Dr. William LaCourse was awarded a grant from the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) for 2010-2011. the $160,000 grant will deliver an intensive, quality chemistry professional development program to teachers in all four of Maryland's high need school systems as well as Montgomery and Ann Arundel counties.
Dr. Marie-Christine Daniel has been awarded a Department of Defense grant to study magnetic resonance relaxivities (r1) of the nanovectors will be calculated from T1 (relaxation time) measurements at room temperature. Solutions of each sample will be diluted in deionized water at various concentrations and will be imaged using 3.0 T MR system (Tim-Trio, Siemens Medical Solutions, Malvern, PA). T1 will be measured using an inversion recovery fast spin-echo imaging sequence using inversion times (TI) of 50, 100, 200, 400, 700, 1400, 2000, and 2800 ms, an echo time (TE) of 12 ms, and an echo train length of 8 at a repeat time TR of 6000 ms.
Dr. Elsa Garcin has been awarded a grant from the American Heart Association. The overall goal of the project is to characterize the structural biochemistry underlying the catalytic activity, regulation and assembly of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC). Compounds activated by sGC have a high potential for the treatment of a range of cardiovascular diseases. Understanding the structural basis for the mechanisms leading to sGC assembly and regulation should facilitate the development of these therapeutic agents.
Dr. Jim Fishbein has been awarded a supplemental grant to continue his work on Nitrosamines. The long term goal of the parent grant to this supplement is to understand fundamental and applied aspects of the chemistry of carcinogenic nitrosamines. Nitrosamines are a large class of compounds of varied structure to which there is human exposure through endogenous formation and environmental sources.
Dr. Marie-Christine Daniel has been selected as one of only five recipients for an AACR career development award in 2009. Dr. Daniel will be constructing multifunctional nanoparticles to target malignant pancreatic cells. Her work should lead to a dramatic increase in potency and efficacy in pancreatic cancer, while reducing side effects.
Dr. Veronika Szalaiwas awarded as co-Investigator a grant for MRI: Acquisition of an ICP-MS and an IC by UMBC for Use in Environmental and Human Health Research at UMBC and Howard University by the National Science Foundation. The establishment of ICP-MS and IC capabilities at UMBC in collaboration with Howard University is providing a tool for research on the environment and human health. Two universities, five research centers, eight engineering and science academic departments, and one government agency are all part of the project. The ICP-MS will be used by Dr. Szalai to further her research on the role of metal ions in Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Katherine Seley-Radtkewas awarded funding for Unnatural Base Pairs as DNA Bioprobes; RO1 GM073645 by the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health. This project focuses on the synthesis and biophysical studies of a series of unnatural base pairs that alter the DNA helix. The long term goal is to understand the effects of the expanded and extended heteroaromatic bases on DNA stability, structure and function.
Dr. Brian Cullum was awarded funding for Development and Optimization of Multilayered Surface Enhanced Raman Substrates; DAAD19-03-R-0017 by the Army Research Office, U.S. Army. This project focuses on the characterization and optimization of a novel class of surface enhanced Raman substrates recently developed in Dr. Cullum’s laboratory that exhibit enhanced sensitivity and durability and are capable of being used in the trace detection of biological and chemical agents in the field.
Dr. Michael Summers was awarded funding for NMR Studies of Retroviral Nucleocapsid Proteins; RO1 GM42561-17 by the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health. This project focuses on NMR studies of retroviral nucleocapsid proteins and their interactions with RNA. The long term goal is to understand the molecular determinants of retroviral genome recognition and packaging, and to use this information to develop new inhibitors and to enhance the efficacy of retroviral vectors currently employed in human gene therapy trials.
Dr. Katherine Seley-Radtkewas awarded funding for Unnatural Base Pairs as DNA Bioprobes; RO1 GM073645 by the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health. This project focuses on the synthesis and biophysical studies of a series of unnatural base pairs that alter the DNA helix. The long term goal is to understand the effects of the expanded and extended heteroaromatic bases on DNA stability, structure and function.
Dr. Katherine Seley-Radtke was named one of the six 2006-2007 Jefferson Science Fellows. The program is a partnership between the U.S. Department of State, the Carnegie Corporation, the MacArthur Foundation, the National Academies of Science and UMBC. Dr. Seley-Radtke will be housed at the U.S. State Department for a year providing scientific expertise on critical policy decisions such as pandemics and the nonproliferation of bioweapons. Upon her return to UMBC, she will remain a consultant for the State Department for an additional five years.
Dr. Michael Summers was awarded a Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Biological Sciences grant for expanding participation in the biomedical sciences by the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes.
