News
Pre-Symposium Workshop: Introduction to Working with Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
Statewide Symposium in Regenerative Medicine
CMM PhD student Austin Conklin (Romanoski Lab) and PhD Candidate Lauren Schultz (Gregorio Lab) are the recipients of the prestigious 2019-20 ARCS Foundation Scholarships. The ARCS Foundation - Phoenix Chapter - is dedicated to advancing science and technology in the US, and selects outstanding doctoral-track students in science, engineering, and medical Research with a track record of academic excellence.
Drs. Julie Ledford, PhD (left) and Monica Kraft, MD (right) win the $10,000 prize during UA Research Day's ‘Shark Tank’ Event for their pitch on a new, inhaled therapeutic for the treatment of asthma and potentially even COPD, cystic fibrosis and pneumonia.
Dr. Donata Vercelli, a Professor of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, will speak as part of the renowned College of Science Lecture Series on February 12, 2019.
Congratulations to the University of Arizona Genetic Counseling Graduate Program (UAGCGP), which has been granted accredited by the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC). The new Master’s in Genetic Counseling program, part of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, will begin in Fall 2019.
Felicia Goodrum, PhD, is one of only 109 scientists worldwide to receive the distinction this year.
Julie Ledford, PhD - an Assistant Professor in CMM - together with colleagues in the Department of Medicine and the Asthma and Airways Disease Research Center recently published their study entitled “Club Cell Secretory Protein Deficiency Leads to Altered Lung Function” in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. While Club Cell Secretory Protein 16 (CC16) has been described as a serum biomarker for obstructive lung diseases, a distinct mechanism of action for CC16 has remained elusive. This translational study used data from the birth cohort of the Tucson Children’s Respiratory Study (TCRS) and examined the relation of circulating CC16 levels with pulmonary function and responses to bronchial methacholine challenge from childhood up to age 32 years. In parallel, the study set out to comprehensively examine pulmonary physiology in mice sufficient or deficient in CC16. It was discovered in both mouse and man that deficits in CC16 significantly impaired lung function and increased sensitivity to methacholine. In addition, CC16 deficient mice had increased collagen deposition, smooth muscle thickness and elevated gene expression of factors associated with lung remodeling. Findings in mice support the clinical observations that decreased CC16 levels in serum correlate with worse lung function by providing the first line of direct evidence that lack of CC16 in the lung results in dramatically altered pulmonary function and structural alterations consistent with enhanced remodeling.
Donata Vercelli, MD, Professor of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the UA College of Medicine and Associate Director of the Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center at the University of Arizona Health Sciences, has been elected the first female secretary general of the Collegium Internationale Allergologicum. Founded in 1954, the Collegium is a group of distinguished international physicians and scientists who study the emerging field of allergy and clinical immunology. Dr. Vercelli has been a member of the Collegium for more than 25 years. As the organization’s new secretary general, she eventually will advance to the position of president after serving as the organization’s Vice President. Dr. Vercelli officially was inducted into her leadership position in early October at the Collegium’s 32nd symposium in Mallorca, Spain.
Balasz Kiss, PhD – a CMM postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Henk Granzier's lab - and colleagures recently published a study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) about the role of nebulin, a giant sarcomeric, actin-binding protein found in skeletal muscle. Using X-ray diffraction, it was found that thin filaments are threefold more extensible in nebulin-knockout living muscle. Kiss and colleagues conclude that loss of nebulin's physiological function impairs other thin filament regulatory proteins and interferes with force generation - therefore, nebulin acts to stiffen thin filaments and is responsible for generating physiological levels of force.
The Department of Immunobiology offers our heartfelt congratulations to Drs. Jim Allison and Tasuku Honjo for being awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. This award highlights the power of basic research, patience, and persistence.