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U-RISE @ UNF

Research Mentors 2023-2024

  • John “Al” Copland III, Ph.D., Professor of Cancer Cell Biology & Oncogenomics, Mayo Clinic Department of Cancer Biology

    John A. Copland III, Ph.D., leads the Cancer Biology and Translational Oncogenomics Laboratory at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida. Research in the lab is aimed at better understanding the mechanisms and pathways of carcinogenesis and tumor progression in order to develop novel, synergistic cancer therapies. Discoveries have led to clinical trials and development of novel therapeutic agents. Currently, two trials from discoveries made in our lab are anticipated in 2024. A novel TSHR CART therapy for metastatic thyroid cancer has been developed with preclinical data demonstrating durable response. We have developed a novel small molecule inhibitor called SSI-4 (now MTI-301) that binds to and blocks the biological activity of stearoyl CoA desaturase one (SCD1) protein. SCD1 is the rate limiting enzyme converting saturated fatty acids (SFAs) to monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). SSI-4 has been licensed to Modulation Therapeutics Inc (MTI) and is expected to be in a Phase 1 clinical trial in early 2024. All of this work is achievable through multiple productive collaborations. Additionally, the laboratory develops novel patient tumor derived preclinical models to provide mechanistic insights and to test novel therapeutics in combination towards antitumor synergy. https://www.mayo.edu/research/faculty/copland-john-a-iii-ph-d/bio-00028205

  • Terri N. Ellis, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology, UNF Biology Department

    Research in my lab focuses on the outer surface of the bacterial pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae. This bacterial species is the third most common cause of nosocomial (hospital acquired) infections and is responsible for over 7,000 deaths per year in the United States. Alarmingly, up to 50% of these infections are resistant to most current antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance in bacteria is primarily a result of acquisition of well characterized resistance genes. However, resistance in Klebsiella commonly pairs acquisition of these resistance genes with other changes to the outer surface components as well. Examples of these changes include loss of porin transport genes and modifications to be secreted polysaccharide capsule. My research focuses on how these changes to the outer surface, that are associated with antibiotic resistance, impact the virulence of the bacteria and the progression of disease. While these changes have been well documented in the clinic, and can be used as diagnostic markers of resistance, their impact on bacterial pathogenesis have not been fully investigated.

    https://webapps.unf.edu/faculty/bio/N00686520

  • Nilüfer Ertekin-Taner, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Neuroscience, Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida

    Dr. Ertekin-Taner is a physician-scientist with seminal contributions to the field of Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegenerative conditions. Her innovative, groundbreaking work combining complex genomics and deep endophenotypes is essential for the discovery of molecular disease mechanisms, new treatments and biomarkers for these devastating and currently incurable conditions.

     

    She has pioneered the endophenotype approach in genetic studies of Alzheimer’s Disease and related disorders (ADRD). Her laboratory applies leading-edge analytic approaches to integrate biological traits with multi-omics data to discover precision medicine therapies and biomarkers in ADRD. Dr. Ertekin-Taner is a PI of AMP-AD and Resilience-AD and was a PI of M2OVE-AD consortia and Florida Consortium for African American AD Studies (FCA3DS). She is the contact PI of the CLEAR-AD U19 Program comprising 13 sites and nearly 100 investigators focused on precision medicine biomarker and therapeutic discoveries.

     

    Dr. Ertekin-Taner has been continually funded by the National Institutes of Health and foundations, having served or serving as a Principal Investigator (PI) on 37 grants with total extramural grant support of about $80 million since 2008. Her lab is a leader in many national large-scale initiatives aiming to discover precision medicine therapies and biomarkers in Alzheimer’s and related disorders. Owing to her prolific, impactful work, Dr. Ertekin-Taner serves on numerous executive committees, advisory boards and is a frequently invited-speaker. Ertekin-Taner is the recipient of numerous awards including the 2022 Alzheimer’s Association Zenith Fellows Award. A board-certified neurologist, she continues to care for dementia patients. Dr. Ertekin-Taner is also a leader in education serving as Director and PI for Mayo Clinic Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCaTS) KL2 Mentored Career Development Program, as Founding Chair of the Mayo Clinic Research Pipeline K2R Program and as a mentor to over 80 trainees to date from various career stages. 

    @DrNErtekinTaner, #NETanerLab

    https://www.mayo.edu/research/labs/genetics-of-alzheimers-disease-and-endophenotypes

    https://www.mayo.edu/research/faculty/taner-nilufer-m-d-ph-d/bio-00027318

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/nilufer-ertekin-taner-30037b152/

  • M. Laura Habegger, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, UNF Department of Biology

    M.Laura Habegger, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, UNF Department of Biology

    My lab focuses on the relationship between form and function, mostly on the musculoskeletal systems of fishes. This area of study, called functional morphology, utilizes a wide arrange of techniques commonly used on the medical sciences such as CT scan renderings, 3D anatomical models and histology and it can be meshed with other disciplines such as engineering (biomechanics). Understanding how anatomical structures work not only can shed light into our understanding of vertebrate evolution but could also reveal valuable information on how nature solves common problems, ultimately igniting new ideas for manufactured products that could range from orthopedics devices to drag reduction mechanisms in airplanes.

