University-Wide Research Symposium Honors Two with BUGSDM Dean’s Award

Two graduate researchers recently received the Goldman School of Dental Medicine’s Dean’s Award at the 2008 Boston University Science and Engineering Research Symposium. Each year, the Symposium invites graduate students who are enrolled in a degree-granting programs at Boston University and engaged in research in science, mathematics, engineering, or technology to present posters for a chance to win an award and matching grants for the laboratories where they work.

The University presented awards at a luncheon with guest speaker Dr. Wolfgang Ketterle. Dr. Ketterle is the recipient of a 2001 Nobel prize in Physics, a faculty member at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the Department of Physics, and a researcher at MIT’s Center for Ultracold Atoms.

Dr. Elena Black received an award for her research, "PAK2 in LAP Neutrophils" with Drs. Thomas Van Dyke, Alp Kantarci, Taisuke Ohira, and Kazuhiro Omori and Research Technician Amanda Blackwood of the Department of Periodontology and Oral Biology.

The project involved signaling pathways in neutrophils, a type of white blood cells, from patientsdiagnosed with Localized Aggressive Periodontitis (LAP). LAP neutrophils show increased generation of superoxide, a reactive oxygen compound.

The team used a novel technique introduce the PAK2 protein into human neutrophils and found the protein is hyper activated in LAP neutrophils. The researchers identified a mechanism through which PAK2 contributes to superoxide generation in human neutrophils.

"I am hopeful that this research will result in a greater understanding of cell signaling events that lead to the production of superoxide in human neutrophils," says Dr. Black. "The identification of critical proteins within the signaling pathway that ultimately stimulates superoxide generation is one step toward developing potential non-invasive treatment modalities for patients with LAP."

Dr. Black came to BUGSDM in 2001 and in 2003 began her research under the guidance of Dr. Van Dyke and the late Dr. John Badwey at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Both are well-known for their research on this topic.

Dr. Black adds, "I personally would like to thank Dr. Thomas Van Dyke, Dr. Jeffrey Hutter, Dr. Alpdogan Kantarci, the entire faculty of the Department of Periodontology and Oral Biology, and the NIDCR community for the opportunity to work at BUGSDM and for the guidance each has provided me throughout my educational experience at the School."

Kristen Bushell received the second GSDM Dean’s Award for her poster, "Macrophage-specific LITAF Knockout Mice Have a Reduced Inflammatory Response to Colonic Administration of Trinitrobenzene Sulfonic Acid (TNBS)."

Bushell’s research was a cross-disciplinary project involving Drs. Susan Leeman, Karen Reed, Adam Gower, Arthur Stucchi, and James Becker of Boston University School of Medicine and Dr. Salomon Amar of the Department of Periodontology and Oral Biology at BUGSDM.