Summer Student Research Program

Summer 2009

The Summer Student Research Program 2009 has brought 18 students from around California and other states to HMRI laboratories. The students are contributing 10 weeks of their time and efforts to various projects in biomedical research, working under the supervision and mentorship of Mike Harrington, Alfred Fonteh, Myron Tong, Marylou Ingram, Brian Ross, Martin Han, and Victor Pikov. At the end of the summer program, they are expected to present results of their research projects.

Meet the students of the Summer 2009 Research Program

View participants of prior years.

List of recent summer research projects

Asthma and Allergy Therapy (Dr. Glovsky):

Quantification of rye grass pollen allergens from air-sampling filters

Liver Research (Dr. Tong and Dr. Corey):

Hepatitis B treatment algorithm including screening for viral mutants

Hepatitis in Asian Americans

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (Dr. Ross):

The effect of aging on hippocampal volume and cortical MRS signals

Diffusion Tensor Imaging in hydrocephalus patients

Development of polarizer for hyperpolarization of MR agents

Imaging of strain in carotid arteries using DENSE MRI

Measurement of atherosclerotic plaque using hyperpolarization technique

Right ventricular function in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy

Cardiac MRI analysis of ejection fraction

Magnetoencephalography (Dr. Sutherling and Dr. Merrifield):

Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs on language organization revealed by MEG

Molecular Neurology (Dr. Harrington and Dr. Fonteh):

Apolipoprotein A-1 in Alzheimer's Disease

Carnonsine pathway in Alzheimer's Diseasea

CSF biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease

Bioinformatic analysis of lipids in CSF from healthy people and Alzheimer's patients

Detection of myeloperoxidase and cholesterol in cerebropsinal fluid in neurological diseases

The role endocannabinoids in migraine pain

Endogenous steroid glycosides in Na+/K+-ATPase activity in migraine

Detection of phospholipases in cerebrospinal fluid during migraine

Alpha and beta CGRP in CSF of migrainers

Circadian rhythms of cation concentrations in human saliva and urine

Molecular Oncology (Dr. Eggerding):

Detection of rare mutations, microsatellite instability and DNA methylation in colorectal cancer

Molecular Pathology (Dr. Imam):

Jagged1, a potential marker for prostate and cervical cancers

GST Pi and prostate cancer

Cytoplasmic and nuclear PTEN as a prognostic marker for prostate cancer

Expression of Hepatocyte Growth Factor in human breast cancer

Expression of chemokine receptor CXCR4 and its ligand in breast cancer

Expression of fibroblast immunomarkers in breast cancer

Neural Engineering (Dr. McCreery and Dr. Pikov):

Heating of cells during exposure to millimeter waves

Use of modulated laser pulses for actvation of light-sensitive proteins in cortex

Device for detection and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea

Image analysis of electrode locations and analysis of neuronal activity in the spinal cord

Tissue Engineering:

Effect of potent anti-cancer drugs in 3-dimensional cultures of cancer-derived cell lines

Effect of Xanthosine on differentiation of neural progenitor cells

Quantification of cancer cells in tumor-like histoids using a fluorescent marker

For more information on the HMRI Summer Student Program, please contact:

Dr. Victor Pikov
Huntington Medical Research Institutes
734 Fairmount Ave.
Pasadena, California 91105
(626) 397-5850 or Email: PikovAtHMRIdotORG