Showcase

If you want to determine what an animal most likely eats, their teeth are a great place to start. Depending on the diet, each type of tooth will appear different and have different properties. Herbivores are known to have molars designed to grind up ... plant matter, while carnivorous animals are associated with sharp teeth meant to tear and slice flesh effectively. But what about omnivores, like humans and many other primate species? Every tooth serves a purpose, and the information that they hold can serve as useful puzzle pieces to better understanding extinct species. The research project I am currently assisting with at the Deane Lab is focused on gathering raw data for further research on this topic. While research has already been completed concerning New World Monkeys and Apes, we believe that it would be beneficial to gather data for Old World Monkeys. In this presentation, I will discuss how teeth's properties relate to the different types of diets in animals, specifically primates. Read more

This research investigates the role of the protein Kalirin in bone health, focusing on its GEF1 domain and its impact on osteocytes--specialized bone cells essential for skeletal strength. Osteocytes act as mechanosensors, coordinating bone remodelin ... g by regulating osteoblast (bone-forming) and osteoclast (bone-degrading) activity. Prior studies in the Bruzzaniti lab show that deleting Kalirin in mice reduces bone density and disrupts cell balance, highlighting its importance in skeletal homeostasis. The project examines how Kalirin's GEF1 domain influences osteocyte morphology. Using the osteocyte-like cell line MLO-Y4, the GEF1 domain was overexpressed to study its effects on dendritic length and connectivity. Preliminary findings suggest that Kalirin promotes osteocyte connectivity, potentially enhancing the cells' ability to sense mechanical forces and regulate bone remodeling. This work advances understanding of Kalirin's molecular mechanisms in bone health and highlights its therapeutic potential for conditions like osteoporosis, where osteocyte dysfunction contributes to bone fragility. Ongoing studies explore additional Kalirin domains to further examine its role in skeletal biology. Read more

About 1 in 8 men are expected to be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. High-quality evidence from randomized-control trials has demonstrated that patient outcomes do not differ significantly between treatment and active surveillanc ... e in low and moderate-risk disease. Accurate prognostic markers are needed to identify high-risk patients. Microseminoprotein-beta (MSMB) has been studied for its potential role for predicting prostate cancer progression, but previous histologic studies have been limited by qualitative staining assessments and tissue microarray-based approaches that do not capture expression heterogeneity. Forty-seven Tissue sections from fourteen prostate cancer patients were selected with a variety of Gleason grades. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for MSMB was analyzed using QuPath, a quantitative image analysis platform. Cell type classifiers were used to distinguish normal and cancer tissues, allowing for the assessment of MSMB expression variability across similar histologic regions. MSMB expression showed marked spatial heterogeneity across tumor and normal tissue regions, reinforcing the need for whole-organ assessments. MSMB staining was absent or significantly reduced in high-grade tumor areas but sometimes exhibited high expression. There was no background staining of lymphocytes, corpora amylase, or other normal cells. Future work will focus on building prognostic models associating heterogeneity with future metastatic disease. Read more

At my internship, I had the opportunity to collaborate with a dedicated team to help translate the English INPEP Manual into Spanish. This project focused on making important educational resources accessible to the Spanish-speaking communities, ensur ... ing they could benefit from the program's guidelines and best practices. I will go over about the process of translating a specialized manual including the challenges of maintaining accuracy and clarity while also considering cultural relevance. I collaborated with other team members to ensure that the translated content was not only linguistically correct but also contextually appropriate for the intended audience. This experience allowed me to have valuable insights to teamwork, language translation, and educational program development. It also highlighted the importance of making educational resources accessible to different diverse audiences. Whether interested in the translation, peer education, or community outreach, this project shows the significance of breaking down language barriers to enhance the learning experience and opportunities for all. Read more

