Special Seminar Announcement
Whiddon COM Intramural Grants Program Awardees
We are pleased to announce the award recipients of this year's Intramural Grants Program:

  • Rob Barrington, PhD, Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology - Trained Immunity as a therapeutic approach for Hyper-IgE Syndrome

  • Kalsang Dolma, MD, Dept. of Pediatrics, Neonatology - Role of Cytopathic Tau Variants in the development of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

  • Mark Swingle, PhD, Dept. of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology - Potential regulation of PPM1B by carbon dioxide

  • Marie Migaud, PhD, Dept. of Pharmacology - Synthesis of non-canonical 2’-deoxynucleotides to reveal new pathways to genomic interference

A major criterion for this funding is that projects are innovative, with a clear potential to attract extramural funding. Congratulations to the awardees.
"Nuts and Bolts"
Grants Development Seminars
The Nuts and Bolts seminar series is concluded for the semester. The seminar series will resume later in the year. Thank you for your attendance and support!
Whiddon COM Dean's Predoctoral Fellowship Program
10 applications were received from graduate students in the Basic Medical Sciences program and the review meeting has been scheduled for mid-May. Funding announcements will be made shortly after that.
Upcoming PhD Dissertation Defense
New Frederick P. Whiddon
College of Medicine Building Update
Demolition of Alpha Halls East and South is now complete. Installation of underground piping for hot water, chilled water, storm water and electrical continues. Meanwhile, a general contractor (BL Harbert) has been selected for the building project and will begin to mobilize after receiving the formal Notice to Proceed on May 1st. Site excavation will begin during May.
Recent Awards
Amy Nelson, Ph.D.
Department of Physiology & Cell Biology
"Pericyte caldesmon in Alzheimer's disease"
$300,000 total funding over a two-year period from the Coins for Alzheimer's Research Trust Fund (Research Grant)
Richard Honkanen, Ph.D.
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
"Development of phosphatase inhibitors"
$19,250 total funding over a one-year period from the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (Research Grant)
Mark Gillespie, Ph.D.
Department of Pharmacology
Jonathon Audia, Ph.D.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
"The mitochondrial genome in lung disease: a signaling hub linking the persistence and severity of inflammation to recovery"
$2,608,312 total funding over a four-year period from the National Institutes of Health (R01 Research Grant)
Allyson Shea, Ph.D.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
"Bacterial mutants for Moderna"
$27,520 total funding over a one-year period from Moderna (Research Grant)
Jonathan Rayner, Ph.D.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, LID
"Tick and tick-borne disease surveillance in Alabama - 2024"
$75,000 total funding over a one-year period from the Alabama Department of Public Health (Research Grant)
Rebecca Sugg, M.D., F.A.H.A.
Department of Neurology
"StrokeBelt StrokeNet"
$20,000 total funding over a one-year period from the National Institutes of Health (Research Grant, UAB Subcontract)
Susan Baker, M.D.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
"Offspring Neurodevelopment and Growth after Early-Pregnancy Antihypertensive Therapy OR Preeclampsia in Women with Chronic Hypertension (CHAP Child)"
$60,829 total funding over a five-year period from the National Institutes of Health (Research Grant, UAB Subcontract)
Howard Shell
The Whiddon College of Medicine records its deep appreciation to Howard Shell, who has retired after 29 years of service. As many will know, Howard was Operations Manager for the college, ensuring that all the building facilities needed for research were maintained and updated. In later years, his role expanded to include managing research facilities at the Laboratory of Infectious Disease. We wish Howard all the best in his retirement. Recruitment of a new Operations Manager is ongoing. In the meantime, the following can be contacted for matters related to facilities:

Medical Science Bldg. / CSAB / Active Learning Center

 Gavin Guy
 MSB 989 
251-460-7787
 
Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LID)

 Madeline Wasden
LID 103 
251-460-6339
        or
Dr. Jon Rayner
LID 105
 251-414-8179
Recent Publications from COM Researchers


Danchenko M, Macaluso KR. Salivary glands of the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis: Dissection and microscopy guide. Curr Res Insect Sci. 2024 Apr 4;5:100080. doi: 10.1016/j.cris.2024.100080. PMID: 38623392; PMCID: PMC11016963.

