Wichita State News: Chemistry

Professor studies causes, prevention of Parkinson's

Fri, 1 Feb 2013 09:09:00 CST

On the fourth floor of Wichita State University's McKinley Hall, biochemistry professor Kandatege Wimalasena and his group of doctoral and undergraduate students are hard at work researching Parkinson's disease (PD) – the second-most common neurodegenerative disease, affecting 1 to 2 percent of people older than 60.

Wimalasena, a native of Sri Lanka, has spent the past several years focusing his research on PD, hoping to help identify a way to target the underlying causes of the disease.

Wimalasena believes his studies will identify molecular causes and eventually lead to the development of effective preventive and therapeutic strategies for Parkinson's.

With more than 50,000 new cases diagnosed in the United States each year, Wimalasena believes that ongoing Parkinson's research is vital.

About Parkinson's

Parkinson's is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system. The motor symptoms of PD result from the death of dopamine-generating cells in the substantia nigra, a region of the midbrain. The cause of this cell death is unknown.

Although L-Dopa is currently used to improve PD symptoms, there is no drug on the market that helps the causes of Parkinson's.

Wimalasena said the prevention of cell death is essential to protecting the aging population from PD. That's why the cause of the specific degeneration has been such a strong focus.

"Although considerable advances have been made, a comprehensive integration of the various risk factors has not been successful," he said.

Wimalasena said the most commonly accepted view is that the exposure to environmental factors and toxins, together with cumulative defects in protective mechanisms, may be the cause of Parkinson's. Although many examples of environmental factors have been identified, there is one toxic molecule – referred to as MPP+ - that has garnered the most attention from researchers, including Wimalasena and his students.

"Since the MPP+ model is the current gold standard for PD research and pharmacological therapeutics development, a proper understanding of its mechanism of specific toxicity to dopamine cells is of prime importance," he said.

Understanding neuro-degeneration

In the past several years, Wimalasena's lab has gathered strong evidence to contradict the proposed mechanism for MPP+ toxicity. His lab is in the process of collecting the data to formulate a previously unknown mechanism.

One of the things Wimalasena has discovered in his lab is a group of commonly used industrial chemicals with structures similar to MPP+ that are about 1,000 times more toxic.

The comparative studies of these toxins will not only allow them to further understand the causes of neuro-degeneration, but also to identify the characteristics of environmental toxins that are responsible for Parkinson's and other neuro-degenerative diseases.

Wimalasena's lab has also discovered two different sets of compounds that protect dopamine cells affected by MPP+ toxicity. He believes these compounds could be further developed to treat and/or to prevent Parkinson's.

Viet Le

One of the doctoral students involved in this research with Wimalasena is Viet Le, who has been working in the lab since 2005.

"Having had the opportunity to work in research as an undergraduate and a graduate student, the experiences were very valuable," Le said. "It has allowed me to develop my critical thinking skills and learn many different lab techniques. I was able to apply what I learned in the research lab and classrooms to the labs that I taught for 10 semesters and in real-life situations."

Le has won numerous student teaching and research awards, and he credits working with Wimalasena for that success.

"Dr. Wimalasena has given me endless amount of support on my research projects," Le said. "He has helped me at every stage, from discussing what I need to take my research projects to the next step, to presenting my results. I believe that he, and my lab mates, are the most significant people in influencing the success of my Ph.D. All of those will help on my resume when I graduate."

Wichita State researcher focuses on how cancer spreads

Thu, 8 Nov 2012 14:00:00 CST

Through her research at Wichita State University, assistant chemistry professor Moriah Beck hopes to understand how cancer cells spread and become fatal.

Her research involves the analysis of a critical protein called palladin, which is produced in large amounts in highly mobile cells. The question: How does palladin stimulate cancer cells to spread?

"Ultimately we hope to translate this knowledge into new strategies for detecting and eliminating cells that are undergoing the transition to metastasis before they have the opportunity to migrate throughout the body and eventually cause death," Beck said.

Beck isn't doing this vital research alone. Her team includes WSU graduate students Ritu Gurung, Joe Brungardt and Ravi Vattepu; and undergraduate students Ty Dille, Erik Wong, Chamitha Weeraman, Nicholas Wasinger and Crystal Ratcliff-Amarasekara.

Scientists from Kansas State University, University of Kansas, University of Virginia, Washington University and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill are also collaborating with Beck's team.

