2013 Research Appreciation Day

Stanley Prusiner, MD
Director
Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases
University of California San Francisco

Stanley B. Prusiner, M.D., is Director of the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Professor of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He received his undergraduate and medical school training at the University of Pennsylvania and his postgraduate clinical training at UCSF.  He completed his military service as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Public Health Service at the National Institutes of Health.  Editor of 12 books and author of over 500 research articles, Dr. Prusiner’s contributions to scientific research have been internationally recognized.

Dr. Prusiner discovered an unprecedented class of pathogens that he named prions. Prions are infectious proteins that cause neurodegenerative diseases in animals and humans.  Dr. Prusiner discovered a novel disease paradigm when he showed prions cause disorders such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans that manifest as (1) sporadic, (2) inherited and (3) infectious illnesses.  Dr. Prusiner demonstrated that prions are formed when a normal, benign cellular protein acquires an altered shape.  His concept of infectious proteins as well as his proposal of multiple biologically active shapes or conformations for a single protein were considered heretical. Remarkably, the more common neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and many of the frontotemporal dementias as well as some forms of ALS have been shownto be caused by prions over the past five years. Prusiner predicted a prion etiology for these common degenerative diseases based on his seminal discovery that prions can assemble into amyloid fibrils. Much of Dr. Prusiner’s current research focuses on developing therapeutics aimed at halting neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, the frontotemporal dementias and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Dr. Prusiner is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, and a foreign member of the Royal Society, London.  He is the recipient of numerous prizes, including the Potamkin Prize for Alzheimer’s Disease Research from the American Academy of Neurology (1991); the Richard Lounsbery Award for Extraordinary Scientific Research in Biology and Medicine from the National Academy of Sciences (1993); the Gairdner Foundation International Award (1993); the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (1994); the Paul Ehrlich Prize from the Federal Republic of Germany (1995); the Wolf Prize in Medicine from the State of Israel (1996); the Keio International Award for Medical Science (1996); the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University (1997); the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1997); and the United States National Medal of Science (2009).

Dr. Prusiner holds 50 issued or allowed United States patents, all of which are assigned to the University of California.

Award Winners

Community Awards

The Center for Children’s Health Award ($250)
Presenter: Jane Momoh
Title: ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BODY MASS INDEX AND BIRTH DEFECTS – CLEFT LIP AND CLEFT PALATE: A CASE-CONTROL STUDY

TECH Fort Worth – Innovation in Research Award ($300)
Presenter: Nathan Horton
Title: EXTRACELLULAR PROLIFERATING CELL NUCLEAR ANTIGEN IS A NOVEL MARKER FOR CANCER STEM CELLS AND FACILITATES EVASION OF NK CELL EFFECTOR FUNCTION

Smith & Nephew (formerly Health Point)
1st Place Translational Research Award ($500)
Presenter: Ziqing Liu
Title: CELL-CELL CONTACT-MEDIATED HEPATITIS C VIRUS INFECTION AND ITS REQUIREMENT FOR HCV RECEPTORS

2nd Place Translational Research Award ($300)
Presenter: Nathan Horton
Title: EXTRACELLULAR PROLIFERATING CELL NUCLEAR ANTIGEN IS A NOVEL MARKER FOR CANCER STEM CELLS AND FACILITATES EVASION OF NK CELL EFFECTOR FUNCTION

UNTHSC Institute Awards

Cardiovascular Research Institute
1st Place Graduate Student ($300)
Presenter: Brandon Cherry
Title: IMPROVED DRAINAGE DEVICE FOR CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY

Institute for Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease
Predoctoral Poster Award ($500)
Presenter: Maricelie Dugal
Title:TREELIN SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION PATHWAY IN APOE3 AND APOE4 TRANSGENIC MICE

Institute for Cancer Research 
Top Graduate Student Award ($500)
Presenter: Rutika Kokate
Title: MIMICKING INFECTION FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY AGAINST BREAST CANCER – FOOLING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

