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Boise State has seen significant growth in external funding for research and sponsored projects. In the past fiscal year, BSU received the highest one-year total in the university’s history—a record $24.2 million for research and sponsored projects. Some areas of research at the BRC are: Alzheimer’s Disease: Causes of Cell Death Infectious Disease: Vaccine Development Breast Cancer: Molecular Basis of Tumor Progression Immune System and Inflammation Neural Development and Rett Syndrome Drug Development: Cancer Chemotherapeutics Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases Programmable Molecular Rearrangement Processes
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Alzheimer’s Disease: Causes of Cell Death
The fluorescent markers indicate the
presence in neural astrocytes of fragments resulting from the activity of
executioner caspases, which are active in the beginnings of the apoptosis that
will, in the long term, result in dementia. |
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Infectious Disease: Vaccine Development
Bacterial enterotoxins are potent mucosal
immune stimulators. Boise State researchers are fusing the non-toxic subunit of
Cholera Toxin to a protein from a pathogen of interest to create a mucosal
vaccine. Under development are potential vaccines against Vibrio cholerae,
Helicobacter pylori and Yersinia pestis. Vaccines also have the
potential to fight autoimmune disease and cancer. |
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Breast Cancer: Molecular Basis of Tumor Progression
Studies to understand the process of cancer
metastasis at the molecular level are essential in developing effective
treatments and detection methods. Work at Boise State indicates that Oncostatin
M facilitates angiogenesis and metastasis, an observation that is likely to
change the present view of this compound as a potential therapeutic drug. |
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Immune System and Inflammation
BSU researchers study how regulators of the
immune system contribute to the pathogenesis of asthma. β-adrenergic agonists
found in common asthma medications alter the regulation in asthma subjects
compared to healthy control subjects. |
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Dr. William Knowlton, Dr. Byung Kim
Boise State is home to three Atomic Force
Microscopes; two housed in Materials Science Engineering and one in Physics.
They are integral to interdisciplinary research at Boise State into the
development of biomaterials and nanotechnology. |
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Dr. Tomoko Fujiwara
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Neural Development and Rett Syndrome Dr. Julia Oxford, Dr. Troy Rohn, Sorcha Yingst, M.S.
BSU researchers are examining the role of
methylated DNA-binding proteins as a cause of the insufficiency in neuronal
maturation that is manifest as Rett Syndrome. |
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Drug Development: Cancer Chemotherapeutics
Dr. Henry Charlier,
Dr. Susan Shadle,
Anthracyclines are cancer chemotherapeutics
that have irreversible, cumulative cardiotoxic side effects. Structural analogs
of anthracylcines with reduced cardiotoxicity are being developed at Boise
State. Basic research into the mechanism of
cardiotoxicity includes focus on enzymatic pathways and on calcium regulation by
calsequestrin in the heart. These efforts may lead to prevention of
cardiotoxicity. |
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Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases
Extracellular matrix assembly and
organization is key in biological materials structure and function. Age-related
changes to the composition and organization of cartilage contribute to
arthritis; changes in the vitreous of the eye may lead to retinal detachment and
lens cataracts. |
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Programmable Molecular Rearrangement Processes
There are numerous examples in cellular biology. Dr.
Scheeper's current project is an investigation of gene scrambling in
hypotrichous ciliates. Potential applications include new computing technology,
and construction of nano-robots. |
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