NC State University

ACC Student Abstracts and Biographies

Jennifer Ricks was born in Wilson, Wilson County, North Carolina. She is majoring in Biochemistry and Chemistry with minors in Genetics and Religious Studies. She will graduate in May 2008 and plans to attend graduate school in a field related to molecular biology. Jennifer’s career goal is to conduct cancer research that will lead to novel, more efficient methods of treating this disease. Conducting undergraduate research, both at NC State and elsewhere, has strengthened her desire to pursue a career in research in this area and has also impacted her understanding of her major coursework. Jennifer is very appreciative of the opportunities for hands-on undergraduate research available at NC State, and believes that her work has significantly shaped her college experience and given direction to her future career.

Viruses as Drug Delivery Vehicles for Cancer Chemotherapy: Jennifer L. Ricks, LiNa Loo, Kenneth W. Overton, Stefan Franzen, Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University

One of the issues facing cancer patients is the adverse side effects accompanying chemotherapy due to the drugs attacking both cancer cells and healthy cells. If treatments were targeted to cancer cells, then many of these side effects could be avoided. A targeting method under investigation is using the plant virus Red Clover Necrotic Mosaic Virus (RCNMV) to selectively deliver Doxorubicin, a chemotherapy drug, to cancer cells. The structure of RCNMV allows the virus to carry significant numbers of small drug molecules to cells. RCNMV is targeted to malignant cells by attaching a small peptide to the viral protein coat that binds to a receptor on the cancer cell surface. The cell takes in the virus, which releases the drug and kills the cell. Intake of Doxorubicin by RCNMV was measured by fluorescence spectroscopy. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) was used to determine the amount of virus taken up by the cells. We have found that this treatment works effectively against cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cells, and we are now investigating its effect on breast cancer cells that express the HER2 receptor. Future areas for research include attempting to treat Doxorubicin-resistant cells.

_______________

Andy Coughlin was born and grew up in Greensboro, Gilford County, NC. He is majoring in Textile Engineering and Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Spanish. Mentored by Dr. Wendy Krause in the College of Textiles, he is studying biomaterials and their potential for use in healthcare. After graduating in May 2007, he will be attending graduate school at Rice University for Bioengineering. There, Andy will be conducting translational cancer research and will also complete two summer internships at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center as a fellow in the Med Into Grad program, funded through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He believes that because of his undergraduate research experiences at NC State, he has developed both his critical thinking and communication skills, which have better prepared him for graduate study.

Electrospinning of chitosan for biomedical applications: Andrew J. Coughlin^1,2, Hailey A. Queen¹, Wendy E. Krause^{1; 1}Department of Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science, NC State University; ²Department of Biomedical Engineering, NC State University

Electrospinning is a method of preparing fibers with diameters ranging from ten to hundreds of nanometers (10^-9 m). These nanofibers form a web that has both a high surface area-to-volume ratio as well as high porosity; thus it is suitable to use as a scaffold for tissue engineering applications. Because chitosan is a biopolymer and has demonstrated satisfactory biocompatibility, it is a promising material to use in tissue engineering scaffolds. Chitosan solutions were prepared by dissolving the polymer in acetic acid and mixing with a separate solution of poly(ethylene oxide), a synthetic biocompatible polymer. These blends were electrospun, and the resulting nanofiber webs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Rheological measurements were taken to determine the effects of solution viscosity on electrospinnability. The results showed that as polymer concentration in solution increased, the amount of bead defects decreased while the fiber diameter increased. However, as chitosan concentration increased, the fiber diameter decreased. Supported by NC State University’s Undergraduate Research Awards administered by the Office of Undergraduate Research.

______________

Jonathan Lucking was born in Kalamazoo County, Michigan and grew up in Florida and North Carolina. He will graduate in May 2007 as a Microbiology major with a minor in Genetics. After graduation he will conduct research at the NIEHS as a prelude to graduate school. His career goals are to conduct clinical research focusing on mental health and the Blood-Brain Barrier. He has conducted research for 1 year at NC State and then the at NIEHS. Jonathan believes that the experiences and opportunities from hands-on research, paired with key course work, allowed him to become involved in a career path that will be both exciting and rewarding.

Possible Estrogen Response Element of the Breast Cancer Resistance Protein: Jonathan Ross Lucking, NCSU Microbiology

The Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP) is an ATP-dependent efflux transporter first identified in a multi-drug resistant breast cancer cell line. Physiologically, BCRP is expressed in barrier and excretory tissues including kidney and capillary endothelium of the blood-brain barrier. BCRP transports a number of compounds including drugs and may present an impediment to the pharmacotherapy of many diseases. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate BCRP provides a possibility to improve treatment. However, since little is known about the mechanisms that control BCRP expression we sought to characterize the Rat BCRP promoter and identify transcription factors that regulate BCRP expression. To locate and characterize the BCRP promoter, the precise start of transcription for transcripts from kidneys and brain capillaries was identified by 5’ RACE experiments. The products were sequenced, the start of transcription determined and the putative upstream promoter region inferred. Promoter assays were performed on clones containing varying lengths of the 5’ promoter region inserted upstream of a luciferase reporter gene. The minimal length and TF binding sites within the BCRP promoter were determined. The results from these assays will be discussed. I would like to thanks Dr. David Miller, Dr. Bjoer Bauer and Dr. Anika Hartz for the means to carry out this research.

_______________

Devki Gharpure was born in India before moving to Cary, North Carolina. Currently in her third year of architecture at the College of Design, she will graduate with a Bachelors degree in May of 2008 and plans to pursue a Masters of Architecture degree. Her career interests as an architect include sustainability, urban design, and community design along with an interest in cultural anthropology. She believes the exploration of a blend of disciples heightens the effectiveness and quality of academic research. The research she completed in Florence, Italy was a cross-disciplinary study linking cultural and architectural concepts. She believes that undergraduate research offered her unique insights and experiences while also serving as a threshold for many more opportunities for career exploration within architecture.

The Changing Human Infrastructure of Florence’s San Lorenzo Market and its Implications: Devki Gharpure, Christina Gordon and Guna Shunmugamm, 
Department of Anthropology and Department of Architecture North Carolina State University
 
San Lorenzo Market, located in Florence, Italy, is one of that city’s major commercial centers. The large warehouse that houses the interior market has been a source of pride to Florentines since 1874. The warehouse is also the centerpiece of a vibrant neighborhood with a strong local identity. In the past two decades, however, the face of the San Lorenzo Market and its role in the community has experienced dramatic transformation. This transformation is due to factors including tourism, global market forces, local politics, and -- most importantly for this study -- a massive influx of legal and illegal immigrants. In a country with a population of just 58 million, the recent influx of 350 thousand immigrants to Italy has made an impact on the San Lorenzo Market. This anthropological research project was designed to yield a deeper understanding of the impact of immigration and other changes on the interior market’s human infrastructure. Through a focus on social and economic relationships among local and immigrant vendors, researchers sought to determine whether new, interethnic social networks were taking shape there. The study revealed that while a diversified merchant body has brought an increased variety of goods to San Lorenzo, cultural clashes and intercultural competition has also resulted between the local vendors and newer migrant vendors. Modernity and globalization have thus challenged the traditional human infrastructure and identity of this market socially, physically and economically.
Research sponsored by NC State University Office of Undergraduate Research and University Honors Program.