Postdoctoral Poster Award ($500)
Presenter: Anindita Mukerjee
Title: PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NOVEL MULTIFUNCTIONAL LIPOPOLYMERIC HYBRID NANOSYSTEMS FOR IMAGING AND THERAPY OF HIGHLY METASTATIC BREAST CANCER

For HER 
Clinical Poster Award ($300)
Presenter: Alia Long
Title: VENTRAL WALL HERNIATION AFTER CESAREN DELIVERY COMPLICATES FUTURE PREGNANCIES

Translational Research Poster Award ($300)
Presenter: Chris Ortiz
Title: LEIOMYOSARCOMA OF THE VAGINA

North Texas Eye Institute
Best Graduate Student Presentation ($300)
Presenter: Yong H. Park
Title: Mechanisms Underlying AMPA-Mediated Excitotoxicity of Retinal Ganglion Cells Under Hypoxic Conditions

Osteopathic Research Center
Excellence in Research Award ($250)
Presenter: Artur Schander
Title: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL OSTEOPATHIC ANIMAL MODALITY OF INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE: PRELIMINARY FINDINGS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS.

Texas Prevention Institute
1st Place Poster Presentation ($250)
Presenter: Troy Dawley
Title: WOUND COMPLICATIONS OF CESAREAN DELIVERIES WITH STAPLES REMOVAL AT DAY SIX OR SEVEN

2nd Place Poster Presentation ($150)
Presenter: Claire Patenia
Title: PATIENT AWARENESS OF OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA

Institute of Applied Genetics
1st Place Post-doctoral Award ($250)
Presenter: Sarah Oatts
Title: DEVELOPMENT OF A FULL MITOCHONDRIAL GENOME SPECIFIC TARGET-ENRICHED LIBRARY FOR NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCING APPLICATIONS

1st Place Post-doctoral Award ($100)
Presenter: Mary Mize
Title: A SEMI-AUTOMATED METHODOLOGY FOR THE EXTRACTION OF DNA FROM HUMAN SKELETAL REMAINS

UNTHSC School & Student Organization Awards

Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
1st Place Student Research Award ($500)
Presenter: Artur Schander
Title: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL OSTEOPATHIC ANIMAL MODALITY OF INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE: PRELIMINARY FINDINGS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

2nd Place Student Research Award ($400)
Presenter: Daniel Freedman
Title: PYRUVATE DEHYDROGENASE DEFICIENCY, DYSTONIA AND DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION

3rd Place Student Research Award ($300)
Presenter: Rebecca Waters
Title: SOY PHYTOESTROGENS ENHANCE NEUROGENESIS IN THE RAT SUB VENTRICULAR ZONE

I.M. Koor Memorial Research Award (OMM Dept.)  ($250)
Presenter: Artur Schander
Title: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL OSTEOPATHIC ANIMAL MODALITY OF INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE: PRELIMINARY FINDINGS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Honors Student Research Award ($250)
Presenter: Patrick Fraser
Title: ALTERED EXPRESSION OF PULMONARY SURFACTANT PROTEIN-A VIA IN-UTERO EXPOSURE TO HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF FOLIC ACID

Russ Jenkins Memorial Research Award (Surgery Dept.) ($250)
Presenter: Christine Rollins
Title: BILORRHEA SECONDARY TO BRONCHOBILIARY FISTULA

1^st Place Resident Research Award ($250)
Presenter: Kurtt Wix
Title: STEVENS JOHNSON SYNDROME AFTER MUPIROCIN AND TMP-SMX USE: A CASE REPORT

Resident Research Award – Family Medicine Dept ($250)
Presenter: Thu Ly
Title: INCIDENTALLY DETECTED ADRENAL CORTICAL CARCINOMA

1st Place Children’s Health Research Award (Pediatrics Dept.) ($300)
Presenter: Brenna Pickard
Title: PHELAN MCDERMID SYNDROME: A POTENTIAL UNDERLYING CAUSE OF UNEXPLAINED MENTAL RETARDATION IN THE PEDIATRIC POPULATION

