SyndicateMizzou Video Podcast

SyndicateMizzou Podcast: Ted Tarkow - Corinne Alinea - A Potential Role for Programmed Cell Death in the Formation of an In Vitro Neural Stem Cell Niche

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 19:45:16 GMT

###Corinne Alinea, Biological Sciences ###Mark Kirk, Mentor Our main focus in the Kirk Lab is developing stem cell therapies for Batten Disease, a fatal neurodegenerative disease in children. We propose that transplanting an entire self-sustaining population of cells, a neural stem cell (NSC) niche, would greatly enhance survival of patients and alleviate some symptoms; and we have developed a way to produce a NSC niche-like structure _in vitro_. My part in the project is to test for cell death within this structure by using Trypan Blue Exclusion and TUNEL assays. My preliminary results show that cell death is present in no overt pattern within the structure. After proposing that cell death is taking place in more differentiated cells that cannot be maintained in these basic culture conditions, our next step is to prove that these differentiated cells are actually the ones dying and to attempt to prevent death by the addition of serum. Ultimately, we hope one day to develop a method for _in vivo_ transplantation of the entire NSC niche-like structure.

SyndicateMizzou Podcast: Randall Prather - Prather’s “Wall of Pork and Beef”

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:04:23 GMT

Prather gives a tour of the “Wall of Pork and Beef,” which highlights some of the important research projects on which he has collaborated over the years.

• In his early tests with embryo transfers in pigs, the cloned, genetically modified swine share the distinct characteristic of a green fluorescent snout.

• Removing the Alpha 1,3-galactosyltransferase (GGTA1) gene in pigs eliminates the deadly antibodies that attack organs coming from a different species.

• By “co-colonizing the pig liver” (transferring human liver cells into fetal pigs), the pig is born with a liver that is part human, providing another potential source of liver cells for transfer to a person with liver disease.

• Creating stem cells from skin could lead to useful genetic modifications.

• In order to find a cure for cystic fibrosis, a devastating lung disease found in humans alone, Prather’s research shows that, with genetic modification, swine can develop the same condition, making it easier to test treatments and therapies for humans.

• Adding certain genes to pigs has resulted in the protein being produced in the pigs’ milk. The pigs can then be milked and the proteins purified from the milk, which could contribute to the creation of a pharmaceutical treatment for hemophilia.

SyndicateMizzou Podcast: Dawn Cornelison - Dissecting Muscle Stem Cells

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 01:02:50 GMT

Cornelison’s research examines muscle stem cells in order to uncover the mechanics behind muscle regeneration. Based on her findings, she hopes that other scientists can potentially devise cures for neuromuscular diseases such as dystrophy.

SyndicateMizzou Podcast: Dawn Cornelison - Mighty Mouse

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 01:04:06 GMT

Cornelison mainly conducts research on mice, though her ultimate goal is to understand muscle stem cell behavior in humans. Mice serve as a good model for satellite cell activity because they are mammals with muscles and genes similar to humans.

SyndicateMizzou Podcast: Dawn Cornelison - Roots of Interest

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 01:05:55 GMT

Cornelison initially started college as a chemistry major, but after taking a biology course she realized her passion was for natural science. Soon afterward, she realized she was hooked on lab work. “I remember the feeling whenever I did an experiment,” she recalls, “and realize that I now know something that no one else in the world knows, and I get to go tell them about it.”

SyndicateMizzou Podcast: Dawn Cornelison - Research Challenges

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 01:07:56 GMT

When doing research, Cornelison says, “you have to have a pretty high tolerance for failure bordering on extreme stubbornness… You’ve got to be able to live with not getting things to work all the time.” All of her research is funded by external grants, which means she has to secure external funding in order to pay her fellow researchers, house the lab’s mice, or buy materials. Currently, Cornelison is receiving funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

SyndicateMizzou Podcast: Dawn Cornelison - Pursuit of Happiness

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 01:08:46 GMT

Although Cornelison doesn’t want her research to come to an end anytime soon, she is aiming at discovering information that will help other scientists formulate cures. And even though she almost quit graduate school to become a doctor, Cornelison says she “wouldn’t be doing anything else, regardless of whatever challenges might come up.”