September 1, 2009: Matt Hulvey Awarded AHA Postdoctoral Fellowship

Matthew Hulvey, a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Susan Lunte’s lab, recently received a postdoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association – Midwest Affiliate.  Dr. Hulvey’s research project will focus on the development of a microfluidic device capable of separating and detecting peroxynitrite from single cells.   

Peroxynitrite is a reactive species, formed in vivo during proinflammatory events, that is linked to several cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.  As peroxynitrite is highly reactive, it exhibits a half life of less than 1 second under physiological conditions.  Dr. Hulvey’s primary focus will be to find a method to stabilize peroxynitrite so that it can be separated and detected using microchip with electrochemical detection electrophoresis.  The single cell handling portion of the project will be carried out through collaboration between the Lunte lab and Dr. Chris Culbertson’s group at Kansas State University. 

Congratulations to Matt for his success in wining this prestigious postdoctoral fellowship!

July 16, 2009: MRB lauded for innovative design by architectural magazine

The Multidisciplinary Research Building, home of the Adams Institute, was recently awarded honorable mention for outstanding design and architecture in education by College Planning and Management magazine. .

The 106,000-square-foot building was dedicated in March 2006. It houses more than 175 faculty, students and research staff. The facility encourages collaboration among researchers of varying disciplines such as drug discovery and delivery, bioinformatics, chemistry, molecular bioscience and geology.

“The MRB serves a vital function as an anchor point at the edge of the campus, acting as a key component in fulfilling the vision of the West Campus Master Plan,” the article states. “Openness and transparency are valued by the university, and the building opens its arms and reaches toward the future campus promenade and distant views.” Read the entire news release.

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June 3, 2009: Interdisciplinary group forms to investigate "Chemo-brain"

Cancer patients commonly report cognitive impairment as a result of the cancer or the cancer treatment. However, little is known about the cause or causes of this impairment, commonly called “chemo-brain”. Common deficits in cognitive function include memory and concentration, focus, reading comprehension, and ability to work with numbers.

A group of researchers from the KU campus and the KU Medical Center met recently to review the existing research and make plans to submit a National Institutes of Health Grand Opportunity Proposal to investigate chemo-brain. In this proposal, oncologists, neuroscientists and analytical chemists will team together to study the neurochemical basis of chemobrain toxicity, so that treatments can be developed that minimize or preclude this undesirable side effect of chemotherapy.

Participants from the Medical Center include:

• Carol Fabian M.D., Professor of Medicine, Division of Clinical Oncology
• Director of the Breast Cancer Prevention Center Kansas Masonic Cancer Research
• Roy Jensen M.D., Director of the University of Kansas Cancer Center and Kansas Masonic Cancer Research Institute
• Jennifer Klemp, Ph.D., MPH, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Managing Director of the Breast Cancer Survivorship Center
• Brian Petroff, DVM, Ph.D. , Scientific Director of the Breast Cancer Prevention Center Laboratory and Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine
• William Brooks, Ph.D., Director of the Hoglund Brain Imaging Center and Professor of Neurology

Lawrence Campus participants include:

• Craig Lunte, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry and Courtesy Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry
• Christian Schoeneich, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Michael Johnson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Neuroscience
• Stephen Fowler, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Neuroscience
• Derek Lindquist, Ph.D., Research Associate Department of Molecular Bioscience

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May 27, 2009: REU Students Join Adams Research Groups

Undergraduates from across the US and Mexico have traveled to KU for a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), and four have joined research groups in the Adams Institute. From now until August 4, 14 undergraduates will conduct research in chemistry, learn about career opportunities, and enjoy their time in Lawrence. Participants select individual research projects from more than 20 problems at the forefront of the chemical sciences and share their professional development experiences as a cohort. The cohort experiences include a variety of professional and social group activities that will contribute to each participant’s personal, collaborative, and professional growth. A key component is the newly designed career enhancement program addressing career opportunities and challenges in emerging interdisciplinary research. The four Adams REU interns include:

Kate Eschelman, a senior from Olathe studying chemistry at Wagner College, will be working in the Heather Desaire Group to develop methods for rapid detection of cancer.