2nd Place Children’s Health Research Award (Pediatrics Dept.) ($200)
Presenter: Jonathan Nguyen
Title: DIAGNOSIS OF VANISHING BONE DISEASE/GORHAM’S DISEASE IN A CHILD WITH PLEURAL EFFUSION AND BACK PAIN

TCOM Medical Student Government Association
1st Place Research Award ($300)
Presenter: Partha Mandal
Title: JNK INHIBITOR EFFECTS ON RETINA MORPHOLOGY OBSERVED BY SPECTRAL DOMAIN OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY IN MOUSE MODEL OF RETINAL ISCHEMIA/PERFUSION

2nd Place Research Award ($200)
Presenter: Sebastiaan Bens
Title: OSTEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT OF LEG LENGTH INEQUALITY WITH HEEL LIFT THERAPY: ANALYSIS OF ALTERED GAIT KINETICS & KINEMATICS

3rd Place Research Award ($150)
Presenter: Krstyna Wesp
Title: IN VITRO MODEL FOR ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE DRUG DISCOVERY AND DEVELOPMENT FOCUSING ON OXIDATIVE-NITROSATIVE PATHWAYS

Best in First Year ($150)
Presenter: Krystyna Wesp
Title: IN VITRO MODEL FOR ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE DRUG DISCOVERY AND DEVELOPMENT FOCUSING ON OXIDATIVE-NITROSATIVE PATHWAYS

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
1st Place Oral Presentation ($500)
Presenter: Manmeet Mamik
Title: CHEMOKINE CXCL8 MODULATES HIV-1 REPLICATION IN HUMAN MONOCYTE-DERIVED MACROPHAGES

1st Place Postdoctoral Poster Award ($700)
Presenter: Anindita Mukerjee
Title: PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NOVEL MULTIFUNCTIONAL LIPOPOLYMERIC HYBRID NANOSYSTEMS FOR IMAGING AND THERAPY OF HIGHLY METASTATIC BREAST CANCER

Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy

1st Place Poster Award ($300)
Presenter: Yan Fan
Title: HIV-1 TAT INDUCES ER STRESS IN ASTROCYTES AND CAUSES NEUROTOXICITY THROUGH GFAP ACTIVATION AND AGGREGATION

Graduate Student Association Awards
1st Place Poster Presentation ($500)
Presenter: Ronny Racine
Title: EFFECT OF CD44 EXPRESSION ON T CELL ACUTE LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA

2nd Place Poster Presentation ($300)
Presenter: Brandon Cherry
Title: INTRAVENOUS PYRUVATE FOR CARDIAC ARREST DOES NOT CAUSE PERSISTENT HYPERNATREMIA

3rd Place Poster Presentation ($200)
Presenter: Victoria Kay
Title: THE ROLE OF DIFFERENTIAL OXYGEN DISTRIBUTION BETWEEN THE BRAIN AND PERIPHERAL TISSUES ON TOLERANCE TO INDUCED CENTRAL HYPOVOLEMIA

Title: PREDICTORS OF PROGRAM COMPLETION AND RECIDIVISM IN A JAIL-BASED TREATMENT PROGRAM

2nd Place Poster Presentation ($350)
Presenter: Kendra Malone
Title: HEALTHY MOMS- HEALTHY BABIES- HEALTHY COMMUNITY INITIATIVE: CONCEPT MAPPING AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS BELIEFS ON THE IMPACT OF RACISM ON INFANT MORTALITY

3rd Place Poster Presentation ($200)
Presenter: Kendra Malone
Title: INCIDENTAL CLINICAL FINDINGS THROUGH RESEARCH PARTICIPATION IN THE NORTH TEXAS HEALTHY HEART STUDY

School of Health Professions
Best Physical Therapy Poster Presentation ($300)
Presenter: Jeffrey Guild
Title: MIRROR THERAPY’S EFFICACY AND MECHANISM IN THE PROMOTION OF MOTOR RECOVERY IN HEMIPARETIC POST STROKE POPULATIONS

Title: PATIENT AWARENESS OF OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA

Elena and Thomas Yorio Travel Award
Brenna Pickard