在第75届毕业典礼上庆祝利记sbo2024届毕业生
A sea of blue flooded the Adirondack Bank Center at Utica Memorial Auditorium May 9 and 10 as 利记sbo...
布兰迪·洛克菲勒教授’s vascular malformation research could influence the way we treat 癌症
“学生s involved in hands-on research develop a deep understanding and appreciation for the process of science."
近八年来，生物学助理教授. Brandee Rockefeller has been studying vascular malformations (abnormal connections between blood or lymph vessels) in an effort to better understand the molecular underpinnings of how and why vessels become malformed and consequently dysfunctional.
但她过去八年的研究成果可能会产生持续一生的影响.
那是她在奥尔巴尼医学院(Albany Medical College)和她的导师布朗博士(Dr. 凯文Pumiglia, 这是她第一次受到启发, 对血管肿瘤和血管畸形感兴趣的实验室成员, which she describes as merely blood vessels that grow unregulated with nothing to keep them in check and stop their growth. 如果这种生长发生在大脑这样的地方, 肾脏, 或者肝脏, 它可能会对身体产生有害影响, 或者更糟, 导致死亡.
“然而，大多数细菌，尤其是儿科患者，都存在于皮肤内。. 洛克菲勒解释说. “我的侄子出生时就患有血管瘤, which is under the same umbrella as vascular malformations collectively termed vascular anomalies. It has given me even more of a push for what I do and more of a personal connection to its impacts.”
主要研究的是血管生长的动力, 她特别关注身体的新陈代谢, 因为对于血管畸形或血管肿瘤没有统一的治疗方法.
“已经有很多临床试验涉及阻止生长和迁移, 细胞信号传导的不同方面, 但这些措施都没有取得很大的成功. 我的目标是理解, 真的, 牢房里发生了什么事, 比如血管畸形或血管肿瘤的分子基础.”
With many characteristics of vascular malformations also shared by the vasculature (network of blood vessels connecting the heart with all other organs and tissues in the body) seen in cardiovascular disease, 癌症, 糖尿病, 和视网膜病变, 博士的应用. 洛克菲勒的研究被她称为“血管生物学”，具有巨大的潜力.
在尤蒂卡学院. Rockefeller’s research involves culturing human 细胞 and vascular morphogenesis assays for a variety of different manipulations, 她说这可能/将涉及到病毒载体, 药物的应用, 培养基中的营养物质也在变化.
“据我所知，尤蒂卡学院以前没有人用哺乳动物做过细胞培养. 细胞. 所以，我第一次建立了一个细胞培养实验室. I’ve integrated that into classrooms so we’re doing some cell culture in cell biology class and lab, 这太棒了. 我们培养人脐静脉内皮细胞. These human umbilical vein endothelial 细胞 form vascular structures (what we would call a blood vessel network in our bodies) when plated on matrix proteins, 经过基因改造后，它们就会像人类一样形成畸形. Now we have the ability here at Utica to manipulate those cultures and employ different pharmaceutical agents to try to figure out how we can stop growth - not only stop the growth of malformations, 但希望能使血管结构正常化.”
Dr. 洛克菲勒解释说 that while some children who have these vascular defects suffer from only cosmetic disfigurement, 当大脑等器官出现畸形时，其他人会看到有害的影响, 可能引起出血或中风. 作为她正在进行的研究的一部分. Rockefeller has had students who’ve grown blood vessels in a culture dish which form sheets of malformations, 让他们试图阻止这种生长，让血管恢复正常.
人们通常认为癌症研究不是本科水平的研究, but the opportunity for student-faculty collaboration on such exploration is one of the things that attracted Dr. 从洛克菲勒到尤蒂卡学院.
“当我在这里面试的时候, I saw poster after poster of student research and they gave me a list of all the publications our students have been involved in. 我认为，作为一名科学家，没有什么比让学生参与到你的研究中来更好的了. 没有什么比看到一个年轻人意识到他们正在做一件大事更好的了. 这不仅来自一般的研究, 但我认为，因为癌症是一种可翻译的东西，每个人都受到它的影响. I think the impact of getting involved in 癌症 research is just so relatable and it means a lot to students, 这也是我的动力之一. Utica College has such a unique culture where so many of the biology students want to be involved in research - they thrive off it and that’s not like every other undergraduate institution. 这让我很兴奋，我可以在这里带来一个新的、独特的方面.”
Her hope is to continue collaborating with scientists for a better understanding of these vascular anomalies, 哪些因素会影响像她侄子这样的病人的管理和治疗.
“It is quite possible for our research to also expand the knowledgebase and inform treatment and/or treatment development for many other pathologies that share dysfunctional vasculature as a characteristic, 其中一些我在上面提到过. 我也喜欢和加州大学的学生们一起工作. More than just gaining a deeper understanding of reading scientific literature specifically that pertaining to vascular biology and hands-on lab experience, I enjoy seeing students develop an appreciation of how much work goes into understanding disease and treatment development.”
她将看到更多的学生获得这项研究的实践经验, 随着新的尤蒂卡学院科学中心的建成, offering a wide array of resources to expand research opportunities for students further than ever before.
“The new science center has a cell culture lab fitted with equipment specifically designed to culture and manipulate human 细胞, 比如人脐静脉内皮细胞(我主要研究的细胞类型). 还有一个专门用于显微镜的房间，这是我们观察和成像所有文化的方式.”
其他设备，博士. 洛克菲勒说, has also been purchased to aid in tackling more of the molecular-based questions she and her fellow research scientists have, 她很乐意与任何感兴趣的学生讨论这些研究机会.
“通常, 学生的研究从阅读背景科学文献和讨论开始, as well as conversations about technical approaches and what exactly we can learn from these approaches. 我们一起制定一个研究问题和“攻击计划”.”
While the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 and the construction of the new science center temporarily put a halt on cell culture experiments, Dr. 洛克菲勒说 she is happy and ready to jump right back in with the growing resources the Science Center has to offer, 有可能造福两国的研究, 也感谢学生们的帮助.
“学生s involved in hands-on research develop a deep understanding and appreciation for the process of science. 有些人发现他们不喜欢研究，有些人喜欢研究, 但根据我的经验，学生们都认为有研究经验会增加利记sbo.”
通过这些经历, 学生有机会发展实验技能, they immerse themselves in scientific literature becoming more comfortable with reading and critical analysis of papers, 而那些选择展示发现的人则会培养自信和沟通技巧.
有效地传播科学并不像人们想象的那么容易. 洛克菲勒指出.
虽然并不是每一步都不会遇到挫折. 洛克菲勒说 that it’s these challenges that help researchers like herself and her students pave the way for scientific breakthroughs that have the potential to change the world.
“One of the greatest “adventures” of research is learning to accept that not every single experiment goes as planned (most do not actually), 但总有一些东西需要学习. The beauty of science is that every new discovery (even those unplanned or those that come from failed experiments) opens the door for brand new exciting questions.”
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