Engineering students Lindsay Gray, Jenn Fischer, Alexandra Tsoras, and post-doc Samantha Meenach pause for a picture during Markey Cancer Center Research Day. Tsoras and Meenach subsequently won awards for their posters.
The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center hosted its annual Markey Cancer Center Research Day on May 16, 2012. This annual event celebrates the advances of cancer research on the University of Kentucky campus with distinguished speakers, oral and poster presentations.
With a record-breaking 132 total posters this year, the College of Engineering was pleased to be represented on 12 of those posters, illustrating the multidisciplinary nature of cutting-edge research being conducted in engineering and across campus.
Chemical engineer and postdoctoral scholar Samantha Meenach noted “The poster session is a great way to interact with other scientists and to share our work to form some great collaborations.”
Meenach received 2nd Place for her poster on Characterization and Optimization of Inhalable PEGylated Phospholipid Microparticles and Nanoparticles Containing Paclitaxel for Targeted Dry Powder Pulmonary Delivery in the Post-Doc/Resident Basic Science Category. Meenach completed her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at UK in 2010 and followed that with a yearlong post-doc position at Ohio State University. Meenach is currently a post-doc with the UK Cancer Nanotechnology Training Center.
In the Graduate Student Basic Science Category, chemical engineering undergraduate student Alexandra Tsoras received 1st Place for her poster on Development of Three-Dimensional Lung Multicellular Spheroids in Air and Liquid Interface Culture for the Evaluation of Anti-Cancer Therapeutics. It’s likely not a coincidence that Tsoras is mentored by Meenach, who commented, “It was an honor to get 2nd Place in the postdoctoral poster session and even more satisfying that the undergraduate student working with me received 1st place in the graduate student session.”
Tsoras is a 2010 graduate from Saint Henry High School in Erlanger, KY and a member of the UK Honors Program. This summer she will continue her research at UK in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, as part of a Research Experience for Undergraduates, sponsored by the National Science Foundation. As a first time attendee of the Markey Cancer Center Research Day, and as an undergraduate just beginning to learn ropes of research, Tsoras commented “It was awe-inspiring to see all of the amazing research and collaboration UK does across several departments. There is so much opportunity with all of the research being done here and it excites me that I am already able to be a part of it.”
A complete list of award recipients is below.
First Place Graduate Basic Science – Alexandra Tsoras
Development of Three-Dimensional Lung Multicellular Spheroids in Air and Liquid Interface Culture for the Evaluation of Anti-Cancer Therapeutics
Second Place Graduate Basic Science – Sourik Gangult
c-Abl and Arg are activated in human primary melanomas, promote melanoma cell invasion via distinct pathways, and drive metastatic progression
First Place Graduate Clinical Science – Vrushali Angadi
Investigating the efficacy of Vocal Function Exercises in adults irradiated for early glottic cancers.”
Second Place Graduate Clinical Science – Eric Durbin
Automated Coding of Key Cancer Concepts from Text Based Electronic Pathology Reports
First place Post-Doc Basic Science – W. Cona Mustain
An Orthotopic Murine Model of Colon Cancer Using Colonoscopic Submucosal Injection
Second Place Post-Doc Basic Science – Samantha Meenach
Characterization and Optimization of Inhalable PEGylated Phospholipid Microparticles and Nanoparticles Containing Paclitaxel for Targeted Dry Powder Pulmonary Delivery
Tie: First Place Post-Doc Clinical Science – Jessica Jones Croley
Combined everolimus and fulvestrant in metastatic estrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer
Tie: First Place Post-Doc Clinical Science – Jessica Moss
A Phase I study of the combination of Azacitidine, Cyclophosphamide, Vincristine, and Rituximab in relapsed and refractory lymphoma
Researcher’s Choice Award (popular ballot) – Dan Shu
Thermodynamically stable RNA three-way junction for constructing multifunctional nanoparticles for delivery of therapeutics