Pharmacology Department's Recent Accomplishments, Milestones, and Welcomes!
Congratulations Dr. Yuli Buckley on Her Recent Journey of Cell Science Publication!
Congratulations to Dr. Yuli Buckley on successfully defending her Ph.D. thesis and publishing her research in Journal of Cell Science! Her paper, "Fis1 regulates mitochondrial morphology, bioenergetics, and removal of mitochondrial DNA damage in irradiated glioblastoma cells," explores key mitochondrial dynamics in cancer cells. Additionally, she was featured in a First Person article, highlighting her research journey and insights.
Congratulations Dr. Tawna Mangosh on Her Recent Frontiers in Medicine Publication!
Dr. Tawna Mangosh, along with Dr. Philip A. Cola, recently published "Empowering Biomedical Learners to Navigate FDA Regulatory Processes and Entrepreneurship with a Novel Interdisciplinary Training Approach" in Frontiers in Medicine - Healthcare Professions Education. This work highlights the innovative FDA regulation courses she developed, which many Pharmacology students take as an elective. Her efforts continue to enhance interdisciplinary training and equip students with essential regulatory and entrepreneurial skills.
Congrats to Dr. Beata Jastrzebska on EurekAlert Press Release for Published Article
Congratulations to Dr. Beata Jastrzebska on the recent press release, "New potential treatment for inherited blinding disease retinitis pigmentosa," featured on EurekAlert. The press release is based on her published article, "Discovery of non-retinoid compounds that suppress the pathogenic effects of misfolded rhodopsin in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa." Read the press release here and the full research article here.
A Warm Welcome for Dr. Fang Chen, Our New Faculty Member
Dr. Chen's lab themes ACT with biomaterials, which stands for advancing curative therapies with biomaterials, focusing on vision science research. Dr. Chen has developed magnetic silica nanoparticles to improve stem cell therapy efficacy in treating heart diseases as well as in situ-forming collagen hydrogels for corneal blindness treatment. The Chen Lab will continue to utilize nanoparticles and hydrogels to advance curative therapies for currently incurable diseases.
Congratulations to Drs. Zhemin Zhang & Edward Yu on Their Recently Published Paper "The Plasmodium falciparum NCR1 transporter is an antimalarial target that exports cholesterol from the parasite’s plasma membrane"
"The Plasmodium falciparum NCR1 transporter is an antimalarial target that exports cholesterol from the parasite’s plasma membrane". To better understand PfNCR1’s structure and identify proteins that directly interact with it, Yu and his team are now taking steps to study how PfNCR1 interacts with various inhibitors. This information could lead to a new approach of designing drugs to fight malaria more effectively (Zamora, 2024).
Congratulation to Mingda Liu on Her Recent Selection to the T32 Award
We are thrilled to announce that Mingda Liu, of the Dr. Beata Jastrzebska Lab, has been selected for the prestigious T32 Award through the Cleveland Clinic Foundation's Cole Eye Institute. This award recognizes her outstanding academic achievements and potential for future research.
Congrats to Atikur Rahman on a Recently Published Paper (Second Author)!
We are proud to congratulate Atikur Rahman, a PhD student in Dr. Adams' Lab, for his significant contributions to a recently published paper titled "C646 degrades Exportin-1 to modulate p300 chromatin occupancy and function." Atikur, second author of this publication, also collaborated closely with Dr. Matthew Pleshinger, who completed his Pharmacology PhD last winter. We eagerly anticipate more groundbreaking research from Atikur as he continues to add to his body of work during the PhD candidacy.
Kristy Rochon Wins 2023 Doctoral Excellence Award
We are thrilled to announce that Kristy Rochon has been awarded the 2023 Doctoral Excellence Award. This prestigious recognition is granted to individuals who exhibit exceptional qualities in research, scholarship, service, and collaboration. Kristy's efforts represent highly original work that is an unusually significant contribution to the field. Her substantial contributions to the scientific community through involvement in various activities further highlight her dedication and impact. Please join us in congratulating Kristy on this well-deserved achievement!