  • Jason T. Haraldsen, Ph.D., Associate Professor, UNF Department of Physics

    All biomedical applications require material interactions, and understanding material interactions involve investigating electron motion. In this lab, we will examine the electronic and magnetic properties of materials with the set purpose of biomedical applications. In the Haraldsen lab, we use density functional theory and exact diagonalization to model materials and interactions on the quantum level to define and examine the properties that can be used for identification and utilization in biomedical applications. This includes, but is not limited to, DNA and biomolecule identification through nanopores and hypothermic magnetic materials for cancer treatments.

  • John Hatle, Ph.D., Presidential Professor, UNF Department of Biology

    Our lab studies the physiology underlying the biology of aging. Most mortality in the US is due to age-related diseases (e.g., heart disease, cancers, diabetes, stroke), so our lab is part of the effort to understand aging, the common underlying risk factor for all these. Dietary restriction of protein extends lifespan and reduces reproduction in a broad range of species. We focus on the effects of dietary amino acids and their metabolic fate (burning for ATP, allocation to tissues), using our grasshopper study system. Dietary restriction of some specific amino acids (e.g., methionine, isoleucine) extends lifespan, and changes in the metabolic fate of amino acids may contribute to the longevity.

    UNF: Physiology of aging and reproduction in invertebrates

  • Takahisa Kanekiyo, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville

    Kanekiyo lab studies the pathogenesis of age-related cognitive decline including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) using mouse models, human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models, and human biospecimens. Since APOE and ABCA7 are associated with AD risk, we actively investigate their roles in the diseases with a specific focus on lipid metabolism. In addition, as the accumulation of senescent cells is one of the major mechanisms triggering age-related phenotypes, we study contributions of senescence to neurodegenerative diseases. Goals of our translational research are to develop novel therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases through pharmacological approaches, gene therapy and stem cell-based regenerative medicine.

    https://www.mayo.edu/research/faculty/kanekiyo-takahisa-m-d-ph-d/bio-00055074

  • Bryan Knuckley, Ph.D., Professor, UNF Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry

    Methylation of proteins can alter protein structure, thereby altering binding interactions, and subsequently changing physiological functions and downstream regulatory pathways. In mammals, the formation of methylated protein-arginine is catalyzed by a family of enzymes termed Protein Arginine Methyltransferases (PRMTs) and several studies have demonstrated that overexpression of these enzymes leads to increased cell proliferation in cancers (e.g., prostate, breast, colon, and lung cancers).  The Knuckley Lab utilizes standard solid-phase synthesis, enzymology, and chemical biology to develop PRMT inhibitors as pharmaceutical-lead compounds for the treatment of these cancers.

    https://webapps.unf.edu/faculty/bio/N00857133

  • Hannah R. Malcolm, Ph.D., Associate Professor, UNF Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry

    The ability of a bacterium to sense and response to the environment is essential for their survival, the Malcolm Lab studies a family of ion channels in the membrane called mechanosensitive ion channels. In humans, mechanosensitive ion channels are responsible for hearing, touch sensation, proprioception, as well as many other biological processes. Bacterial ion channels have similar roles within the cell and present a potential novel antibiotic target. In order to discover how these channels function and could be an antibiotic target, the Malcolm Lab uses molecular biology techniques, standard biochemistry techniques, and patch clamp electrophysiology to directly observe these channels.

    Malcolmlab.com

  • Marie Mooney, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, UNF Department of Biology

    In the Mooney Laboratory for Informatics, Genomics, Health, and Technology (MoonLIGHT) we train the next generation of scientists to work collaboratively across fields to benefit human health. We specialize in studying neurodevelopmental disorders and have three areas of focus: Bioinformatics, Genetics, and Neuroscience. These all come together in a powerful way as we use our favorite model organism, the humble zebrafish (Danio rerio), to rapidly perform gene and drug discovery and collect genomic data.

    https://moonlight.domains.unf.edu/

  • Wolfdieter Springer, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic

    To maintain a healthy and functional mitochondrial network, the enzymes PINK1 and PRKN identify and label selectively damaged mitochondria with phosphorylated ubiquitin chains tagging them for degradation via the autophagy-lysosome system (mitophagy). Complete loss of either gene is linked to early-onset Parkinson’s disease, but impairments of the pathway seem to have much broader implications and contribute to stress, aging, and a variety of human disorders where mitochondrial or lysosomal dysfunctions emerge as shared leitmotif. The Springer lab uses human clinical and pathological samples as well as gene-edited iPSC-derived cell and in vivo animal models to determine mechanisms, develop and test disease and pharmacodynamics biomarkers, and explore the therapeutic potential of stimulating mitophagy in the context of aging and diseases of the brain and beyond.

    https://www.mayo.edu/research/labs/translational-cell-biology-parkinsons-disease/overview