March 2016
Vol. 13 | No. 3


Two MIP Students Named to Inaugural Group of VPR Fellows

The Office of the Vice President for Research (VPR) recently created a Graduate Fellows Program at CSU to support excellence in graduate research and to promote interdisciplinary by bringing together outstanding students from across the institution. Fellows receive scholarship and travel support - as well as opportunities to engage in a variety of professional development workshops.  We are thrilled to announce that two MIP students were named among the inaugural group of twelve VPR Fellows:

Lauren Radakovich
The Role of Iron Dysregulation in the Development of Knee Arthritis in Obesity

Watch her presentation here

Kristen Davenport
The Case of Misbehaving Proteins

Watch her presentation here

Congratulations to Lauren and Kristen!


Dr. Gregg Dean reappointed to a sceond term as MIP Dept head

Congratulations Gregg!

Drs. Eckstein and Inamine Retire After 46 Combined Years of Service

A retirement reception was held on Monday March 28th to honor Torsten and Julia’s careers and many contributions to the Department’s mission over the decades.  In addition to their research programs in the MRL, Julia’s undergraduate teaching contributions as well as her administrative work over the years will always be remembered.  Torsten was instrumental in getting the Micro MS-B Program up and running and setting up a novel ongoing model of Johne’s disease in goats.  They will both be sorely missed (except by the mycobacteria who – if you listen very hard - can be heard partying on their agar plates as they have two fewer scientists that they need to outwit).  Best of luck in your adventures!

See more photos here.


Rose Lopez Retiring After 46 Years of Service

Rose Lopez, who dedicated 46 years of her working life to the Microbiology/MIP Depts, officially stopped working this month.   Although she officially ‘retired’ some years ago, Rose elected to stay on as an hourly employee, and we are truly grateful!  Thank you Rose for your amazing service to the MIP mission.


2016 CMB/BMB/MCIN Poster Symposium

Several of our students were winners at the 2016 poster symposium on Friday, February 26th:

Kristen Davenport: Novel In Vitro Assessments of Prion Disease Species Barriers, Advisor: Dr. Edward Hoover & Dr. Candace Mathiason, Award: High Honor

Mike Mangalea: Breaking Biofilms: Nitrate Inhibits Biofilm Formation in Burkholderia pseudomallei, Advisor: Dr. Brad Borlee, Award: High Honors

Shuang Hu: Transmission, Pathogenesis and a Novel Therapeutic Appraoch for HIV-2 Infection Using a Humanized Mouse Model, Advisor: Dr. Ramesh Akkina, Award: High Honors

Paige Charlins: Lentiviral Vector Mobilization for Treatment of HIV in Humanized Mice, Advisor: Dr. Ramesh Akkina, Award: Honors

Congratulations to the winners, their mentors and all of the hard-working MIP students who presented their research at the Symposium.  It is truly impressive to walk down those aisles of posters and see what is being accomplished.


Metabolomics-Based Discovery of Small Molecule Biomarkers in Serum Associated with Dengue Virus Infections and Disease Outcomes

Natalia Voge, Rushika Perera, Seba Mahapatra, Lionel Gresh, Angel Balmaseda, Maria Lorono-Pino, Amber Hopf-Jannasch, John Belisle, Eva Harris, Carol Blair and Barry Beaty

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases  DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004449
February 25, 2016

Patients with Dengue fever, Dengue hemorrhagic fever or Dengue shock syndrome are like the whiteboards in CSU classrooms.  You know that they must have markers associated with them, but the ones that are currently available to you just don’t work. 


In this month’s publication highlight, Natalie et al set out to find the biological equivalent of a fresh box of colored Expo markers to help physicians most effectively use the tools available to them to treat the various manifestations of Dengue infection – a major disease threat in the tropical/subtropical world.  The basic idea is this:  when an individual is infected with a pathogen like a virus, the patient’s metabolism must change as the specific disease begins to manifest itself.  There may very well be different human metabolic responses to different pathogens, and these would be reflected in differences in small molecule metabolites in the blood.  If one can identify these differences and then associate patterns of metabolites with specific manifestations of infection, we may be able to use these patterns as biomarkers that can take the guesswork out of disease diagnosis.  The bottom line:  Physician will be happy since they can identify specific disease conditions more readily and patients will get the proper treatment they need sooner. 