Beck, who came to Wichita State last year from UNC-Chapel Hill, was awarded two grants for her research in 2011.

"As a structural biologist/biochemist, I bring a complementary set of scientific tools to help understand this novel protein's function," she said.

Valuable student experience

Beck began her research on the palladin protein during her post-doctorate at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she collaborated with Carol Otey, who discovered palladin in 2000.

Because the protein is a recent discovery, not much is known about its function in either normal or metastatic cells. But there is a growing body of evidence linking palladin to highly metastatic cancers, Beck said, namely pancreatic and breast.

Cancer metastasis starts with the invasive movement of cells into surrounding tissues, allowing the tumor cells to spread to other organs. This migration is primarily driven by a protein called actin – one of the most abundant proteins in our cells.

"We hope to define how actin is controlled by palladin at the molecular level and how that control is involved in increased cell motility," Beck said. "Establishing the role of palladin will enable us to better appreciate the role of palladin in cancer metastasis."

Beck said that along with start-up funds from the university and grant opportunities, the most important resource to her project is the ability to attract motivated students interested in carrying out biochemical research.

The students taking part in the project benefit greatly from their involvement, Beck said. For graduate students, working in the lab makes up a large part of their dissertation research. And for undergraduate students, most also get class credit for independent research.

"I think that this type of research experience is very valuable for providing the students with an authentic lab experience -- one where all the experiments aren't going to work the first time, and you don't just follow a protocol," she said. "They learn valuable skills in troubleshooting, organization, planning and communication.

Beck said this type of experience will serve the students well in any career, but it is especially relevant for jobs in the scientific sector.

"I think they leave the lab with a great deal more confidence in their abilities as well as in their career choice," she said.

For more information on Beck's research, go to www.becklaboratory.com/Moriah/Home.html.

Faculty, staff news update: August/September 2012

Fri, 5 Oct 2012 14:33:00 CST

Academe welcomes news from WSU faculty and staff about research, teaching and service activities. This column recognizes grants, honors, awards, presentations and publications, new appointments, new faculty, sabbaticals, retirements and deaths of our current and former colleagues.

Ted Ayres, vice president and general counsel, was an invited participant in the symposium "Gathering at the School House Gate: 40 Years of Landmark School Speech Cases" relative to his involvement in the Widmar v. Vincent decision of the U.S. Supreme Court. The symposium, Sept. 20-21, was hosted by the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law and the UMKC Law Review.

Amy Baker, assistant professor, musical theatre, won the Mary Jane Teall Theatre Award in September for Choreography for "Honk!" at Music Theatre of Wichita.

Ed Baker, associate professor, and Danette Baker, adjunct faculty, theatre, were awarded the Ruth McCormick Theatre Educator of the Year Award at the Mary Jane Teall Theatre Awards in September.

Daniel Bergman, assistant professor, curriculum and instruction, was elected as Kansas Association of Teachers of Science KATS vice president for 2012-2013.

Catherine Bohn-Gettler, assistant professor, counseling, educational leadership, educational and school psychology, recently presented "Tracking causal information during reading comprehension" at the annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading. She also presented "The interplay between mood and working memory on inference generation" at the annual meeting of the Society for Text and Discourse, both in Montreal, Canada.

Jason Flanders, manager, scene shop, theatre, had his first gallery showing at the Aviary Gallery in Wichita during the Sept. 28 Final Friday gallery crawl.

Angela Gaughn has been hired by the Center for Community Support and Research as support group project specialist for the center to promote its support group database across Kansas.

Alicia Huckstadt, graduate program coordinator, and Amy McClintock, administrative specialist, nursing, applied to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and were accepted for a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The HRSA Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship Grant is for almost $350,000 this year and comes with a recommendation for the same amount next year. The program supports training students to become primary care nurse practitioners.

John Paul Johnson, professor, music education, has been chosen to represent North America as an adjudicator at the National Christian Universities Choir Competition held in Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia from Oct. 15-22. Choirs from private universities throughout Indonesia will travel throughout the country to perform for five adjudicators representing Asia, Europe, Africa, South and North America.

Bret Jones, director, theatre, will have his play "THEBES City" presented by Fly By Night Theatre Company as part of its 2012-2013 Season. For details, go to www.flybynighttheatre.com/season.html.