Howell CW, Lawrence JA, Hinkel HM, Clutton CH, Lee YL, Simmons JD, Williams AY. Patient Resiliency and Caregiver Burden After Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Resulting in Quadriplegia. Am Surg. 2024 Mar 29:31348241241737. doi: 10.1177/00031348241241737. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38551604.

Gautreaux CE, Robinson TW, Dunbar EG, Lee YL, Mbaka M, Kinnard CM, Bright AC, Williams AY, Polite NM, Capasso TJ, Simmons JD, Butts CC. Admission Medication Reconciliation Discrepancies in Trauma Patients: Consistent Nursing Care May Not Be the Answer. Am Surg. 2024 Mar 26:31348241241647. doi: 10.1177/00031348241241647. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38532294.

Johnson S, Annamdevula N, Rich TC, Ballard C, Leavesley SJ. High-speed fluorescence excitation-scanning hyperspectral imaging microscopy using thin-film tunable filters. Proc SPIE Int Soc Opt Eng. 2024 Jan-Feb;12846:128460B. doi: 10.1117/12.3001600. Epub 2024 Mar 12. PMID: 38577224; PMCID: PMC10989320.

Robinson TW, Gautreaux CE, Lee YL, Mbaka M, Kinnard CM, Bright AC, Williams AY, Polite NM, Capasso TJ, Simmons JD, Butts CC. Monotherapy Antibiotic Prophylaxis of Lower Extremity Long Bone Type III Open Fractures. Am Surg. 2024 Mar 29:31348241241657. doi: 10.1177/00031348241241657. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38551626.

Kar J, Cohen MV, McQuiston SA, Poorsala T, Malozzi CM. Automated segmentation of the left-ventricle from MRI with a fully convolutional network to investigate CTRCD in breast cancer patients. J Med Imaging (Bellingham). 2024 Mar;11(2):024003. doi: 10.1117/1.JMI.11.2.024003. Epub 2024 Mar 19. PMID: 38510543; PMCID: PMC10950093.

Roberts ME, Vines K, Sullivan FG, Phung T, Liles JS, Howard JH. Rescue Rates for Talimogene laherparepvec Use in Loco-Regionally Progressing Cutaneous Melanoma Refractory to PD1 Inhibition. Am Surg. 2024 Apr 2:31348241241648. doi: 10.1177/00031348241241648. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38562109.

Blackley SK, Lawrence J, Blevins A, Howell C, Butts CC, Polite NM, Capasso TJ, Bright AC, Hall KA, Haiflich AN, Williams AY, Kinnard CM, Mbaka MI, Audia JP, Simmons JD, Lee YL. A Single Hospital-Wide Antibiogram is Insufficient to Account for Differences in Antibiotic Resistance Patterns Across Multiple ICUs. Am Surg. 2024 Apr 10:31348241241636. doi: 10.1177/00031348241241636. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38597604.

Palakshappa JA, Batt JAE, Bodine SC, Connolly BA, Doles J, Falvey JR, Ferrante LE, Files DC, Harhay MO, Harrell K, Hippensteel JA, Iwashyna TJ, Jackson JC, Lane-Fall MB, Monje M, Moss M, Needham DM, Semler MW, Lahiri S, Larsson L, Sevin CM, Sharshar T, Singer B, Stevens T, Taylor SP, Gomez CR, Zhou G, Girard TD, Hough CL. Tackling Brain and Muscle Dysfunction in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Survivors: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Workshop Report. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2024 Mar 13. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202311-2130WS. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38477657.

Brandon A, Joshi T, Ahmed Z, Tahir M, Phung T, Pierce JY, Knowles K. A Rare Presentation of Lichen Sclerosus Involving the Vaginal Canal After Radiation Therapy: A Case Report and Review of the Literature. Cureus. 2023 Oct 15;15(10):e47077. doi: 10.7759/cureus.47077. PMID: 38021954; PMCID: PMC10644119.

Hart K, Thames MA, Massey AC, Capasso T, Lee YL, Mbaka M, Kinnard CM, Bright AC, Williams AY, Polite NM, Simmons JD, Butts CC. Diabetes in Trauma Patients: A Potential Gateway to a Medical Home. Am Surg. 2024 Mar 22:31348241241615. doi: 10.1177/00031348241241615. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38516800.

Khan MA, Acharya S, Anand S, Sameeta F, Pramanik P, Keel C, Singh S, Carter JE, Dasgupta S, Singh AP. MYB exhibits racially disparate expression, clinicopathologic association, and predictive potential for biochemical recurrence in prostate cancer. iScience. 2023 Nov 19;26(12):108487. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108487. PMID: 38089573; PMCID: PMC10711386.

