The progress toward cheaper and faster sequencing has been very impressive since the Human Genome Project first sequenced the human genome using the classical Sanger method. The Sanger procedure is time consuming due to the slow throughput with DNA fragment separation in gels. The need for cheaper and faster techniques drove scientists and . . .
Dr. Gang Xu’s Research Continues after U.S. Dept. of Energy Grant
In summer 2019, Dr. Gang Xu received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for his proposal, “Flagella-Driven Cellular Motility, Transport, & Biomixing: Computational Studies.” The funding provided Dr. Xu and two of his former research assistants, Erin Drewke and Joseph Wagner, with full support to spend 10 weeks working at the Lawrence . . .
Research Group Investigates Gene Transfer in Bacteria
Biology professor Dr. Jim Bidlack and his research group are investigating gene transfer in bacteria. Better understanding of how bacteria become multidrug resistant can help researchers develop new techniques that can control bacterial infections and save human lives. Coincidently, a new gene locus encoding for bile salt sensitivity in bacteria . . .
UCO Professors Collaborate on U. of Kansas NSF EPSCoR Grant
Drs. Robert Brennan and Sean Laverty are part of a multi-institutional NSF EPSCoR grant to research tick-borne diseases including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The four-year $3,921,229 grant, “Marshalling Diverse Big Data Streams to Understand Complexity of Tick-borne Diseases in the Southern Great Plains,” is a collaboration . . .
CMS Faculty Receive OK-INBRE Grants
Three CMS faculty have received OK-INBRE grants totaling $189,160 for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Dr. Mohammad Hossan, Associate Professor of Engineering & Physics, received a Research Principal Investigator grant for $189,160. His project “Flow Analysis of a Bioresorbable Pipeline Embolization Device for Treatment of Aneurysms,” involves the design and development of bioresorbable pipeline embolization devices (PEDs) that will control aneurysm-specific hemodynamic parameters and degrade after completely dissolving the aneurysm.
Dr. Hari Kotturi, Professor of Biology, received a $31,389 grant for his project, “Incorporation of Mycobacteriophages in Electrospun Nanofiber.” The goal of the study is to develop an antimicrobial dressing by incorporating bacteriophages that can kill Mycobacterium abscessus, a common causative agent of soft tissue infections in hospitals. Dr. Kotturi’s research team will be able to enhance the antimicrobial property of polycaprolactone/collagen I (PCL/Col I) nanofiber by integrating mycobacteriophages into the nanofiber used as a wound dressing.
Dr. Christina Hendrickson, Coordinator of the Human Physiology Lab in the Department of Biology, was funded $27,083 for her project, “Investigating Anti-carcinogenic Effects of Taraxacum officinale.” The specific aims of the research are to: determine cancer cell viability and apoptosis; determine whether cancer cell apoptosis is activated by intrinsic or extrinsic pathways, and whether leakage of pro-apoptotic factors from mitochondria or induction of oxidative stress on cancer cells are involved in induced cell death; and determine cancer cell migration and invasion.