What are asteroids? Do they hit the Earth? Has anyone ever been hit by one? Dr. Sethanne Howard is a retired astronomer and the former Chief of the Nautical Almanac Office at the US Naval Observatory. Dr. Howard answered those and other questions in her talk “Asteroids Hitting the Earth”.
Cancer is an elusive disease, starting within one’s body and then slowly growing until the body cannot keep it under control. Over the years, we have identified many patterns in cancer cells that we may use to eliminate them, but some factors obstruct a certain path of treatment. Two aspects of cancer cells that made it difficult for the body to exterminate them without external intervention are their ability to “trick” and overwhelm immune cells.
On the biological deception side, we use four terms to refer to reason the immune system does not deal with cancer effectively. “Ignorance” is defined as the immune cells’ lack of “knowledge” that the tumor is a tumor; the tumor can achieve immune ignorance through a variety of methods. Next is “deletion”, in which the tumor sends out signals for the immune cells to undergo apoptosis. “Anergy” is defined as an incomplete activation of the immune system, be it due to an allergy or antigen, which causes an inadequate immune response to the tumor. Lastly, “suppression” is simply a weakening of the immune system, with similar effects to anergy.
Immunoediting is the term we use to describe the relationship between immune and cancer cells, the “overwhelming” process. This relationship has three phases. The first, “elimination”, describes an entire removal of the tumor by immune cells. The second stage, “equilibrium”, is when the cancer returns (due to its internal origin), and the population of tumor cells is kept constant. The final stage is “escape”, where the tumor outnumbers the immune system’s capacity and grows uncontrollably.
Despite these challenges, many scientists and researchers have been investigating a technique called immunotherapy, which is developing and “training” the immune system to effectively recognize and eliminate the tumor cells. To know more about this technique and current research, we hosted a seminar featuring:
Dr. Tonya J. Webb, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Dr. Steve Lu, MD/Ph.D., Student at Ludwig Center for Cancer Genetics and Therapeutics, The Johns Hopkins Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dr. Annie Wu, MD/Ph.D. Student at Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, The Johns Hopkins Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
Check out the recording to find out more!
With over ten million people worldwide estimated to be suffering from Parkinson’s disease (PD), sadly, all of us know someone whose life has been touched by PD. One in 100 people over 60 are diagnosed with Parkinson’s, and this does not even account for the tens of thousands of younger adults and children.
PD is a neurodegenerative disorder, meaning the symptoms we see are caused by the death of neurons in a part of the nervous system. In the case of PD, this area includes the substantia nigra, a section in the brain stem known for its darkened color caused by the presence of neurons that mainly produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter, and hormone known for giving a feeling of happiness, joy, and satisfaction.
In Parkinson’s, the degeneration of these nerve cells, in combination with those in the cerebellum, causes a variety of symptoms, including (but not limited to) shuffling gait, depression, hallucinations, tremors, and muscle stiffness. Though the disease begins in the brainstem and cerebellum, late-stage Parkinson’s has been shown to spread to the rest of the brain.
To learn more about this disease, we had the opportunity and honor to attend a seminar on August 9, 2020, featuring:
Dr. Leire Abalde-Atristain, Postdoctoral Fellow at Oregon Health & Science University (Vollum Inst), and
Dr. Aparna Shah, Postdoctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins University (Neuroscience Dept)
After reviewing the functions of neurons and the effects and symptoms of PD, Dr. Abalde and Dr. Shah discussed the investigation, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease. On the research front, scientists have used methods such as stem cell cultures and model organisms to explore the progression and possible treatment paths for PD. The diagnostic process is one of elimination, ruling out other diseases from observing symptoms and behavior through a neurological exam. Methods such as the use of biomarkers are being used to make the diagnostic process more effective. Treatment includes numerous therapies to address different symptoms, as well as ways to introduce cells cultured from the patient’s cells which have been modified.
The last part of the seminar was an activity where the attendees teamed up in pairs to read about different studies regarding Parkinson’s disease. These studies entailed inquiry into various fundamental elements of the disease, and how treatments could be made to prevent these root causes. We then shared out our findings and opinions on their contributions to finding a cure or prevention measure for PD.
Thank you to Dr. Abalde and Dr. Shah, for coming to teach us and answer our questions about Parkinson’s, Dr. Scheifele, for organizing this session, and everyone who came to learn and ask questions!
It’s glow time! Let’s learn about bioluminescence by working with a glowing bacteria. These brilliant “bugs” glow in response to oxygen or movement to create a mesmerizing glow effect. In this hands-on workshop we will get a chance to build and create gadgets (e.g. a tube that pushes oxygen through the bacterial culture with a push of a button) to show off this incredible property! This course is appropriate for students in middle school and up.
Did you miss our big 4-week course on CRISPR in August? No worries, we’re diving back into the world of gene editing with a 1-day seminar and lab. We’ll talk with a genetic counselor about the use of CRISPR gene editing technology in the treatment of disease-which diseases does it work best for? Which genetic disease communities are most excited about the prospects? Then we’ll move into the lab to learn how to use CRISPR to edit DNA sequences to our exact specifications. Class will be appropriate for adults, and advanced high school students.
Influenza (the flu) causes misery every season. Why haven’t we conquered it yet? Why is it so hard to make a vaccine? How and why is the virus constantly changing? In this class, we’ll learn all about the flu and why it’s so hard to combat by focusing on the proteins of the flu virus and our immune response. We’ll learn how to detect flu proteins in the lab using the ELISA technique. Class will be appropriate for adults, and advanced high school
students.
Are your genes making you stressed? In this class participants will check themselves for a variant in the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) associated with stress resiliency to explore the relationship between genes, environment, and personality traits. Class will be appropriate for adults, and advanced high school students.
The final installment of our entrepreneur series in partnership with Harbor Launch of IMET!
Tom Starr of Chesapeake Visions helps researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors with market research, customer discovery, commercialization planning, and Go-to-Market strategy. This will be an interactive workshop, led by Tom
Starr, Founder & Principal at Chesapeake Visions, consisting of an informational briefing on market research & customer discovery and why its vital to the success of any new venture, discussion of best practices, and short
breakout sessions for attendees to apply concepts learned to their own ideas.
To help work around busy schedules, two nights a month we will offer a hands-on learning experience of a specific technique.In the month of October, we will be teaching RNA detection by real-time PCR! Join us as we learn how to analyze gene expression. We’ll take an RNA sample and perform reverse transcription to create a DNA copy and then amplify that DNA to precisely measure gene expression level.