Previous Awardees

Name: Wei Dei

School: School of Arts and Science

Department: Cell Biology and Neurosciences

Unit: New Brunswick

Primary Appointment Title: Assistant Professor

Project Title: Fungal β-(1,3)-Glucan Synthase in Cell Wall Biosynthesis and Drug Interactions

Project Description: Fungal infections are a major global health concern, impacting over a billion people annually. Understanding the structural and functional dynamics of antifungal targets is crucial for the development of next-generation antifungal drugs. Echinocandins, a first-line antifungal, target the β-(1,3)-D-glucan synthase (GS), an essential plasma membrane complex for fungal cell wall biosynthesis. While recent structure biology studies have provided insights into GS enzymatic activities, these studies typically isolate GS from its cellular environment, potentially overlooking the role of its lipid environment. This project will employ a multidisciplinary approach to explore how the plasma membrane environment influences GS function and its response to echinocandins. By shifting the focus from isolated enzymes to membrane-embedded complexes at the cellular level, our research could lead to innovative therapeutic strategies that precisely target GS against rising antifungal resistance.

Name: Christina Glytsou

School: Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy

Department: Chemical Biology

Unit: Rutgers Health

Primary Appointment Title: Assistant Professor

Project Title: The Role of Mitochondria-endoplasmic Reticulum Interactions in Therapy Resistance in Leukemia

Project Description: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common and deadliest leukemia in adults. Recent advances in understanding AML biology have led to a breakthrough with the introduction of venetoclax into clinics. However, venetoclax resistance ensues after sustained treatment, necessitating a deep understanding of the underlying mechanisms to improve patient outcomes. Our recent preliminary findings highlight the fundamental role of mitochondrial morphology, content, and communication with other organelles in venetoclax resistance in AML. Through this study, we aim to advance our understanding of how alterations in mitochondrial dynamics and mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum interactions coordinate autophagy and apoptosis in leukemia. This may serve as the basis for developing novel combinational treatments and identifying new predictive markers for AML.

Name: Grace Guo

School: Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy

Department: Pharmacology and Toxicology

Unit: Rutgers Health

Primary Appointment Title: Professor

Project Title: Molecular Mechanisms for Cell-specific Activation of Farensoid X Receptor

Project Description: Bile acids (BAs) are a group of amphipathic molecules synthesized from the cholesterol in the liver and ligands of nuclear receptors, especially farnesoid X receptor (FXR) that functions as the main conductor to orchestrate BA synthesis, transport and functions related to BA homeostasis. Major knowledge gaps need to be urgently filled to provide scientific strategies to develop novel FXR therapy in understanding human physiology and pathology, as well as for the treatment of liver diseases affecting millions of US population. But the effort in developing FXR ligands to treat metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is not successful due to that these FXR ligands activate FXR systemically not in a cell-specific manner. Using unique mouse models developed in my lab, I will propose to determine major impactful studies to determine the underlying molecular mechanism responsible for cell-specific FXR transcriptional activation.

Name: Chun-Chieh Hsu

School: New Jersey Medical School, Center for Virus-Host-Innate Immunity (CVHII)

Department: Medicine

Unit: Rutgers Health

Primary Appointment Title: Assistant Professor

Project Title: The Role of RNA m7G Modification in SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Project Description: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for improved antiviral treatments and a better understanding of the virus. This research focuses on identifying unique RNA modifications, specifically N7-methylguanosine (m7G), in SARS-CoV-2 RNA, which may play a crucial role in viral replication. By mapping these m7G sites and investigating the proteins that interact with them, the study aims to provide insights that could lead to new antiviral therapies and advance our knowledge of virus-host interactions

Name: Aliza Leiser

School: Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Department: Division of Gynecologic Oncology

Unit: Rutgers Health

Primary Appointment Title: Associate Professor

Project Title: Identifying Novel Oncogenic Drivers in High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Using Long Read Sequencing

Project Description: There is a clear need to understand the oncogenic drivers of ovarian cancer and to develop targeted therapy that is non-cross resistant to standard chemotherapy. These cancers harbor an abundance of copy number alterations and genomic rearrangements which are poorly characterized by standard short-read next generation sequencing strategies. We hypothesize that a recently described novel long read sequencing strategy using optical genomic mapping will identify and characterize driver genomic rearrangements. Furthermore, we recognize that such genomic changes can result in expression of not only fusion genes, but also abnormal splicing variants or alternative transcripts using cryptic intronic start sites that can be hard to detect with standard short read RNA sequencing. Long read RNA sequencing can directly and easily identify such abnormal transcripts. We propose a pilot study to analyze a set of primary ovarian cancers and characterize them by optical genomic mapping and long read RNA sequencing. Novel genomic rearrangements and transcription variants will be validated by sequencing of the primary tumor using RT-PCR. This pilot project is part of a larger effort at developing a broader ovarian cancer translational program.

