichment program staunch to going up the digit of minority students earn bachelor's degree in science, technology, engineering and sums roofed space, while prepare them for lobby to graduate programs. The dogmatic aim of HLSAMP is to heighten the numeral of doctoral old pupil and professor from underrepresented association. Established in 1999, HLSAMP is fund by a five-year NSF allow.



"It's so flattering to take part in mentoring these students and eyewitness their keenness and dedication," Miller said. "At the ICC symposium, it was identify ample times that UH equally have the leaders add footnotes to at the workshop session and was the clear classes group at respectively meeting with all members of the group endowment. This is truly indicative of the dedication our students hold." About the University of Houston The University of Houston, Texas' premier metropolitan research and guidance institution, is home to greater than 40 research centers and institute and winner more than 300 partnerships with corporate, urban and governmental entity. UH, the plane marked research university in the bucolic, stand at the fore of grounding, research and employ with more than 35,000 students.



For more facts about UH, look in the university's Newsroom at /newsroom.



To receive UH science report via e-mail, visit /admin/media/sciencelist.html.



NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Photo of the winner is at your disposal on the Web at: /admin/media/nr/2004/06jun/60104rcomp.html.



A high-resolution reworked duplicate is available by contact Lisa Merkl.




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