Mary Beth Monroe, an associate professor of biomedical and chemical engineering at the Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science, has been selected to receive the 2023 Rosalind Franklin Society Special (RFS) Award in Science.
The RFS Awards in Science recognize contributions and dedication to advancing scientific knowledge, and outstanding peer-reviewed research by women and underrepresented minorities in STEM. The anthology of award winners is available digitally on the Rosalind Franklin Society website and in print.
Continuing his tireless efforts to find an effective treatment for severe sepsis, Juntao Luo, PhD will be developing an innovative treatment for the condition that has a mortality rate of 30-40%. With a newly awarded over $2 million fund from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), he’ll spend the next five years turning his nanotechnology into a bioactive therapeutic that could help prevent sepsis deaths, and potentially treat a wide range of inflammatory diseases. Continue Reading
Professor Davoud Mozhdehi (right) discusses research with chemistry doctoral student Faeze Mousazadeh. Both Mousazadeh and chemistry doctoral student Kavindu Kolamunna (left) are members of Mozhdehi’s research lab team.
Syracuse University researcher is pioneering new methods of protein engineering. Link
Davoud Mozhdehi, associate professor of chemistry in Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences, likes to tinker with proteins. Through protein engineering, he believes there’s much to discover about the inner workings of lipidated proteins, which are equipped with oil-like appendages (lipids) that interact with cell membranes and are vital to cell functions like signaling and trafficking. “We’re trying to develop platforms to facilitate attaching lipids to proteins and to use the unique properties of lipids to tune the properties of proteins for various applications,” he says.
Samuel Herberg, PhD, of Upstate and Pranav Soman, PhD, of Syracuse University.
Glaucoma affects 3 million Americans, is incurable, and is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. Even with the disease’s prevalence, how and why it develops is still largely not understood.
Samuel Herberg, PhD, is an assistant professor of ophthalmology & visual sciences, as well as a researcher at Upstate’s Center for Vision Research, is working to create new ways to study the cells and structures in the eye that can help better understand glaucoma. He was recently awarded $439k from the National Eye Institute (NEI) over two years to develop a unique 3D model to study specific mechanisms of fluid outflow and pressure regulation in the eye.
The project will use the engineering expertise of Syracuse University bioengineer Pranav Soman, PhD.
This project focuses on understanding how the eye maintains normal pressure through the drainage of fluid called aqueous humor. The outflow system involves key structures such as the trabecular meshwork (TM) and Schlemm’s canal (SC). It is known that the rigidity or stiffness of the TM in different areas affects how well fluid flows, with stiffer areas allowing less fluid to pass.
“When this drainage system doesn’t work properly, it can lead to high pressure in the eye,” explains Herberg. “This can damage vision.”
It still isn’t fully understood why some areas of the outflow system are stiffer than others and how this contributes to high pressure. One reason for this knowledge gap? Current models of the drainage system don’t accurately mimic real-life conditions.
This project aims to create a new model called a “TM/SC-interface-on-a-chip” that better mimics the real drainage system. This model will allow researchers to study how different parts of the drainage system contribute to fluid flow and pressure regulation more accurately. By manipulating specific components of the drainage system, researchers hope to uncover the mechanisms behind pressure regulation in the eye more precisely. To validate the new experimental model, Herberg enlisted the help of Weiming Mao, MD, PhD at Indiana University School of Medicine, whose human corneal rim perfusion model will serve as a benchmark.
“The contributions of these relatively low and high flow areas are not clear,” says Herberg, “There’s evidence that areas that have previously been high flow may lose that ability and become more of a low flow area, possibly causing the neighboring areas to be also less efficient. Over many decades, this could add up to a larger vision problem.”
Herberg hopes this 3D model will help bridge the gap between conventional 2D assays for drug screening and animal or human trials. “Using these three-dimensional constructs more physiologically close to the tissue can fill a niche.”
Working with others at the Bio-Inspired Institute, a collaboration of experts in life sciences, engineering, physics, and chemistry from Upstate, Syracuse University, and SUNY ESF, has been a large part of Herberg’s research.
“I take full advantage of my colleagues; I quickly identified [Dr. Soman] as somebody who has tools that might come in handy.”
Soman has been working to use new technology to achieve something seemingly simple; to recreate nature’s ability to arrange a few materials (proteins, sugars, minerals) into complex structures optimized to satisfy specific environmental demands.
“Man-made manufacturing, however, is unable to match nature’s building capabilities,” says Soman. “Using my background in mechanical engineering, optics, biomaterials and cell biology, my group’s goal is to close this gap between nature and man-made manufacturing capabilities by developing new machines (3D printers) and processing technologies.”