Name: Keith Mickolajczyk

School: Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Department: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Unit: Rutgers Health

Primary Appointment Title: Assistant Professor

Project Title: Mechanisms of Ribosomal RNA Processing by the Helicase Mtr4

Project Description: Ribosomal RNA is non-coding RNA that forms the backbone of protein-synthesizing ribosomes. It is the most abundant RNA type in cells, and its transcription and post-transcriptional processing are amongst the most energy-expensive metabolic processes. Upregulation of ribosome production is a hallmark of proliferative cancers, and the enzymes involved in ribosomal RNA production are thus excellent chemotherapeutic targets. The goal of this proposal is to apply advanced single-molecule techniques to address long-standing questions on how ribosomal RNA is processed by ATP-consuming enzymes. Success will uncover core biological principles and pave the way for the development of new chemotherapeutics that target specific steps of ribosome biogenesis.

Name: Tulsi Patel

School: Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Department: Neuroscience and Cell Biology

Unit: Rutgers Health

Primary Appointment Title: Assistant Professor

Project Title: Role of L3mbtl4 in regulating misfolded protein clearance and neurodegeneration

Project Description: Motor neurons in the spinal cord innervate muscle targets to control essential functions like breathing, swallowing, and movement. Loss of motor neurons in the adult-onset disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) typically leads to paralysis and death within 2-5 years after diagnosis. Neurodegenerative pathways in both familial and sporadic forms of ALS converge on the accumulation and mishandling of misfolded proteins in vulnerable motor neurons. In this study, we will use a genetic approach to boost protein clearance mechanisms in motor neurons and test the effects on ALS-related pathologies in a mouse mutant SOD1 model.

Name: Kenichi Sakamoto             

School: Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Department: Medicine

Unit: Rutgers Health

Primary Appointment Title: Assistant Professor

Project Title: Is Increased Sympathetic Nervous System Activity a Key Driver of Glucose Toxicity in Type 1 Diabetes?

Project Description: Patients with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) rely on exogenous insulin, but its utility is limited by its propensity to induce hypoglycemia. Suboptimal glucose control leads to insulin resistance due to hyperglycemia and glucose toxicity, exacerbating diabetic complications. Despite its clinical importance, the precise mechanisms by which glucose toxicity induces insulin resistance remain poorly understood. We hypothesize that dysregulated sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and adipose tissue lipolysis play pivotal roles in the development of insulin resistance induced by glucose toxicity. To probe this hypothesis, we will use innovative mouse models that represent a major advance in studying the role of the SNS, which may pave the way for novel therapeutic strategies targeting the SNS to improve glycemic control and mitigate diabetic complications in T1D.

Name: Mark Siracusa

School: New Jersey Medical School

Department: Medicine

Unit: Rutgers Health

Primary Appointment Title: Associate Professor

Project Title: Investigating the Role of Helminth-induced Immunoregulation in the Context of Neurodegenerative Disorders.

Project Description: Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) are one of the greatest contributors to global morbidity, with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) alone affecting ~24 million people per year globally. Recent advances now suggest that pathologic inflammatory responses occurring in the central nervous system (CNS) are a key factor in the development of NDDs. It is well established that parasitic helminth infections promote immunoregulatory mechanisms that prevent pathologic inflammation in peripheral tissues. Critically, our new studies suggest that the ability of helminths to restrict inflammation is not limited to the periphery but also includes the CNS. Here, we are taking a unique approach by testing the therapeutic potential of employing parasitic helminth infections to inhibit neuroinflammation and the development of NDDs.

Name: Jason Yang

School: New Jersey Medical School

Department: Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Genetics

Unit: Rutgers Health

Primary Appointment Title: Assistant Professor

Project Title: Bioenergetic Stress in Antimicrobial Persistence

Project Description: Antimicrobial resistance is a global health crisis that poses a looming threat to modern medicine. Understanding how bacterial pathogens evade the lethal actions of antibiotics can enable the discovery of new drugs that can prevent the rise and spread of antibiotic-resistant infections. Our recent work has revealed that antibiotic treatment induces metabolic stress in bacterial cells and that this metabolic stress activates stress responses that protect bacteria from antibiotics. This proposal investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying these processes and develops new synthetic biology tools for probing and controlling metabolic stress in bacteria. These insights will enable us to develop biological tools for discovering anti-resistance drug compounds.

Name: Jackie Yang

School: School of Arts and Sciences

Department: Genetics

Unit: New Brunswick

Primary Appointment Title: Associate Professor

Project Title: Unraveling Key Regulators for Conventional Dendritic Cell Maturation and Immunoregulation Using Mouse and Human CRISPR Screening

Project Description: This project investigates the role of dendritic cells in enhancing the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade therapies for cancer. Our research focuses on the molecular regulators that influence DC function within the tumor microenvironment, particularly the subset of mature DCs enriched in immunoregulatory molecules. We will employ CRISPR screening in both mouse and human DC systems to identify key drivers of DC maturation and immunoregulation. By uncovering these mechanisms, our work aims to improve combination therapies with ICB, potentially benefiting a wide range of diseases and advancing our understanding of immune regulation in cancer.