Hernandez A, Belfleur L, Migaud M, Gassman NR. A tipping point in dihydroxyacetone exposure: mitochondrial stress and metabolic reprogramming alter survival in rat cardiomyocytes H9c2 cells. Chem Biol Interact. 2024 Apr 4;394:110991. doi: 10.1016/j.cbi.2024.110991. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38582340.

Rallo MS, Berke CN, Dyess GA, Menger RP. Medicare and Medicaid Payment to Neurosurgeons: Implications for Access to Care and Health Equity. World Neurosurg. 2024 Feb 24:S1878-8750(24)00330-9. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2024.02.117. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38561310.

Kopelman ZA, Tian C, Tumas J, Phippen NT, Tarney CM, Hope ER, Winkler SS, Jokajtys S, Kucera CW, Chan JK, Richardson MT, Kapp DS, Hamilton CA, Leath CA 3rd, Jones NL, Rocconi RP, Farley JH, Secord AA, Cosgrove CM, Powell MA, Klopp A, Walker JL, Fleming GF, Bateman NW, Conrads TP, Maxwell GL, Darcy KM. Disease progression, survival, and molecular disparities in Black and White patients with endometrioid endometrial carcinoma in real-world registries and GOG/NRG oncology randomized phase III clinical trials. Gynecol Oncol. 2024 Apr 8;183:103-114. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2024.03.026. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38593674.

Membrez M, Migliavacca E, Christen S, Yaku K, Trieu J, Lee AK, Morandini F, Giner MP, Stiner J, Makarov MV, Garratt ES, Vasiloglou MF, Chanvillard L, Dalbram E, Ehrlich AM, Sanchez-Garcia JL, Canto C, Karagounis LG, Treebak JT, Migaud ME, Heshmat R, Razi F, Karnani N, Ostovar A, Farzadfar F, Tay SKH, Sanders MJ, Lillycrop KA, Godfrey KM, Nakagawa T, Moco S, Koopman R, Lynch GS, Sorrentino V, Feige JN. Trigonelline is an NAD+ precursor that improves muscle function during ageing and is reduced in human sarcopenia. Nat Metab. 2024 Mar;6(3):433-447. doi: 10.1038/s42255-024-00997-x. Epub 2024 Mar 19. PMID: 38504132; PMCID: PMC10963276.

Shea AE, Forsyth VS, Stocki JA, Mitchell TJ, Frick-Cheng AE, Smith SN, Hardy SL, Mobley HLT. Emerging roles for ABC transporters as virulence factors in uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Apr 16;121(16):e2310693121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2310693121. Epub 2024 Apr 12. PMID: 38607934; PMCID: PMC11032443.

Alabarse PG, Oliveira P, Qin H, Yan T, Migaud M, Terkeltaub R, Liu-Bryan R. The NADase CD38 is a central regulator in gouty inflammation and a novel druggable therapeutic target. Inflamm Res. 2024 Mar 16. doi: 10.1007/s00011-024-01863-y. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38493256.

Thompson MK, Sharma N, Thorn A, Prakash A. Deciphering the crystal structure of a novel nanobody against the NEIL1 DNA glycosylase. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol. 2024 Feb 1;80(Pt 2):137-146. doi: 10.1107/S205979832400038X. Epub 2024 Jan 30. PMID: 38289715; PMCID: PMC10836396.

Hayat F, Deason JT, Bryan RL, Terkeltaub R, Song W, Kraus WL, Pluth J, Gassman NR, Migaud ME. Synthesis, Detection, and Metabolism of Pyridone Ribosides, Products of NAD Overoxidation. Chem Res Toxicol. 2024 Feb 19;37(2):248-258. doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.3c00264. Epub 2024 Jan 10. PMID: 38198686; PMCID: PMC10880730.

Haastrup MO, Vikramdeo KS, Anand S, Khan MA, Carter JE, Singh S, Singh AP, Dasgupta S. Mitochondrial Translocase TOMM22 Is Overexpressed in Pancreatic Cancer and Promotes Aggressive Growth by Modulating Mitochondrial Protein Import and Function. Mol Cancer Res. 2024 Feb 1;22(2):197-208. doi: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-23-0138. PMID: 37878010.