April'24 Postdoc of the Month: Fangfang Wang
Congratulations to Fangfang Wang, Ph.D., on being chosen as the April 2024 Postdoc of the Month! Please read the corresponding article in The Daily. The article dives into Fang's research, goals, and experiences as a postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Youwei Zhang's lab.
Congratulations! Kim Parker and Derek Lake Featured in The
Daily and SOM's Medicine Magazine
Congratulations to Kim Parker (PhD student in Dr. Bill Schiemann's Lab) and Derek Lake (MS student, RA in Dr. Marvin Nieman's lab) on being featured in The Daily and SOM's Medicine Magazine. The article, which spotlights six CWRU SOM students, is called "Faces of medicine". Please give it a read to learn more about Kim and Derek's experience in the SOM as they pursue their degrees!
Congratulations to Taylor Baker on Her Upcoming F31 Fellowship
Taylor Baker, Ph.D. candidate currently researching in Dr. Ruth Keri's lab (CCF), has received an F31 Fellowship Award for her project titled "Ribonucleotide Reductase as a Driver of Breast Cancer Aggressiveness"! Taylor will focus on determining if TMU27a, a newly developed type of RNR inhibitor, suppresses aggressive breast cancer growth and is less toxic than the current FDA-approved RNR inhibitors. This work will provide a foundation for building new molecules based on TMU27a that can block RNR activity and are highly effective at inhibiting tumor growth without causing the toxicities associated with currently available RNR drugs. The department is eager to see Taylor's findings as she conducts her research!
Congratulations to Karen Hernandez on Her Recently Awarded F31 Fellowship
Karen Hernandez, Ph.D. candidate currently researching in Dr. Bela Anand-Apte's lab (CCF), has received an F31 Fellowship Award for her project titled "Role of Hyperglycemia/Hyperinsulinemia in the Breakdown of the Blood Retinal Barrier in Diabetic Retinopathy"! The Department of Pharmacology looks forward to the insights Karen will gain as she looks into insulin-induced early worsening and diabetic macular edema (DME) in type 2 diabetes through exploring possible molecular mechanisms underlying insulin-induced RPE barrier disruption. Please join us in congratulating Karen on this academic milestone!
Congratulations to Fangfang Wang on Her American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
Fangfang Wang, Ph.D., postdoctoral scholar in Dr. You-Wei Zhang's lab, has been awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the American Cancer Society for her research project titled "Phase Separation of 53BP1 in Regulating Genome Stability and Cancer." The Pharmacology Department congratulates Fangfang and expresses anticipation in offering support for the success and discoveries of her project. Fangfang's commitment and excellence in research hold significant potential for valuable insights that will contribute to the advancement of effective cancer treatment and enhance our understanding of the disease.
Nieman Lab on the Awards Wall at ASH
Please join the Pharmacology Department in congratulating Dr. Marvin Nieman's lab personnel on their recent success celebrated on the Awards Wall during a recent American Society of Hematology! We are excited to see their excellence in research being recognized nationwide. The department looks forward to seeing their future accomplishments in the field! Congratulations to NaShea Kendrick (Minority Hematology Graduate Award), Elizabeth Knauss (Abstract Achievement Award), and Xu Han (Abstract Achievement Award)!
Congratulations to Emily on Her F30 Grant
Emily Klemm, MSTP Student in the Chakrapani Lab, has recently been awarded an F30 Grant titled "Investigating the Structural Basis of Human Glycine Receptor Modulation for Neurodevelopmental Disorders". Please join us in congratulating Emily on her latest accomplishment! The Department of Pharmacology looks forward to watching the development of this project and the contributions it will make towards the growing body of knowledge surrounding neurodevelopmental disorders.
A Friendly Hello and a Warm Welcome for Dr. Chinyere Iweka, Our New Faculty Member
Join us in welcoming Dr. Chinyere Iweka as a new faculty member in our department. Dr. Iweka's research interests include identifying mechanisms under circadian clock regulation that underlie the maladaptive immune cell responses in aging and age-related diseases. We're excited about the opportunity to work alongside Dr. Iweka in the Pharmacology Department as she shares her expertise with the Case Western School of Medicine community and contributes to the progression of scientific research initiatives!