In a proof of principle study that lays a solid foundation for potential groundbreaking future work in this area, this team of AIDL researchers analyzed serum samples from patients in dengue-prone areas of Nicaragua and Mexico.  The used an advanced mass spectrometry approach (HILIC-MS) to identify over 16,000 different metabolites in patient sera and then applied an exploratory data evaluation tool called ‘principle component analysis’ to make predications regarding which metabolites could be associated with patients who suffer from godawful dengue fever versus the patients who were knocking on death’s door with dengue hemorrhagic fever or shock syndrome.  Their analysis narrowed the focus down from 16,000+ possible compounds to a few hundred small molecule metabolites, many of which showed preferences for dectection in one disease condition over another.  Importantly, this confirms the hypothesis that dengue virus infection affects the patient’s metabolism in distinct ways. 


So why did we choose this article as our coveted MIPub of the Month® for March?  First, the study represents a solid piece of discovery science that integrates a number of cutting edge metabolomics technologies with a major clinical problem in tropical/subtropical areas of the globe.  Reading the study, you can’t help but think that a major ‘AHA!’ moment is just around the corner. Second, five different MIP faculty contributed to the study – another clear indication of the high level of synergy that we have here in the hallowed halls of MIP.  Finally, it gives us a chance to make a bad chemistry pun:  How can you tell if the difference between a mass spectrometrist and a plumber?  Ask them to pronounce the word ‘unionized’.


MIP Publications March 2016

Voge NV, Perera R, Mahapatra S, Gresh L, Balmaseda A, Loroño-Pino MA, Hopf-Jannasch AS, Belisle JT, Harris E, Blair CD, Beaty BJ.  Metabolomics-Based Discovery of Small Molecule Biomarkers in Serum Associated with Dengue Virus Infections and Disease Outcomes.  PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2016 Feb 25;10(2):e0004449. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004449.

Vasconcelos PF, Calisher CH.  Emergence of Human Arboviral Diseases in the Americas, 2000-2016.  Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2016 Mar 18. [Epub ahead of print]

Calisher CH.  The taxonomy of viruses should include viruses.  Arch Virol. 2016 Feb 25. [Epub ahead of print]

Nieto R LM, Mehaffy C, Dobos KM.  Comparative proteomics between isogenic strains of Beijing genotype of Mycobacterium tuberculosis after acquisition of Isoniazid resistance.  Proteomics. 2016 Mar 1. doi: 10.1002/pmic.201500403. [Epub ahead of print]

McConnel CS, Stenkamp-Strahm CM, Rao S, Linke LM, Magnuson RJ, Hyatt DR.  Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles in Escherichia coli O157 Isolates from Northern Colorado Dairies.  J Food Prot. 2016 Mar;79(3):484-7.

Albesa-Jové D, Svetlíková Z, Tersa M, Sancho-Vaello E, Carreras-González A, Bonnet P, Arrasate P, Eguskiza A, Angala SK, Cifuente JO, Korduláková J, Jackson M, Mikušová K, Guerin ME.  Structural basis for selective recognition of acyl chains by the membrane-associated acyltransferase PatA.  Nat Commun. 2016 Mar 11;7:10906. doi: 10.1038/ncomms10906.

Yoo SH, Venn E, Sullivan LA, Olver CS.  Thromboelastographic evidence of inhibition of fibrinolysis after ε-aminocaproic acid administration in a dog with suspected acute traumatic coagulopathy.  J Vet Emerg Crit Care (San Antonio). 2016 Mar 18. doi: 10.1111/vec.12467. [Epub ahead of print]

Santangelo KS, Radakovich LB, Fouts J, Foster MT.  Pathophysiology of obesity on knee joint homeostasis: contributions of the infrapatellar fat pad.  Horm Mol Biol Clin Investig. 2016 Jan 22. pii: /j/hmbci.ahead-of-print/hmbci-2015-0067/hmbci-2015-0067.xml. doi: 10.1515/hmbci-2015-0067. [Epub ahead of print]

Linke LM, Wilusz J, Pabilonia KL, Fruehauf J, Magnuson R, Olea-Popelka F, Triantis J, Landolt G, Salman M.  Inhibiting avian influenza virus shedding using a novel RNAi antiviral vector technology: proof of concept in an avian cell model.  AMB Express. 6(1):16. doi: 10.1186/s13568-016-0187-y. Epub 2016 Feb 24.

