Current metrc research Projects
Collaborative Research Projects
Pilot Projects
Clinical Research Proects
Collaborative Research Projects
Collaborative Research Projects have been awarded $150,000. Conducted by seasoned scientists, the projects show promise for productive scientific discovery and extramural funding.
Waldemar Popik
Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine and
Center for AIDS Health Disparities Research
Mechanism of HIV-1 Infection of Urinary Podocytes in HIVAN
Podocytes, cells in the kidney that help filter blood, do not have the same molecules
on them that HIV uses to infect other cells, yet HIV patients with a certain genetic
mutation suffer from rapid kidney failure. This project has shown how HIV can still
damage the kidneys of these patients, overwhelmingly African American, and is working
on refining a way to detect the genetic mutation using urine instead of a kidney biopsy
in order to make early diagnosis easier.
Role of Autophagy in HIVAN pathogenesis
While HIV may be able to use a trick of the immune system to enter kidney cells without
actually infecting them (see Mechanism of HIV-1 Infection of Urinary Podocytes in
HIVAN above), it may also use what is called an 'accessory protein' to make kidney
cells self-destruct. This study is trying to define how this happens so that a drug
might be designed to stop kidney damage in HIV patients.
Xinhong Dong
Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology and
Member, Center for AIDS Health Disparities Research
A Novel Target for Developing Anti-HIV Inhibitors
HIV hijacks proteins in the patient's cells and uses them to make virus copies. This
project is looking for a way to interfere with how the virus uses a specific human
protein to actually build more copies.
Donald Alcendor
Assistant Professor, Microbiology and Immunology and
Member, Center for AIDS Health Disparities Research
In vitro model for the effects of BV on vaginal epithelium HIV infectivity
Public health researchers have known for a long time that women with bacterial vaginosis,
a condition in which the normal balance of bacteria in the vagina become unbalanced,
leading to an infection, are at a higher risk of acquiring HIV. This study is revealing
how a few specific species of bacteria disrupt the vaginal immune system, making it
easier for HIV to get past the body's natural defenses.
Hua Xie
Professor, Department of Oral Biology and
Member, Center for AIDS Health Disparities Research
Prevalence and correlation of Porphyromonas gingivalis and Streptococcus cristatus
This project explores how two different bacteria common in the mouth interact. Porphyromonas
gingivalis is a bacterium responsible for gingivitis, a condition in which the gums
and bones around the teeth become infected, ending in tooth loss. Streptococcus cristatus
creates a chemical that makes it difficult for P. gingivalis to group together below
the gumline and might be used to prevent the development of gingivitis.
Bindong Liu
Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine and
Center for AIDS Health Disparities Research
Characterizing GBV-C E2 protein for anti-HIV drug design
A harmless virus, called GBV, shares many characteristics with HIV but without causing
disease. This project is trying to control GBV so that it might be used to deliver
drugs straight to cells that HIV infects. This would make treatment more effective
and less expensive and have fewer side effects.
Pius N. Nde
Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Molecular mechanism of cardiac fibrosis induced by Trypanosoma cruzi infection
Typanosoma cruzi is a parasite common to South and Central America and has been making
appearances in the United States. The parasite causes Chagas Disease, a condition
in which many patients die of heart failure. This research has discovered a protein
produced by the parasite that damages the heart. This discovery may lead to a way
to interfere with that protein.
Stephania T. Miller-Hughes
Associate Professor, Department of Surgery
Community Partnership to Reduce the Diabetes/Obesity Burden among African American
Women in Nashville, TN
Working with Mt. Zion Baptist Church and the Full Circle Healthy Community Coalition,
this project plans to test a peer-support technique to help women with very little
time for themselves better manage their weight and Type 2 diabetes.
Stella Nowicki
Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
CD55, Vitamin D3, and Race in Preterm Labor
Preterm labor, associated with increased infant death, affects about 12 percent of
pregnant women in the U.S. and occurs more often in minority women, especially among
African American women in Nashville. This study is exploring a link between hormones
dependent upon Vitamin D and preterm labor. Results may indicate that proper nutrition
or Vitamin D supplements could alleviate preterm labor.
Pilot Projects have been provided $50,000 in seed money and, with exploration, may
lead to collaborative research.
Smita Misra
Instructor, School of Graduate Studies and Research
Racial Disparity in Breast Cancer Due to Disregulation of BRCA2 Expression
The gene BRCA2 has been shown in recent years to have a significant influence on breast
cancer. Mutations in the gene, most common in African American women, are associated
with aggressive cancers. This work has identified a protein overproduced as a result
of these mutations and suggests that it is causing the aggressive cancers. If the
details of this protein can be understood, new drugs might be able to stop its effects.
L. Leon Dent
Associate Professor, Department of Surgery
Comparative Genomic Sequencing in Multi-Resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii Phenotypes
Taking advantage of the cutting edge Proteomics Core of the MeTRC, this project has
identified the genetic sequences of several kinds of drug-resistant bacteria, which
might help identify their origin and better ways to treat them.
