Summary of WISE/REWU Research Projects for Summer 2003

Effects of “Ecstasy” on the Brain
Student: Amy Hurst
Mentor: Gary Gudelsky, UC College of Pharmacy
Project summary: Hurst is assessing the toxic effects of the drug MDMA, better known as Ecstasy. She treats rats with either MDMA or a placebo, retrieves a tissue sample, and compares the two for damage.  So far, Hurst has seen damage in several specific places in the brain. Ecstasy is a popular drug of abuse, and its availability has become widespread from the cities to the suburbs.  More and more young people are gaining access to the drug.  “If we understood its mechanisms of action on the brain we could find out what type of damage occurs and what the physiological and behavioral effects will be,” said Hurst. “We would also be able to prevent and treat addiction, and possibly treat any brain damage.”

Improved Treatment of Acid Mine Drainage
Student: Ashley McKendree
Mentor: J. Barry Maynard, UC Department of Geology
Project summary: McKendree is studying the clogging of anoxic limestone drains (buried in  beds of limestone), which are used in conjunction with constructed wetlands to treat acid mine drainage. Acid mine drainage is a major environmental problem in areas of active and abandoned coal mining, including Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Untreated acid mine drainage can severely damage surrounding aquatic ecosystems, so keeping the drains open and working effectively can minimize the environmental damage.

Constructed Wetlands for Pollution Control
Student: Kim Thompson
Mentor: Michael Miller and Theresa Culley, UC Department of Biological Sciences
Project summary: Thompson spent her summer comparing constructed wetlands of different ages and water conditions for plant diversity and productivity.  Measuring and comparing the growth of cattails at each site relative to the water depth provides information about productivity.  Plant diversity is measured by counting the number of different species at each site and determining which are most abundant. Constructed wetlands have become important for treating polluted waters, preventing flooding in developed areas and providing wildlife habitat. Understanding what keeps them productive and diverse is a key to accomplishing those goals.

Bioengineering Replacement Tissues and Organs
Student: Ashley M. Wolff
Mentor: Chia-Chi Ho, UC Department of Chemical Engineering
Project summary: Over 100,000 people die every year in America alone from damaged tissues and organs. Many of those lives could be saved or improved by tissue replacement therapy. Wolff is testing the toxicity of certain materials that researchers hope will be good scaffolds for tissue growth in vitro (outside of the body).  Using special cell stains and light absorption techniques, she’s been finding the biomaterials that can do the job without damaging the replacement tissue.

Better Methods for Delivering Gene Therapy
Student: Laura S. Wenning
Mentor: Theresa Reineke, UC Department of Chemistry
Project summary:  Gene therapy is successful when doctors can take a good copy of a gene and get it working inside a patient who doesn’t have any good copies of it. How you package that gene for delivery is a challenge. Viruses are often used now, but they can cause serious side effects and even death. Wenning is helping to synthesize and test new polymers that might be able to replace viruses in gene therapy. Wenning has been testing various “polyamides” to see which are able to bind DNA effectively under the conditions found inside the body. The polyamides are expected to have fewer adverse side effects.

Estrogen’s Role in Breast and Uterine Cancer
Student: Lauren Beish
Mentor: Sohaib Khan, UC College of Medicine
Project summary: Beish is working in a lab that focuses on the role of the estrogen receptor in breast and uterine cancers. Worldwide approximately 1 million women will develop breast cancer, and more than 400,000 die from it each year. It is the second leading cause of death in women in the U.S. and the most common form of malignant disease in women worldwide. Two forms of the estrogen receptor have been identified so far, and scientists are trying to understand their various functions. Beish’s project focuses on the localization and activity of both forms of the estrogen receptor in breast and uterine cancer cells.

Neurotransmitter Content in Npas3 knock-out mice
Student: Kiki Roberts
Mentor: Charles Vorhees, Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Project summary: Roberts is examining the levels of several neurotransmitters in normal mice and transgenic mice using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) in hopes of gaining a better understanding of schizophrenia. Her primary focus has been a “knockout” mouse that lacks the Npas3 gene, a transcription factor regulating gene expression. Past studies indicate the gene is involved with the development of new nerve cells and that some schizophrenics lack the Npas3 gene. The knockout mice Roberts studied show unusual behavior and some brain deformities similar to those found in schizophrenic patients.

Arginine Pathways and Asthma Risk
Student: Candace Dowling
Mentor: Nives Zimmerman, Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Project summary: Dowling is working in the Allergy and Immunology Department at Children’s Hospital, looking at the complex genetic basis of asthma. Asthma is the leading serious chronic illness of children (children represent 4 of the 17 million Americans suffering from the disease), and the prevalence of asthma is increasing.  In addition, the death rate for asthma has increased 56 percent since the late 1970s. Nearly 300 genes have been identified with asthma, making it a very difficult disease to study. Her individual research involves looking at the differences in the gene CAT2 (cationic amino acid transporter 2). CAT2 deficient mice share many of the same symptoms as human asthma patients, including inflammation in the lungs. Therefore, understanding the CAT2 protein could help explain a small part of how asthma develops in humans.

Additional WISE/REWU Projects