Happenings

March TB Madness!

CSU’s MRL includes a sweet sixteen bracket of research labs, working together to address the final four: Vaccines, Drugs, Diagnostics, and Epidemiology in an effort to Cure TB, Prevent new cases of TB, and the end game: STOP TB. The MRL hosted an outreach event, to engage local high school students, and demonstrate what it is like in the “day of the life of a TB researcher” to commemorate World TB Day on March 24th. The day would not have been successful without the great team that organized this from the MRL—Nicole, Vicki, and Keri, the MRL labs, BSO, IDRC facilities, and cooperation with the CVMBS and OVPR communications teams. For more on the story, please read the Source article here.

See the photos here.


MIP Outreach Efforts have officially hit a new high for impact score.  This program is run by the Denver Natural History Museum to introduce young girls to women scientists and the career paths they have followed.  The overall goal is to increase girls in the STEM disciplines. MIP students enrolled in MIP400G and MIP303 honors partnered with faculty from MIP and the Dept of Clinical Sciences from the VTH to present a "Pet Detectives" Club House and introduce the girls to veterinary medicine.  The girls used microscopes and microbiology skills to diagnose disease.  In addition, they had lots of X-rays to interpret and bones for the kids to touch.  Thanks to the MIP students, MIP faculty (Erica Suchman, Christie Mayo, and Deana Daily) and Clin Sci faculty (Kristi Dowers and Tracy Webb) who helped out. 

Check out these photos of kids who attended the Girls in Science exhibit.  An estimated 10,500 visited the Pet Detective Club House that day (which is more than attended some Colorado Rockies baseball games last season……).  The team also set up the Club House at Rice Elementary Science Night and entertained ~200 visitors.  Congratulations and a big THANK YOU to all involved.

Pictured are Nia Iberg and Juliette Dean.


Need a tutor for MIP300, 342, 351, 443 or Life205?


We’ve got 15 hard working volunteers ready to help you out. Click for more information.


 

The following MIP employees are being recognized this year for their dedicated service to CSU as follows:

45 years
Donald Klein
 
40 Years
Carol Brennan
 
35 Years
Partick Brennan
Beverly Meyer
 
30 Years
Michael McNeil
Ramesh Akkina
 
25 Years
Susan VandeWoude
 
20 Years
Becky Trentlage
Erica Suchman
John Spencer
Susan Rogers
Roxann Karkhoff-Schweizer
Claudia Gentry-Weeks
Robert Burnett
 
15 Years
Richard Slayden
Irma Sanchez-Vargas
Anne Lenaerts
 
10 Years
Mark Zabel
Keri Wright
Heidi Runge
Corey Rosendberg
Bruse Pulford
Lindsay Parrie
Amy Nalls
Erin McNulty
Wei Li
Meg Gray
Colleen Duncan
Maria De Mello Marques
Elizabeth Brooks
Andrea Bohn
Susan Bennett
Heather Bender
Barbara Andre
 
Congratulations to all and thank you for your service in MIP !
 

Lab Lines Newsletter

Check out the newest edition of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories Lab Lines newsletter.


Spring Rocky Mtn ASM Branch Meeting set for April 9th

The Spring meeting of the Rocky Mountain Branch of the ASM is set for Saturday, April 9th.  The meeting will take place at Metropolitan State University of Denver and will be hosted by our long-time colleague and ASM branch representative Rebecca Ferrell. Three outstanding speakers will be featured at the event:  Briana Burton, a bacterial cell biologist from Harvard University, will be the ASM sponsored Distinguished Lecturer. The keynote speaker will be Bob Mclean, a biofilms researcher from Texas State University. Finally, there will be shouldn’t-be-missed presentation from Dr. Jeffrey Beal on how online publishing and other changes at the level of publishers are changing the scientific profession, for better and worse.

The ASM-RMB meeting is a great place for undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral researchers to present their work in a highly interactive and supportive environment. 

For more on the meeting and registration info, click here.


Xplore Photo of the Week

Rapls photo: Stars over Wind Turbines, won the Xplore pohto of the week in the Fort Collins Coloradoan on March 6th.

Click here to see the larger image.


Dobos Lab Tours New Belgium Brewery

The Dobos lab spent a sunny afternoon at the Fort Collins New Belgium Brewery and received a behind the scenes tour of the labs. 

