The microscope was purchased using funding awarded to an interdisciplinary group, including principal investigator Megan Knoch (Biology) and co-principal investigators Bob Major (Biology), Cuong Diep (Biology), Feng Zhou (Physics), and Jana Villemain (Chemistry).

The state-of-the-art microscope will be available to students and faculty for a wide range of projects involving fluorescence imaging of labeled molecules in living cells, measuring cell potentials in real time corresponding to cellular signals, and in vivo visualization of labeled cells in transgenic animal tissues in the areas of biology and biochemistry. The instrument will also be used for electro-optics applications in physics.

Biochemistry Program

The Biochemistry Program is interdisciplinary, and seminars generally span a wide range of topics in biochemistry. Students and faculty from all departments are welcome.

The first student to present this season is Ron Stewart, on April 5: “Effects of microRNA miR-19 on Fibroblast-like Synoviocytes in RA.”

The microscope will be housed in Knoch’s laboratory and will be available to students and faculty for a wide range of projects involving fluorescence imaging of labeled molecules in living cells, measuring cell potentials in real time corresponding to cellular signals, and in vivo visualization of labeled cells in transgenic animal tissues in the areas of biology and biochemistry. The instrument will also be used for electro-optics applications in physics.

Fluorescently-labeled proteins can be visualized and followed in Baker’s Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) following changes in nutrients supplied in growth media.he microscope will be a great addition to the compliment of equipment available to support both undergraduate research and teaching across disciplines in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

Department of Biochemsitry

Anderson is cofounder and chief executive officer of Veracyte, a molecular diagnostics start-up company. She met with Biochemistry faculty as part of her recently scheduled visit to IUP, which included meetings with faculty and students and tours of Biology and Biochemistry facilities prior to being presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award.

Jana Villemain, Bonnie Anderson, and N. Bharathan following a tour Bharathan’s research lab

After graduating from IUP in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology, Anderson worked for four years in hospital laboratories before being recruited into diagnostic equipment sales, where she built an impressive career in the healthcare diagnostics and life science markets. She has directed both early-stage businesses as well as mature, global enterprises. Prior to Veracyte, she provided strategic consulting services to venture capital firms and early-stage businesses. Anderson spent 18 years in executive leadership positions at Beckman Coulter, a global leader in healthcare. She led the company’s market-leading cellular analysis franchise in hematology and flow cytometry, and, as vice president of the intrapreneurial start-up Immunomics Operations, successfully positioned the company’s novel tetramer technology as a vehicle for drug and vaccine developers to monitor immune response.

Now, Anderson enjoys every minute of her role as CEO of Veracyte. “I’ve probably learned more in the past four years than the previous 14,” Anderson said, referring to her work in the start-up company. She loves the process and challenge of developing new products and techniques designed to transform the cytology market for early cancer diagnosis, which will help cancer patients avoid unnecessary, costly procedures and surgeries as well as promote significant cost savings in healthcare. “It’s very invigorating,” she said.

As part of her visit with Biochemistry faculty, topics such as changes and updates to CNSM Labs and facilities were discussed as well as the latest research being conducted by faculty. Anderson described various stages in her career and how it led to her newest venture with Veracyte. She noted how her experiences at IUP contributed to her success, and what kind of training is needed to work in her rapidly changing and developing field. Anderson says her selection as a 2012 Distinguished Alumni is a great honor.

She currently resides in in Half Moon Bay, California with her husband.

Adrenergic receptors of various types and associated proteins are the natural targets of adrenaline as well many widely-used drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft, asthma medications, and others These receptors are part of a larger class of proteins known as G-protein coupled receptors, which have been difficult to study since they are buried in the cell membrane. For a long time, the only known structure for these proteins was rhodopsin with the same basic structure of a GPCR protein, although it lacks the ability to be activated and inhibited by reversibly binding molecules such as hormones and drugs.

Recently, the structure of first a β-adrenergic receptor (2007) and now an α-drenergic receptor (2011) have been reported in the journal Science. These recent structures of adrenergic receptors hold the promise of more productive drug designs and treatments for many diseases and conditions now treated by drugs with side effects due to wide-array of similar adrenergic receptors important to human health and function from taste and smell to the fight or flight response.

Learn more about these important molecules: Molecule of the Month: Adrenergic Receptors 

Left: B-adrenergic receptor. At right: Rhodopsin

The IUP chapter of the American Chemical Society Student Chapter currently has a video entry in the ACS national contest celebrating National Chemistry Week, where a $500 prize goes to the winner. You can watch the video here.

ACS members are also encouraged to vote by logging in and clicking the “Like” button.

The ACS club plans to donate any winnings to a local high school science program.

The IUP ACS club is composed of approximately twenty-two current members was recently voted as an Outstanding Student Chapter for its activities during the 2010–2011 academic year.

Read more about the IUP ACS Chemistry Club.

Biochemistry Program

Biochemistry faculty members N. Bharathan, J. Villemain, C. Luciano, J. Ford, J. Ko, and B. Major met with new students on Sunday to introduce themselves and the many opportunities available, such as undergraduate research, the Alpha Chi Sigma and ACS clubs, Biology and Chemistry seminar series, and more.