Kucera CW, Chappell NP, Tian C, Richardson MT, Tarney CM, Hamilton CA, Chan JK, Kapp DS, Leath CA 3rd, Casablanca Y, Rojas C, Sitler CA, Wenzel L, Klopp A, Jones NL, Rocconi RP, Farley JH, O'Connor TD, Shriver CD, Bateman NW, Conrads TP, Phippen NT, Maxwell GL, Darcy KM. Survival disparities in non-Hispanic Black and White cervical cancer patients vary by histology and are largely explained by modifiable factors. Gynecol Oncol. 2024 Feb 9;184:224-235. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2024.02.005. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38340648.

McNally L, Wu S, Hodges K, Oberley M, Wallbillich JJ, Jones NL, Herzog TJ, Thaker PH, Secord AA, Huang M. Molecular profiling of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia: Identifying therapeutic targets. Gynecol Oncol. 2024 Jan 31;184:111-116. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2024.01.033. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38301309.

Winkler SS, Tian C, Casablanca Y, Bateman NW, Jokajtys S, Kucera CW, Tarney CM, Chan JK, Richardson MT, Kapp DS, Liao CI, Hamilton CA, Leath CA 3rd, Reddy M, Cote ML, O'Connor TD, Jones NL, Rocconi RP, Powell MA, Farley J, Shriver CD, Conrads TP, Phippen NT, Maxwell GL, Darcy KM. Racial, ethnic and country of origin disparities in aggressive endometrial cancer histologic subtypes. Gynecol Oncol. 2024 Jan 25;184:31-42. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2024.01.009. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38277919.

Renema P, Pittet JF, Brandon AP, Leal SM Jr, Gu S, Promer G, Hackney A, Braswell P, Pickering A, Rafield G, Voth S, Balczon R, Lin MT, Morrow KA, Bell J, Audia JP, Alvarez D, Stevens T, Wagener BM. Tau and Aβ42 in lavage fluid of pneumonia patients are associated with end-organ dysfunction: A prospective exploratory study. PLoS One. 2024 Feb 23;19(2):e0298816. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298816. PMID: 38394060; PMCID: PMC10889620.

Wu CG, Balakrishnan VK, Merrill RA, Parihar PS, Konovolov K, Chen YC, Xu Z, Wei H, Sundaresan R, Cui Q, Wadzinski BE, Swingle MR, Musiyenko A, Chung WK, Honkanen RE, Suzuki A, Huang X, Strack S, Xing Y. B56δ long-disordered arms form a dynamic PP2A regulation interface coupled with global allostery and Jordan's syndrome mutations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Jan 2;121(1):e2310727120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2310727120. Epub 2023 Dec 27. PMID: 38150499; PMCID: PMC10769853.

Turner JM, Stratton CM, Bala S, Cardenas Alvarez M, Nicholas RA, Davies C. Ureidopenicillins Are Potent Inhibitors of Penicillin-Binding Protein 2 from Multidrug-Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae H041. ACS Infect Dis. 2024 Mar 6. doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00713. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38446051.

Tongluan N, Engström P, Jirakanwisal K, Langohr IM, Welch MD, Macaluso KR. Critical roles of Rickettsia parkeri outer membrane protein B (OmpB) in the tick host. Infect Immun. 2024 Feb 13;92(2):e0051523. doi: 10.1128/iai.00515-23. Epub 2024 Jan 11. PMID: 38206007; PMCID: PMC10863407.

Laukaitis-Yousey HJ, Macaluso KR. Cat Flea Coinfection with Rickettsia felis and Rickettsia typhi. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2024 Mar 1. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2023.0122. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38422214.

Buckley CT, Lee YL, Michele Schuler A, Langley RJ, Kutcher ME, Barrington R, Audia JP, Simmons JD. Deleterious effects of plasma-derived cellular debris in a porcine model of hemorrhagic shock. Injury. 2023 Dec 23:111300. doi: 10.1016/j.injury.2023.111300. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38160196.

Tuckey AN, Brandon A, Eslaamizaad Y, Siddiqui W, Nawaz T, Clarke C, Sutherland E, Williams V, Spadafora D, Barrington RA, Alvarez DF, Mulekar MS, Simmons JD, Fouty BW, Audia JP. Amyloid-β and caspase-1 are indicators of sepsis and organ injury. ERJ Open Res. 2024 Feb 26;10(1):00572-2023. doi: 10.1183/23120541.00572-2023. PMID: 38410714; PMCID: PMC10895426.