Maricarmen Pintado Gonzalez, a senior from Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico majoring in Biotechnology at the Universidad Autónoma De Guadalajara, will working with the Mario Rivera Group to make mutations in the HasAp gene from the bacteria P. aeruginosa to study its action.

Brittney Ridl, a junior from Dickinson, ND studying chemistry and mathematics at Dickinson State University will be working on the ATPase Project in the Berrie Group. She is attempting to form a monolayer on a surface, and position that protein on an etched out portion of the surface in the correct orientation and position.

Sara Wenzel, a senior from Monmouth Illinois studying chemistry at Monmouth College will be working in the Mike Johnson Group to investigate the Da autoreceptor functionality in fragile-x mice.

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May 9, 2009: Adams Undergraduates Receive Seo Research Scholarships

Four undergraduate researchers from Adams research groups were awarded the Seo Research Scholarships at the Chemistry Honors Banquet on May 9. The Seo Research Scholarship, made possible through generous contributions from Eddie Tatsu Seo and Alice Yoshiko Seo and Research and Graduate Studies, provides scholarships of $1,000 to undergraduates who demonstrate dedication to exemplary scholarship and research in Analytical Chemistry. The Seo Scholars for 2009 are Derek Jensen, a member of the Sue Lunte Research Group, Ben Kurth, Mike Johnson Group, Martin Jacques, David Weis Group, and Alan Schurle, Bob Dunn Research Group.

Derek is a freshman chemistry major from Gardner, and is an Honors student at KU. Derek maintained a 4.0 unweighted GPA in high school, and completed the Kansas Scholars Curriculum at Gardner Edgerton High School. He will be conducting research full time during the summer of 2009 to culture macrophage cells and optimize parameters for the production of peroxynitrite by these cells.

Ben is a junior cell biology major from Olathe. He graduated from Olathe Northwest High School with a cumulative unweighted grade point average of 3.85, and has maintained a 4.0 GPA at KU. Ben is a K-INBRE Scholar and a member of the Honors Program. He plans to earn a combined MD/PhD. from the University of Kansas Medical School. Ben will be working on combining the 'uncaging' of the neurotransmitter glutamate with fast scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV), a high-temporal resolution method.

Martin is a senior chemistry major who came to KU in 2006 from Fort Hays State University. He joined the Weis Research Group in August of 2008, and quickly established himself as an exemplary researcher. He expects to graduate in December of 2009. Over the summer, he will be testing and optimizing a new custom-built refrigerated LC system and evaluating its performance for H/D exchange experiments. His work will also include testing the digestion efficiency of pepsin reactor columns.

Alan is a Junior in Chemistry from Manhattan. During his time at KU he has maintained a 4.0 grade point average while participating in the Honors program, volunteering in a number of activities, and winning numerous awards. This summer he will be conducting research to understand the structure and dynamics of model lipid membranes. His goal is to complement single molecule measurements with high resolution NSOM measurements to provide a complementary view of membrane properties.

Congratulations to all four of the 2009 awardees for their exemplary work and dedication to their research efforts.

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April 14, 2009: Courtney Kuhnline Receives Schering-Plough Award

Courtney Danielle Kuhnline was awarded the Schering-Plough Science and Innovation Award for 2009. Courtney is a fourth year graduate student in Dr. Susan Lunte's laboratory. She has a B.S. in investigative medical science with an emphasis in chemistry. Courtney received her masters degree in pharmaceutical chemistry in January of 2008 and is a doctoral candidate in the same program.

Each year 13 students are recognized nationally with this distinction from Schering-Plough, a pharmaceutical company in Kenilworth, New Jersey. The award is based on scientific achievement and research progress towards the student's dissertation project as well as exemplary leadership abilities and communications skills. Courtney's research project is focused on the development of new analytical methodologies to investigate the metabolism of dynorphin, a neuropeptide, at the blood brain barrier. This peptide has been linked to numerous neurological disorders including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, and neuropathic pain. In particular she will be developing an immunoaffinity microchip electrophoresis method to study dynorphin metabolism in vitro.

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March 6, 2009: Jamie Wenke Receives Undergraduate Research Award and K-INBRE Award of Excellence

An undergraduate researcher affiliated with the Adams Institute is among the sixty-nine University of Kansas students who received Undergraduate Research Awards for spring 2009.