Charles L. Martin, professor, marketing and entrepreneurship, traveled to Lahore, Pakistan in July to participate as keynote speaker in the Second International Conference on Contemporary Issues in Business Management. More than 300 participants from around the world and from cross-business disciplines attended the event held at the Pearl Continental Hotel and the University of Central Punjab. The keynote address by Martin, "What Goes Around Comes Around: Business Thinking As Cyclical Phenomena," focused on the roles that cycles play in business planning, forecasting and human (buyer) behavior.

Katherine Mason, assistant professor, curriculum and instruction, recently co-published "Locating queer community in award-winning LGBTQ-themed young adult literature (2005-2010)" in The ALAN Review.

Betty Monroe, professor, costume design and technical theatre, had her article "Stereotypes in Theatre Costumes: A Blessing or a Curse?" published in the 2012 International Fashion and Costume Conference's Publication.

Sara Muzzy has been promoted to associate director of the Office of Cooperative Education and Work-Based Learning.

David Neville, associate professor, design and technical theatre, won the Mary Jane Teall Theatre Award for Lighting Design for "Fiddler on the Roof" at Music Theatre of Wichita.

Fletcher Powell, producer, KMUW 89.1, has received a 2012 High Plains Media Award from the American Cancer Society for an October 2011 story about doctors beginning to focus on patients after their traditional treatments are complete, focusing on breast cancer survivorship. Winners were chosen from several categories, including magazine, newspaper, television, radio and online.

Priscilla Ridgway, community and organizational researcher, Center for Community Support and Research, published a piece in the National Recovery to Practice Initiative Newsletter discussing spirituality and recovery from prolonged psychiatric disorder. A longer report by Ridgway and peer specialist educator Lael Ewy on the topic was recently released. The document, Report of a Statewide Spirituality and Mental Health Recovery Summit, is available upon request from priscilla.ridgway@wichita.edu.

Michael Rogers, chair, professor and research director, Center for Physical Activity and Aging, presented "Effective exercise interventions for active aging" and "Falling Less in Kansas: Preventing falls in rural older adults" at a Sedgwick County conference in Wichita called Positive Aging: Protect your health, wealth and self.

Donna Sayman, assistant professor, curriculum and instruction, recently published "My journey into qualitative research." In J.M. Meloy (Ed.). Twenty-first Century Learning by Doing (3rd. ed.)

Donna Sayman, curriculum and instruction; Mark Vermillion, sport management; and Catherine Bohn-Gettler and Craig Elliott, counseling, educational leadership, educational and school psychology, recently completed a two-year, on-line "bootcamp" workshop offered by the WSU Media Resource Center. These faculty members used their training to revise and develop online courses for their departments.

Nick Taylor, a 2007 graduate of the Sport Management master's program in the College of Education and a lecturer in the department of sport management, won a gold medal in tennis at the Paralympics in London on Sept. 5. Taylor and doubles partner David Wagner of Oregon, have won two previous gold medals in Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008) in quad doubles wheelchair tennis.

Susan Unruh, assistant professor, and Nancy McKellar, associate professor, counseling, educational and school psychology, recently wrote "Evolution, Not Revolution: School Psychologists' Changing Practices in Determining Specific Learning Disabilities." It has been accepted for publication in the journal Psychology in the Schools.

Sabrina Vasquez, faculty, dance, is the recipient of the Dorothy Johansen Hauck Faculty Fellow in Dance and Musical Theatre.

Gayle Veltman, coordinator of testing, Counseling and Testing Center, was recently awarded the 2012 President's Award from the National College Testing Association. The award recognizes NCTA members who contributed to the organization in the preceding year through service on a standing committee, working on the Annual Conference Committee, or participating in a special NCTA project.

Eric Wilson, instructor and outreach coordinator, Elliott School of Communication, was interviewed by fellow ESC alum Marc LaVoie for KFDI News' "At Issue" program. Wilson talked about how the media has changed and about the Elliott School. To listen to the interview, go to http://www.kfdi.com/podcasts/news/atissue/170886071.html.

NEW FACULTY 2012
Please welcome new faculty to campus; for more information, go to http://www.wichita.edu/j/?1842.

SERVICE AWARDS 2012
Please congratulate faculty and staff who have been honored for their years of service or as Benders of Twigs; for more information, go to http://www.wichita.edu/j/?1860.