Lee E, Williams KJ, McCarthy C, Bridges JP, Redente EF, de Aguiar Vallim TQ, Barrington RA, Wang T, Tarling EJ. Alveolar macrophage lipid burden correlates with clinical improvement in patients with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. J Lipid Res. 2024 Feb;65(2):100496. doi: 10.1016/j.jlr.2024.100496. Epub 2024 Jan 6. PMID: 38185217; PMCID: PMC10844116.

Xian L, Hunter R, Smith E, Mohammed R, Madelaire C, Herrera GA, Shackelford RE. Metastatic Ovarian Serous Adenocarcinoma Clinically Presenting as Inflammatory Breast Cancer. Case Rep Oncol Med. 2024 Jan 10;2024:4756335. doi: 10.1155/2024/4756335. PMID: 38239272; PMCID: PMC10794072.

Tahir M, Bodies BF, Shalin S, Phung T, Myers TC, Israel R, Piris A, Knowles K. Dermal Granuloma Annulare After SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination: A Rare Complication. Cureus. 2024 Jan 12;16(1):e52174. doi: 10.7759/cureus.52174. PMID: 38344544; PMCID: PMC10859147.

Delcher HA, DeMeis JD, Ghobar N, Godang NL, Knight SL, Alqudah SY, Nguyen KN, Watters BC, Borchert GM. SARS-Cov-2 small viral RNA suppresses gene expression via complementary binding to mRNA 3' UTR. MicroPubl Biol. 2024 Jan 18;2024:10.17912/micropub.biology.000790. doi: 10.17912/micropub.biology.000790. PMID: 38312351; PMCID: PMC10835431.

Chouchane O, Schuurman AR, Reijnders TDY, Peters-Sengers H, Butler JM, Uhel F, Schultz MJ, Bonten MJ, Cremer OL, Calfee CS, Matthay MA, Langley RJ, Alipanah-Lechner N, Kingsmore SF, Rogers A, Weeghel MV, Vaz FM, van der Poll T. The Plasma Lipidomic Landscape in Patients with Sepsis due to Community-acquired Pneumonia. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2024 Jan 19. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202308-1321OC. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38240721.

Johnson SC, Annamdevula NS, Leavesley SJ, Francis CM, Rich TC. Hyperspectral imaging and dynamic region of interest tracking approaches to quantify localized cAMP signals. Biochem Soc Trans. 2024 Feb 28;52(1):191-203. doi: 10.1042/BST20230352. PMID: 38334148.

Parekh D, Lin H, Batajoo A, Peckham-Gregory E, Karri V, Stanton W, Scull B, Fleishmann R, El-Mallawany N, Eckstein OS, Prudowsky ZD, Gulati N, Agrusa JE, Ahmed AZ, Chu R, Dietz MS, Goldman SC, Hogarty MD, Imran H, Intzes S, Kim JM, Kopp LM, Levy CF, Neff P, Pillai PM, Sisk BA, Schiff DE, Trobaugh-Lotrario AD, Walkovich K, McClain KL, Allen CE. Clofarabine monotherapy in aggressive, relapsed and refractory Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Br J Haematol. 2024 Mar 19. doi: 10.1111/bjh.19376. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38501389.

Ingram J, Williams AY, Bright AC, Caleb Butts C. Use of lateral femoral cutaneous nerve blocks by landmark technique is ineffective in decreasing narcotic usage after skin grafts: A retrospective case-control study. Burns. 2024 Jan 15:S0305-4179(24)00012-3. doi: 10.1016/j.burns.2024.01.006. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38331662.

Rallo MS, Berke CN, Shaw TC, Bunch JA, Menger RP. State-to-State Variation in Medicaid Reimbursement for Neurosurgical Procedures: Implications for Healthcare Access in Vulnerable Populations. Neurosurgery. 2024 Jan 19. doi: 10.1227/neu.0000000000002823. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38240565.
Research Resources
Please be reminded of the searchable databases for Faculty Research Interests and COM/MCI Research Equipment. Both are valuable resources for COM researchers and are updated regularly. To make additions and/or changes to these databases, contact Skye Andrade in the Office of the Associate Dean for Research at skyandrade@southalabama.edu.