Jamie Lyn Wenke, senior in chemistry, won the award for her research in “Improving the Stability of Recombinant Growth Hormone with Glycosylation and Glycosidase”. Heather Desaire, associate professor of chemistry, is her faculty advisor.

The awards support original, independent research by undergraduates enrolled on the Lawrence campus. The University Honors Program administers the awards with funds from the offices of the provost and vice provost for research and graduate studies and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Full story at http://www.news.ku.edu/2009/march/6/research.shtml

Jamie was also presented with an Award of Excellence at the Seventh Annual K-INBRE Symposium for her presentation: "Improving the Stability of Recombinant Growth Hormone with Engineered Glycosylation and Glycosidase Trimming of Glycans" (photo at left). Congratulations to Jamie for her continued success!

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March 3, 2009: Emilie Mainz and Ben Kurth Successful in IDeA Scholarship Competition

Emilie Mainz from the Sue Lunte Group and Ben Kurth from the Mike Johnson Group have once again received funding to support their research at the Adams Institute. Emilie and Ben were among eight KU recipients of scholarships awarded by the Kansas IDeA (Institutional Development Awards) Network of Biomedical Research Excellence program.

The undergraduate scholarship program at the Lawrence campus is funded through $25.6 million National Institute of Health grant to the Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence. Joan Hunt, vice chancellor for biomedical research infrastructure at the KU Medical Center and University Distinguished Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology, is principal investigator.

The scholarships encourage students to pursue careers in science and, ultimately, promote biomedical research in Kansas. The spring 2009 the scholarships provide up to $2,000. Scholarships are awarded based on merit and as well as the quality of an applicant’s research proposal. Scholars are selected by a multidisciplinary committee made up of faculty members from molecular biosciences and chemistry. Full story at: http://www.news.ku.edu/2009/march/3/idea.shtml

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February 9, 2009: Graham Cooks wins Adams Award for 2009

Graham Cooks, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Purdue University, is the recipient of the Ralph N. Adams Award in Bioanalytical Chemistry for 2009. The Adams Award is sponsored by the Pittsburgh Conference (Pittcon) and Friends of Ralph N. Adams. The Adams Award was established in 2005 to honor an outstanding scientist who has advanced the field of bioanalytical chemistry through research, innovation, and/or education.

Dr. Cooks' interests involve construction of mass spectrometers and their use in fundamental studies and applications. He has had the pleasure of working with several hundred collaborators from around the world including a hundred Ph. D. students.

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February 2, 2009: Adams Undergraduates Selected for K-INBRE Scholarship

Undergraduates affiliated with the Adams Institute continue to demonstrate leadership and excellence in research, and to win recognition for these qualities. In the latest example, two Adams undergraduates were among eight KU students selected to receive Kansas IDEA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (K-INBRE) spring 2009 undergraduate scholarships.

“K-INBRE is a project funded by the National Institutes of Health that includes nine academic institutions in Kansas, including the University of Kansas. One of the goals of the K-INBRE program is to identify and recruit promising undergraduate science students into careers in biomedical research in Kansas. To help achieve this goal, the program has established the K-INBRE Undergraduate Scholarship Program at the University of Kansas to provide financial support and mentoring to promising undergraduate scholars.” (K-INBRE Website)

The scholarships will provide $2,000 for the spring and (contingent of funding) $4,000 fowr the summer. These funds can be used for any purpose that supports the recipient’s participation in research. In addition, K-INBRE scholars may also enroll in an undergraduate research course and obtain undergraduate credit for their research.

The two Adams recipients are Emilie Mainz, who works in Sue Lunte’s research group, and Ben Kurth, a member of the Mike Johnson group. Emilie, a Goddard sophmore majoring in Biochemistry, is currently working with graduate researcher Courtney Kuhnline on separation of dynorphin peptides using capillary electrophoresis. Emilie plans to continue her education in graduate school following graduation. Ben, an Olathe junior majoring in Cell Biology, is involved in research investigating the affects of photoactivated glutamate on dopamine release in brain slices. After receiving his undergraduate degree, Ben plans to go to the University of Kansas School of Medicine to earn a combined M.D./PhD. Congratulations to both Ben and Emilie for their hard work and success in wining this scholarship.

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