RETIREES 2012
Please offer good wishes to faculty and staff who have recently retired; for more information, go to http://www.wichita.edu/j/?1859.

IN MEMORIAM
Carol L. Johnson Harding, 74, retired, Physical Plant, died May 24. Services have been held. Survivors include brothers Walter L. Davis, Tracy A. Davis and Melvin E. Tipton; sisters Maxine J. Davis, Elaine Brashears and Joyce J. Henderson.

Anthrax vaccine is WSU professor, students' goal

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:25:00 CST

Through his and others' research, Wichita State University associate chemistry professor Jim Bann has developed a protein in his WSU lab that has the potential to save the lives of future anthrax victims.

Bann was recently awarded a patent concerning the protein, which could someday be used as an anthrax vaccine or anti-toxin.

The patent is the result of research conducted by Bann, WSU undergraduate and graduate students and formerly Harvard University's R. John Collier, a leader in anthrax research.

While Bann is leading WSU's research on the topic, the students who are involved are getting a unique hands-on experience.

"The research we do is largely through the efforts of WSU students, who are so incredibly talented," he said. "My hope is that students who are interested and participate in this research, now and in the future, will continue toward a career in research, trying to improve the quality of human life through their own creativity. Then we would all benefit."

WSU graduate student Alex Williams, a native of Towanda, Kan., said his time as a student helped prepare him for his work in Bann's lab and on this project.

"Working on this research project has given me a unique experience, allowing myself to fully incorporate the knowledge I have acquired from WSU and apply it to a hypothesis-driven research project," Williams said. "The fact that it has wider applications, such as an anthrax vaccine, allows me to feel as if I was benefiting all of humanity instead of just myself."

'POTENTIALLY LIFE-SAVING'

Bann became involved in this research in early 2005. He wanted to understand how one of the components of the anthrax toxin – a protective antigen – made a pore inside of animal and human cells. The pore is essential in making anthrax toxic.

Bann's research group decided to test a hypothesis by incorporating an amino acid called fluorohistidine into the protective antigen. The result of the research showed that key steps in the process of toxicity became blocked, protecting cells from the lethal effects of the toxin.

The patent that Bann received protects the idea of using fluorohistidine as a therapeutic against anthrax, and anyone wanting to use the idea would require a license from Wichita State. If it were to become commercially available, WSU would obtain a share of the profits from the sale.

But, Bann said, that is still a long way off.

"We are still at the beginning," he said.

MOVING FORWARD

Bann is planning to work with the University of Kansas' Russ Middaugh, an expert in protective antigen vaccine formulation, to determine whether this could be useful as a vaccine and as an antitoxin.

Bann said his research team's findings have the potential to make a big impact on the effects of anthrax.

"The fluorohistidine protective antigen can potentially be used to treat anthrax during an infection," he said. "Right now, there is no treatment that's directed at the toxin. The toxin is really what's responsible for the death that occurs only a few days after exposure. So, it could potentially be life-saving in the event of an anthrax attack."

For more information, contact Bann at (316) 978-7373 or jim.bann@wichita.edu.

Faculty chemist in video, exercise scientist in news

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 14:53:00 CST

Faculty/staff news update fall 2010

Francis D'Souza, professor, chemistry, and his research group are featured along with their collaborator, Osamu Ito, professor, from Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan, in a video of the American Chemical Society, the leading publisher in chemical sciences. The video highlights their research on the application of carbon nanotube hybrid materials for light energy harvesting applications. It can be viewed at http://www.wichita.edu/j/?706 and the related perspective article can be found at http://www.wichita.edu/j/?707.

Michael Rogers, professor and chair, human performance studies, director of the Center for Physical Fitness and Aging, was quoted in the Sept. 15 New York Times story "Staying on Balance, with the Help of Exercises" at http://www.wichita.edu/j/?714. He was also quoted in the Sept. 28 Wichita Eagle story "Life in Balance" at http://www.wichita.edu/j/?724.

Faculty chemist in video, exercise scientist in news

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 14:45:00 CST

Faculty/staff news update fall 2010

Wichita State awarded more than $880,000 by National Science Foundation

Tue, 6 Oct 2009 10:17:01 CST

Wichita State University has been awarded more than $880,000 as part of a $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation that will further establish Kansas as an internationally recognized leader in global climate change and renewable energy research.