Come hear from Nadia Szymanski and James Zewe of the Chemistry Department the Biochemistry Program.

The presentation takes place in Weyandt Hall, Room 240, from 3:35 to 4:25 p.m.

Light refreshments will be served. All are welcome!

A total of seven biochemistry students will be spending summer 2010 broadening their laboratory research experience on forefront biochemical research topics. The two newest awardees are:

• Katrina Owens: Summer internship in Neuroscience, North Dakota University at Grand Forks
• Andrea Strein: Research Experience for Undergraduates Program in Interdisciplinary Studies for Sensor and Biosensor Development, Alabama State University

Opportunities awarded to the following biochemistry students were previously announced:

• Deanna Belsky: REU in the Department of Molecular Biology and the Lewis-Sigler Institute at Princeton University in New Jersey
• Stephen Christensen: Research with Dr. David Rimm in the Pathology Department at Yale University
• Jonathan Henninger: Summer Scholars Program at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University in North Carolina
• James Shellhammer: REU at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) of Molecular Bioscience
• James Zewe: REU at Pitt University in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

The annual gathering, held at the University of Montana, included 2,600 scholars and their faculty mentors from all institutions of higher learning in the United States. The two other biochemistry major students who co-authored the paper were Chin Hong Siew and Shan Min Chin. The cost of presentation was partly funded by the School of Graduate Studies and Research, the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, the Biology Department, and the Army Research Office (ARO). The research was mentored by Drs. Seema Bharathan and N. Bharathan from the Biology Department. The research project was funded by a grant from the ARO.

The posters were titled:

1. Genomic Characterization and PCR Cloning of Double-stranded (ds) RNA from Rhizoctonia solani. Jonathan Henninger, Deanna Belsky, Chin Hong Siew, Shan Min Chin (Dr. Seema Bharathan and Dr. N. Bharathan), Department of Biology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania 15705
2. Centrifugal Analysis of the Cytoplasmic Fractions of the plant pathogenic fungus Rhizoctonia solani for double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). Deanna Belsky, Jonathan Henninger, Chin Hong Siew, Shan Min Chin (Dr. Seema Bharathan and Dr. N. Bharathan), Department of Biology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania 15705

Early in the Spring semester, many students seek out and apply for highly competitive summer research programs that match their research interests hosted by institutions all over the nation as well as in Europe. Listed below are students that recently received word of their acceptance at the indicated host institutions:

• Deanna Belsky
  Summer Undergraduate Research Program
  Department of Molecular Biology and Lewis-Sigler Institute
  Princeton University
• Steve Christensen
  Participating in research with Dr. David Rimm
  Pathology Department
  Yale University
• Jonathan Henninger
  Summer Scholars Program
  Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
  Wake Forest University
• James Shellhammer
  Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Program
  Program in Molecular Biosciences
  University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
• James Zewe
  Summer Undergraduate Research Program
  Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
  University of Pittsburgh

Highlights include those who won awards for their efforts:

• Jennifer Casanova (Chemistry), Best Bibliography
• Justin Williams (Biochemistry), Best Poster of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
• Maura Barrett (Chemistry), Second Place, Sigma Xi Award
• Nadia Szymanski (Chemistry), poster, Honorable Mention
• Heather Wagner (Chemistry) poster, Honorable Mention

Congratulations to all who endeavored to present their research at the forum!

Each award will be $600, with only two awards made to students from a single REU site without special considerations. Students are encouraged to apply immediately after submitting their abstracts to the ACS (through the ACS website). The deadline for submitting abstracts to the Undergraduate Research poster session is October 19, 2009, at 11:00 p.m. CST (other divisions may have earilier deadlines). Check travel award application materials for restrictions on eligibility for travel awards. Awardees will be notified by e-mail on Dec. 1, 2009.

To apply for a Travel Award to present research at the Spring ACS Meeting, e-mail Dr. Jon Southard (southard@iup.edu), Biochemistry coordinator, for more information.

Department of Biochemistry

There will be two sessions—Friday, September 18, and Friday, September 25, from 3:35 to 4:25 p.m. in room 240 Weyandt Hall.

All are welcome—light refreshments will be served.

The institute is an intensive, week-long program designed to address issues facing women in leadership through an academy-style series of presentations and interactive, experiential, and strategy-based workshops. Also attending from IUP were Lynda LaRoche, specializing in jewelry and metals from the Department of Art; and Dr. Maureen McHugh, social psychologist and gender specialist in the Department of Psychology as well as a long-time member of the Women’s Consortium.

• Li Yin Wong was awarded $149 for her project “Characterization of the Baker’s Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) Srs2 Helicase Features Essential for Regulation of Homologous Recombination” with Dr. Jana Villemain.
• James Zewe was awarded $150 for his project “Production, Purification, and Detection of Mouse Growth Hormone Binding Protein” with Dr. Jon Southard.

This is a great time to meet the Biochemistry faculty and network with fellow biochemistry majors in your class. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions and explore the biochemistry laboratory as you kick off your IUP experience!