See more photos here


Winter in Rocky Mountain National Park

A great photo of Rocky Mountain National Park courtesy of Dorreene Hyatt.


Congratulations to Abi and Ryan Norwood!

Abi and Ryan have moved out East (although we don’t believe they used the mode of transportation shown above).  Congratulations are also in order for Abi on her acceptance to Georgetown University School of Medicine!


John and Jen Anderson welcomed their son Barrett Andrew Anderson, born on March 4th. He was 8lbs 12ozs and
22.5 inches long. Mom and baby are both doing well!

MIP Bits

"The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax." 

-Albert Einstein


Julie and Torsten enjoy their retirement reception Alternative Captions:
  1. These folks are RM-RCE microbiologists – why did they get plaque instead of plague?
  2. Building on several decades of experience, Torsten and Julia demonstrate the best way to pose for Department photos
  3. Inamine -cognito  (noun: the art of avoiding the MIPnews photographer)
  4. Submit your own

  • Monday, July 4, 2016
  • Monday, September 5, 2016
  • Thursday, November 24, 2016
  • Friday, November 25, 2016
  • Monday, December 26, 2016
  • Tuesday, December 27, 2016
  • Wednesday, December 28, 2016
  • Monday, January 2, 2017
  • Monday, January 16, 2017
  • Monday, May 29, 2017

The new NIH ‘Forms-D’ submission packets are required for due dates on or after May 25, 2016

The bottom line, Forms-C is soooooooo 2015…..

The main NIH grants website is getting a makeover

As of March 25th, the NIH grants website has a new and improved look.  Check it out at grants.nih.gov

Ever want to find out info on NIH grant award success rates and trends?

Check out the following websites in the NIH RePort system: 

report.nih.gov/budgetandspending

repot.nih.gov/successrates

report.nih.gov/fundingfacts


New Grant Awards

Brad Borlee, "Burkholderia Pseudomallei Library Copy Preparation", American Type Culture Collection.

Dean Crick, "Menaquinone Biosynthesis: A Drug Target in Gram-Positive Bacteria", HHS-NIH-NIAID-Allergy & Infect Diseases.

Edward Hoover, "PMCA Detection of CWD Infection in Cervid and Non-Cervid Species ", HHS-NIH-Neurological Disorders & Stroke.

Glenn Telling, "Identifying Susceptibility Factors for Prion Diseases", HHS-NIH-National Institutes of Health.

David Gregory, "Quasispecies Dynamics in Arbovirus Persistence Emergence and Fitness", HHS-NIH-NIAID-Allergy & Infect Diseases.

Ian Orme, "Novel Vaccine Boosting Candidates for Tuberculosis", HHS-NIH-NIAID-Allergy & Infect Diseases.

John Belisle, "BMAC CSU Core Facility Mass Spectrometry Services", HHS-CDC-Centers for Disease Control.

Karen Dobos, "Role of Gamma/Delta T Cells in Vaccine Induced Immunity", Saint Louis University.

Mark Zabel, "Liposome-siRNA-Peptide Complexes as Therapy to Cure Prion Diseases in Mouse Models", HHS-NIH-Neurological Disorders & Stroke.

Rushika Perera, "Metabolomics-Based Discovery of Small Molecule Biomarkers for Noninvasive Dengue", HHS-NIH-NIAID-Allergy & Infect Diseases.

Susan Vande Woude, "Impacts of Landscape Structure, Host Demography, and Management Interventions on Disease Dynamics", NSF - National Science Foundation.

Zaid Abdo, "Specific Cooperative Agreement with APHIS Scientists", USDA-APHIS-Animal Plant Health Insp Srvc.


March 2016
Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri
  1

Graduate Seminar

2 3
4
7 8

Graduate Seminar

9

 

10 11
14

Spring Recess Begins

15


16

 

17


18


21

 

22

Graduate Seminar

23

 

24


25

 

28
29

Graduate Seminar

30
31

April 2016
Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri




1


4

 

5

Graduate Seminar

6

 

7 8
11

 

12

Graduate Seminar

13 14

CVMBS Spring Forum; 4-6 LSC Ballroom

15
18

Tax Day

19

Graduate Seminar

20 21

22

Don Klein Celebration 3-5PM LSC

25
26 Graduate Seminar 27 28
29

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MIP Newsletter Volume 13, Issue 3, March 2016
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