The five-year award is for the Kansas NSF EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research), a statewide program that includes WSU and other major Kansas research universities. It will provide a fresh integrative approach to address climate change and renewable energy challenges.

The grant is a multi-institutional, multi-sector effort that will link four universities: WSU, the University of Kansas, Kansas State University and Haskell Indian Nations University.

It will also include three Kansas-based companies: Abengoa Bioenergy, MGP Ingredients and Nanoscale; and two out-of-state companies: ADM (Illinois) and Netcrystals (California).

The initiative will also be supported by $4 million in matching funds from KU, K-State and Kansas Technology Enterprise Corp.

WSU faculty and staff who are involved in the research project include chemistry professor Francis D'Souza; industrial and manufacturing engineering professor Janet Twomey; chemistry professor Paul Rillema; biological sciences associate professor Mark Schneegurt; mathematics and statistics associate professor Chunsheng Ma; and electrical engineering and computer science assistant professor Bin Tang.

David McDonald

David McDonald, associate provost for research at WSU, said all the projects WSU is involved with revolve around exploring new sources of energy and investigating sustainability.

The project will focus on several critical issues in the development of solar-based renewable energy, with the overall goal to establish a critical energy research infrastructure.

Another goal is to allow Kansas to become a key leader in research that addresses global challenges, said Kristin Bowman-James, principal investigator and project director of Kansas' EPSCoR program.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for the state of Kansas," she said. "With this funding, we will be able to harness the talents of researchers across the state to address two major issues of society today – climate change and renewable energy – under the umbrella of a single integrated initiative."

About 40 scientists are involved in the collaborative consortium, representing a vast array of disciplines, including agronomy, anthropology, computer science, economics, geography, mathematics, sociology, engineering, biology, chemistry and physics.

EPSCoR is a federal program that targets states that have traditionally been underfunded in the sciences and engineering. For more information on NSF EPSCoR, go to http://www.nsfepscor.ku.edu/.

Note to editors: News releases on the NSF EPSCoR grant are being distributed simultaneously by several of the institutions. This release has specific information regarding Wichita State.

World traveler Sarah Anderson lands at WSU

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:08:22 CST

Two questions Sarah Anderson said she gets asked most frequently about living in Alaska are, "Wow really? Is it true that it's covered in snow year 'round?" and "Weren't you cold?"

Anderson, a Wichita State University senior, is one of the few students on campus, if not the only, who can say she has lived as far from Wichita as Anchorage, Alaska and Okinawa, Japan. Anderson's family moved around frequently because her father was in the Air Force.

Since being born in Riverside, Calif., Anderson has lived in two countries and seven states including Colorado, Arizona, Minnesota and now Kansas. She came to Wichita to be with her fiance, Ben Shipman, whom she plans to marry in the next few years.

Since becoming a Shocker, she has enjoyed Wichita State's campus and the people.

"There are a lot of great instructors at WSU who deserve recognition for their incredible passion in their fields," she said. "They really made class fun and full of life, and I was always looking forward to the next class period."

Anderson said a few of her favorite teachers include Ronald Matson, associate professor and chairman of the sociology department, Hussein Hamdeh, professor of physics, and Richard Spilman, associate professor of English.

Anderson is a lover of math and science, which explains her choice in a major of biology and a minor in chemistry. Beyond school work she considers herself an avid reader, and enjoys being out in nature and spending time with family, friends and her seven pets.

"I love animals. I have three cats, two gerbils, one rabbit and one chinchilla," she said. "My pets mean a great deal to me."

During the six months she spent in Alaska, she most enjoyed seeing the northern lights, being blanketed in a record winter snowfall of 111.5 inches and frequently spotting moose in her backyard.

"I love telling people about the places I've been," she said. "I'm so glad I grew up as an Air Force brat and was fortunate enough to travel."

Transitioning from place to place hasn't been too difficult for Anderson because she's done it many times, but the trip from Alaska to Kansas was possibly the most difficult move given it was her first time to travel alone.

When she arrived, she noticed two major differences: a lack of snow and a strong gust of wind.

"Kansas has some of the strangest windstorms I have ever seen, and it seems like it's always windy here," Anderson said. "I sure do miss the snowcapped mountains and trees."

Anderson is planning to complete her bachelor's degree in biology within the next year and afterward hopes to work as a veterinarian technician.