Functionalizable and Degradable Polymers for Disease Treatment

INVESTIGATOR: Elizabeth Kiesewetter, Rhode Island College MENTOR: Brenton DeBoef, University of Rhode Island SCIENTIFIC THEME: Environmental Health Sciences ABSTRACT: Multi-drug resistance represents a major hurdle in disease treatment. While some polymeric approaches aimed at overcoming multi-drug resistance have shown promise, they are largely based on synthetically costly procedures or materials that cannot be metabolized to benign […]

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Towards Ultrasensitive Stochastic Sensing of Lead Ions in Blood

INVESTIGATOR: Jiyeon Kim, University of Rhode Island MENTOR: Brett Lucht, University of Rhode Island SCIENTIFIC THEME: Environmental Health Sciences ABSTRACT: This project will develop a novel technology for ultrasensitive and rapid analysis of nanomolar lead ions (Pb2+) in the blood by stochastically detecting individual Pb2+-selective polymeric nanoemulsions (NEs) at a nanopipet electrode. Lead exposure is […]

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Control of gene expression by specialized ribosomes in Francisella tularensis

INVESTIGATOR: Kathryn Ramsey, University of Rhode Island MENTOR: Steven Gregory, University of Rhode Island THEME:  Environmental Health Sciences ABSTRACT: The rising incidence of tickborne diseases is a public health threat in the United States. A particularly infectious tickborne pathogen and potential bioweapon, the Gram-negative intracellular pathogen Francisella tularensis, can be transmitted to humans through arthropod vectors, […]

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Metabolic effect of stress: Sirt 1’s role in brain homeostatic and hedonic nuclei

INVESTIGATOR: Anika Toorie, Rhode Island College THEME: Environmental Health Sciences MENTOR: Elena Oancea, Brown University ABSTRACT:  Adolescence is a critical period of development and stress incurred during this phase can affect immediate and long-term health. Glucocorticoids (GC), produced from activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is critical in the resolution of stress. GC also regulate […]

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