KU Biotechnology Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate Researc

Giving Cancer Cells a Taste of Their Own Medicine: Lactic Acid from Vaginal Microbiota Protects Against Cancer

Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with cervical cancer ranking among the top four most common malignant tumors in females. Tumor microenvironments surrounding solid tumors, including cervical cancer, have often been found to contain high concentrations of lactic acid due to a preference for aerobic glycolysis, termed the Warburg effect. Several studies have implicated lactic acid in solid tumors’ ability to evade immune defenses, but lactic acid’s role in the human body is far from being one-sided. Lactobacillus species, the most common bacteria in the vaginal tract, have long been known to play a protective role in the vaginal microbiota by secreting lactic acid that inhibits the growth of pathogens. Recent research by Fan et al. uncovered that the beneficial effects of lactic acid produced by Lactobacillus species not only prevent vaginal infections but also protect against cervical cancer by regulating the fucosylation of vaginal epithelial cells. Hence, vaginal Lactobacillus gives cervical cancer cells a taste of their own medicine: using high doses of the very molecule that cancer cells may use to evade the immune system to suppress the cancer cells’ growth

Undergraduate Bioinformatics Conceptualizing Form and Function on a Molecular Scale

Over the past 64 years, since the first actual, three-dimensional structure of a protein was determined by X-Ray diffraction in 1958,1 the library of solved structures has grown to more than 170,000 (as of 2020).2 With the expansion of our knowledge of structures and the advent of applications to visualize them, the tools to aid in our understanding of these as physical objects have greatly improved. Incorporating these ideas, the following is a walkthrough of a project designed to overcome the lack of sense for proteins as real objects

Short-Chain Fatty Acids: A Potential Therapy for Colorectal Cancer

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), primarily acetate, propionate, and butyrate, have garnered significant attention due to their anti-inflammatory properties within the human body.1 Expanding on these studies, recent research has revealed that SCFAs exhibit selective antitumor effects on colorectal cancer cells (CRC cells). The findings from these investigations have illuminated the influence SCFAs can have on the development and progression of colorectal cancer. These discoveries underscore the therapeutic potential SCFAs might offer in the management and treatment of colorectal cancer

A Semester of Immunoregulation in Review

In the University of Kansas Biotechnology program, we recognize the importance of ensuring that our graduates are able to adequately breakdown and digest complex scientific research articles. To prepare students for this, the program requires that students enroll in a Selected Topics class where they are divided into small groups and take turns breaking down and explaining different research articles to the class (through Power Point presentations). To make this activity more engaging, each article is selected to chronologically simulate the progression of exemplary publications on a single topic. For the 2022 spring semester, students were introduced to a novel putative co-stimulatory molecule in the immunoglobulin superfamily, CTLA-4 through the 1987 Brunet, J.F.. et al., paper. Week by week, new discoveries about T cell interactions through their co-stimulatory molecules were explained to the class by these groups, culminating with research on the immunoreceptor TIGIT by Johnston, R. J. et al., from 2014. This format allows students to practice both breaking down research articles and presenting them in a clear and concise manner. As a final project, students are instructed to select a recently (within the past five years) published article on the same topic and write a review article that not only summarizes the topics discussed that semester, but informs the reader how this new research adds to the existing knowledge on the subject. The following papers are exemplary examples of those written by students enrolled in the course

The crosstalk between microbial sensors ELMO1 and NOD2 shape intestinal immune responses

Microbial sensors are integral to maintaining cellular homeostasis and orchestrating immune responses within the intestinal environment. The mechanisms contributing to differential immune responses and their link to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are not yet fully understood. IBD is an umbrella term used to describe disorders that cause chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. This review explores The crosstalk between microbial sensors ELMO1 and NOD2 shape intestinal immune responses during enteric infections of AIEC-LF82 and Salmonella published in the February 2023 Virulence Journal by Aditi Sharma et al

Student Assignment, BioInformatics Final Project

This final project assignment can be used to implement the accompanying walkthrough in bioinformatics (or other applicable) classes