Xinhong Dong
Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and
Member, Center for AIDS Health Disparities Research
The role of Gag-AP-3 interaction in HIV-1 target cells
HIV must go through several biochemical steps to force an infected cell to make a
copy of the virus. One of these steps takes the new virus copy to the cell surface
where it will be released into the body. This project is identifying how viral proteins
interact with human ones to accomplish this. Once identified, small pieces of proteins,
called peptides, can be designed that might stop the cell from carrying new virus
copies to its surface.
Donald Alcendor
Assistant Professor, Microbiology and Immunology and
Member, Center for AIDS Health Disparities Research
Pericytes and Cytomegalovirus Neuropathology in Congenital Disease
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a virus that is associated with the vast majority of congenital
diseases and is most common among minority and low-income populations. This research
has identified several genes in cells of the blood-brain barrier that CMV seems to
change, which may result in birth defects.
Pandu Gangula
Associate Professor, Department of Physiology
Racial/ethnicity differences on Vitamin D, Nitric Oxide synthesis & function in pre
& postmenopausal and women vasculature
Vitamin D is used in many ways to keep the body healthy and is related to hormone
production and fluctuation in women. This research is showing how low levels of vitamin
D, common among African American women, may be contributing to the hypertension more
commonly diagnosed among black women than white women.
Anthony Archibong
Associate Professor, Department of Physiology
Female fertility preservation using peripheral blood stem cells
Many cancers that occur in women of reproductive age often result in infertility after
treatment with chemo or radiation therapy. This project is exploring if the use of
peripheral blood stem cells, a non-embryonic source of stem cells, can help protect
women from, or repair, the effects of cancer treatment on fertility.
Chandravanu Dash
Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Cancer Biology and
Center for AIDS Health Disparities Research
Proteomics analysis of HIV-1 Preintegration Complexes (PICs)
As antiretroviral drugs keep HIV patients alive longer, we see the rise of drug-resistant
HIV. In order to keep ahead of these mutations in the virus, new ways of using drugs
to interfere with the virus's reproduction cycle must be developed. Working with MeTRC's
cutting edge Proteomics core facility, this project is identifying proteins used by
the virus to insert itself into human DNA. Once identified, drugs might be designed
to stop this process.
Sylvie Akohoue
Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine
A comprehensive approach to Type 2 diabetes self-management for low-income women
This study is testing a self-management program coupled with a dedicated liaison to
help keep diabetic women on track with exercise and diet to control their Type 2 diabetes.
Kushal Patel
A questionnaire to assess biospecimen donation among African Americans
Nationwide, the availability of blood and tissue specimens from African Americans
is very low, preventing critical research to improve the health of black communities.
This project looks to identify attitudes among African Americans that negatively impact
donating tissue for research.
Uma Rao
Coping with Interpersonal Violence in African American Women
Research indicates that African American women have an unusually high risk of interpersonal
violence, often resulting in symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder and
having the same devastating effects on the ability to function well in daily life.
This project looks to identify what biological factors help some women overcome these
traumatic events more quickly than others, and how these affect coping mechanisms.
Amos Sakwe
Evaluation of calcium sensing receptor variants as prognostic markers for aggressive
breast cancer
The most aggressive types of breast cancer occur most frequently in young African
American women. These kinds of cancer are very difficult to treat, and identifying
them early often improves the outcome of the disease. This research is looking at
a unique chemical that might be used to identify early on if a woman has this kind
of cancer.
Anil Shanker
Improving adoptive immunotherapy in breast cancer
The body continuously tries to control the appearance of cancer, and cancerous cells
continuously try to suppress the body's immune system. This research is attempting
to stop tumor cells with a one-two drug punch. One treatment makes the cancer cells
easier for the body to kill, and another treatment amps up the body's cancer killing
cells.
Chandrasekhar Thota
Impact of Oral Microbes on Pregnancy Outcomes in African American and Caucasian Women
This study, funded by a special American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) supplement
to the MeTRC program, seeks to define how bacteria living in the mouth can get into
the bloodstream and negatively impact pregnancy. Preterm labor is a significant problem
among African American women, and oral health may play a part in this disparity.
Tultul Nayyar
Ovarian hormones and β-arrestin1 during major depression in reproductive women
This project focuses on the influence of female hormone fluctuations on the development
of major depressive disorder, which is more common in women than men. Identifying
which hormones have the largest affect may help refine treatment options.
Chandrasekhar Thota
Instructor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Impact of Oral Microbes on Pregnancy Outcomes in African American and Caucasian Women
Sunil Halder
Instructor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Molecular Determinants of Green Tea Nonresponsiveness
Yong Cui
Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medline
Risk of concurrent use of herbs & conventional drugs in breast cancer patients
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