Soman will be using his 3D-printed master molds to develop models that can provide “an advanced yet accessible platform for high-throughput screening of new glaucoma drug or cell-therapy candidates.”
Creating these types of structures for researchers to study cells and mechanisms has grown into an entire industry for Soman; he founded a startup called 3DMicrofluidics LLC (3DM) to provide precision microparts to customers who do not have access to exclusive and expensive micro/nano-fabrication cleanroom facilities.
You can read more about Herberg’s lab and work here.
Using a grant from the National Eye Institute, an Upstate researcher and ophthalmologist plans to create a new way to test the potential causes of and contributors to glaucoma. Assistant professor Preethi S. Ganapathy, MD, PhD, was awarded $447,000 over two years to develop a model that could help overcome a hurdle researchers face while studying the neurodegenerative disease. Currently, glaucoma affects 3 million Americans, is incurable, and is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide.
We are writing today with exciting news about the evolution of our seed grant program. These past programs have focused on identifying and supporting collaborative teams that could help build toward large-scale, collaborative grants. Now, we believe several of these teams and likely others from among our members are ready to focus attention on center-grant funding or other multi-investigator opportunities (e.g., NSF MRSEC, NSF BII, DoD MURI, NIH P01). In conversations with Syracuse University’s Office of Research, we have advocated for concrete ways to support teams working on these types of funding opportunities to maintain the growth of the Institute and the University’s research community.
We now expect the Office of Research to very soon launch a standing program designed to facilitate team science and to support faculty pursuing funding opportunities that require a collaborative approach. In anticipation of this imminent program, the Institute is soliciting letters of intent(LOIs) on a rolling basis for teams to describe their existing collaborations and their broader vision for the work and to identify gaps in the team. After interviews with applicants, we will work with teams to develop applications to the team science program from the Office of Research. Continue Reading
Award given in memory of noted professor of English William Wasserstrom.
Physics Professor Christian Santangelo is the 2024 recipient of the William Wasserstrom Prize.
Christian Santangelo, professor and director of graduate studies in the physics department of the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and member of the BioInspired Institute, is the 2024 recipient of the William Wasserstrom Prize in recognition of his exemplary mentorship of graduate students. A&S Dean Behzad Mortazavi will confer the award on Santangelo at the Graduate School doctoral hooding ceremony on May 10.
Upstate Medical University’s Samuel Herberg, PhD, assistant professor in the Center for Vision Research and the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, has been named the recipient of the 2024 Douglas H. Johnson Award for Glaucoma Research. The award, from the BrightFocus Foundation is presented annually to the top-rated proposal in the National Glaucoma Research program. The award is given in recognition of exceptionally promising and forward-thinking ideas in the field of glaucoma research.
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Kasey Laurant (left) and student Cody Van Nostrand ’24 running an experiment in the water channel lab.
Boasting an impressive wingspan of over seven feet, the golden eagle is one of the largest birds of prey in North America. In addition to being cunning, skilled hunters and their ability to soar effortlessly for hours, golden eagles might also utilize strong gusts of wind to assist their flight – an ability that piqued the interest ofKasey Laurent, an aerospace and mechanical engineering professor in theCollege of Engineering and Computer Science.
During her Ph.D. studies at Cornell University, Laurent conducted research on golden eagles by recording their acceleration as they flew, and the study formed the foundation for her dissertation on bird and drone flight. She also participated in Cornell’s Raptor Program, which provides a home for injured or non-releasable birds for research, training and rehabilitation. This experience gave her valuable insights into bird flight and behavior.
Physics alumna Erin McCarthy ’23, right, was lead author on a study published in Physical Review Letters which uncovered mechanisms that cause particles to sort spontaneously into different groups. Professor M. Lisa Manning, left, was a co-author.
A team of biophysicists identified an unexpected collective behavior among particles and their findings were published in the prestigious journal Physical Review Letters.
Erin McCarthy ’23, physicssumma cum laude, is a rarity among young scientists. As an undergraduate researcher in the College of Arts & Sciences’Department of Physics, she guided a study that appeared in March 2024 inPhysical Review Letters. It is the most-cited physics letters journal and the eighth-most cited journal in science overall.
McCarthy and postdoctoral associates Raj Kumar Manna and Ojan Damavandi developed a model that identified an unexpected collective behavior among computational particles with implications for future basic medical research and bioengineering.
Mary Beth Monroe, an associate professor of biomedical and chemical engineering at the Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science, has been selected to receive the 2023 Rosalind Franklin Society Special (RFS) Award in Science.
