By Dalton N. Hughes, Andreia Ribeiro, Swarnalatha Balasubramanian
Jennie B. Leach, Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering

UC Ballroom  |  10:00-12:30 PM

Neurons grow and develop in the three-dimensional (3D) environment of the developing embryo. Previous work from our group has demonstrated that culturing embryonic neurons in 3D matrices allows the cells to respond in a way that more closely resembles natural development than traditional two-dimensional (2D) culture. Cells interact with their extracellular matrix and sense the dimensionality of their surroundings via integrin receptors on the cell surface that bind to matrix molecules, initiate intracellular signaling cascades and affect changes in cell shape and function. Our work focuses on elucidating the signaling events that regulate these changes in cell response. We hypothesize that 3D environments impose changes in matrix-ligand organization and alter neuronal behavior by modulating β1-integrin cytoskeleton signaling. PC12 cells, a neuronal cell model, were cultured on 2D and within 3D collagen substrates and probe the signaling response by inhibiting several key signaling molecules involved in regulating neuron morphology: β1-integrin, Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK), and an activated form of FAK that is phosphorylated at tyrosine 397. The results of this study will identify the key signaling mechanisms in 3D neuronal culture and provide a biological basis for testing new biomaterial-based therapeutics.

*This research was supported in part by a grant to UMBC from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute through the Precollege and Undergraduate Science Education, an Undergraduate Research award from the UMBC Office of Undergraduate Education, NIH-NINDS R01NS065205 (JBL), the Henry-Luce Foundation (JBL), and Wyeth Fellowship at UMBC (AR).

You are invited to attend an Open House at the UM School of Pharmacy!  This is an opportunity to learn more about the PharmD curriculum, review the admissions process, and talk with current students, alumni, and faculty about the School of Pharmacy.

This Open House is a program format and will begin at 10am.  Attendees also have the opportunity to take a campus tour.

Upcoming Open Houses

Date: Saturday, April 14, 2012

Time: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
        Registration begins at 9:30am with light breakfast

Location: Pharmacy Hall
               20 N Pine St.
               Baltimore, MD

  Friday, April 6, 12:00 - 1:00pm PUP 367
    
    James Bessen is a scholar who studies the economics of
    innovation and patents. He has also been a successful innovator and CEO of a software company. Currently, Mr. Bessen is Lecturer in Law at the Boston University School of Law and Fellow at the Berkman Center on Internet and Society at Harvard.
    
    Bessen has done research on whether patents promote
    innovation, how and why innovators share new knowledge, and
    on how firms developed new skills and technical knowledge
    during the Industrial Revolution. His book, Patent Failure: How Judges, Bureaucrats, and Lawyers Put Innovators at Risk (Princeton 2008) with Michael J. Meurer, highlights the problems caused by poorly defined property rights (“patent notice”).
    
    In 1983, Bessen developed the first commercially successful
    “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” PC publishing program, founding a company that delivered PC-based publishing systems to high-end commercial publishers. Intergraph Corporation acquired the company in 1993.
    
    Get in on this opportunity to "chat" with James about the things he learned in business that seemed at odds with what he learned in the classroom (patents, sharing knowledge, the high cost of learning on the job, etc.)  He'll also discuss his recent research on this topic.

What is the Preview Weekend?
The Biomedical Sciences Graduate Programs Preview Weekend is an all expenses paid visit to the University of Minnesota campus for prospective graduate students interested in one or more of the following Ph.D. programs:

• Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics (BMBB)
• Integrative Biology & Physiology (IBP)
• Microbiology, Immunology & Cancer Biology (MICaB)
• Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology & Genetics (MCDB&G)
• Neuroscience (NSCI)
• Pharmacology (PHCL).

When will the Preview take place?
The campus preview weekend will be September 27th - 30th, 2012.

Who is eligible to attend?
Those who will be invited to the Preview must be US citizens or permanent residents who will be applying for entry into graduate school in Fall of 2013. The program is most interested in students enrolled at institutions outside the upper midwest who may be unfamiliar with the outstanding training environment provided by the University of Minnesota. Students from under-represented racial and ethnic groups, low-income family backgrounds, first-generation U.S. citizens, and students with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply.

What are the benefits of attending?
The Preview activities will provide opportunities for students to meet informally with the directors of graduate study, faculty and current graduate students of the six biomedical sciences doctoral programs. There will be tours of campus that will let students gain a feel for the research and laboratory environments where they would work. There will be time for the attendees to learn about the graduate programs so that they can decide which one might best meet their career goals and interests. There will also be activities to introduce you to the quality of life in the metropolitan area of Minneapolis - St. Paul. Any participants who apply to one of the biomedical sciences graduate programs will have their application fee paid. They will also be invited to participate in the admission interview weekend for the program they apply to.

What is the Cost to Attend?
All visit expenses (including travel, lodging, and on-campus meals) are provided for those who are selected to attend. Slots for talented students to preview the University of Minnesota PhD graduate programs are limited to 15 so be sure to apply early.

Application & Selection Timeframe
The online application will be available in spring 2012 and the application deadline is August 20, 2012. Applications will be reviewed as they are received. Applicants will be notified by early September if they have been selected to attend the Preview weekend.