Project 1: We are completing a literature review of the TELE-ASD-PEDS (Telehealth Autism Assessment) post-Covid 19. We are gathering information regarding the use of the TAP including the necessity of follow-up appointments, clinician satisfaction, a ... nd population differences for use. Within this project, we have scanned scholarly articles and written summaries of the information included to best understand the use of the TAP from many different studies perspectives. Project 2: Within this project, we are looking at open-ended questions that are found on the ADOS-2 Module protocol (Autism assessment for children with complex language skills). These questions involve concepts such as relationships and feelings. There are no "right" answers to these questions, so this study is looking at the answers given, ages of children, and diagnoses given to better understand how different children respond to these questions. Project 3: We are also in charge of creating and publishing the PCIT (Parent Child Interaction Therapy) monthly newsletter. This includes newly licensed therapists, important data and training updates, as well as other helpful information for the people within this community. Read more

Right now, the wait time for an autism diagnosis at Riley Hospital for Children is about 2 years. The Indiana Early Autism Evaluation Hub system provides young children and their families across the state of Indiana access to autism evaluations withi ... n their local primary care setting. This program provides primary care physicians and clinicians (PCP) with specialized training in autism diagnosis for children 14-48 months of age. Once trained, EAE Hub PCPs conduct clinical evaluations, provide diagnostic counseling to families, and prepare a clinical report for the child's family and care team with clinical recommendations and community resources. The Early Autism Evaluation Hubs provide opportunities for children to get a diagnosis sooner, as well as resources for the families while navigating an autism diagnosis. In addition to lower wait times, having multiple locations across the state allows families who are unable to travel to get the care they need for their child. The data we collect from our hubs help us ensure that families are receiving thorough and consistent care across the state and helps our team to identify areas we can improve to better support the patients and families and the PCPs in our network Read more

Polymerase Chain Reaction or PCR is a process where a small segment of DNA can be duplicated millions of times very rapidly using an enzyme called DNA polymerase and temperature cycling. DNA fluorescence in situ hybridization or simply DNA FISH is a ... process in which a certain segment of DNA is marked with fluorescent tags. By combining these techniques, a certain DNA segment that has been duplicated by PCR can be measured more accurately because the segment was highlighted by DNA FISH. These methods make it easier to visualize and study specific parts of DNA within cells, helping scientists better understand genetic diseases. Read more

As a Project ECHO intern, I support programs focused on HIV and LGBTQ+ health by assisting with session preparation and follow-up. My responsibilities include managing attendance, compiling case presentations, and utilizing REDCap and Marketing Cloud ... to organize data and communications. For this showcase, I have compiled a mock case presentation to demonstrate how Project ECHO facilitates knowledge-sharing between healthcare providers. This presentation highlights the structured case-based learning approach used in ECHO sessions, where experts and community clinicians collaborate to improve patient care. It also showcases Project ECHO's unique "all teach, all learn" model, which creates a collaborative space where everyone contributes knowledge and gains new insights. Visitors will gain insight into the behind-the-scenes coordination that makes these sessions effective and impactful. Read more

My project focuses on furthering understanding of court-ordered treatment from the past research literature, as well as a large sample of individuals with Early Phase Psychotic illness (EPP). We will use a large, multisite dataset in which we collect ... ed demographic and legal information on participants in a EPP Learning Health System, Academic Community Early Psychosis Intervention Network (AC-EPINET). The purpose of this research project is to better understand not only how many people with EPP run into problems with the law, but also possible correlate of these difficulties. Understanding these rates and associated relationships is important in order to ultimately explore whether treatment can improve outcomes such as symptoms and recidivism with legal issues. Read more

The mission of my internship is to identify direct images of patients and patient records. To elaborate, I will be determining the normal developmental changes in marrow composition. Marrow composition is the process of when bones harden to become st ... ronger. This is detected using dual energy composition. Dual energy composition is a CT scan using two different X-ray energy levels to see how the body absorbs radiation at each level. What we hope will happen is that it is possible to use less high-energy scans and MRI scans, especially on children, so the process is less complex. Read more