PPS Showcases Research by Graduate Students, Post-docs

Aug. 15-16 Symposium Featured Acclaimed Cardiovascular Researcher Dr. Irving Zucker, Awards for Best Presentations

UH College of Pharmacy's Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences hosted its inaugural PPS Research Symposium Aug. 15-16 to showcase current projects on neuropharmacology, cardiovascular, medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutics by graduate students and post-doctoral research associates.   

With the theme of "Bringing Creativity, Knowledge and Innovation to Research," the symposium featured addresses by Rathindra N. Bose, Ph.D., UH System vice chancellor for Research and Technology Transfer/UH President for Research and Technology Transfer, and Irving H. Zucker, Ph.D., Theodore F. Hubbard Professor of Cardiovascular Research and Chairman, Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

PPS Department Chair Doug Eikenburg, Scholar-in-Residence Irving H. Zucker, UH System Vice Chancellor/UH Vice President Rathindra Bose, and Symposium Organizing Committee Chair Tahir Hussain attend the proceedings.

Serving as the symposium's Scholar-in-Residence, Zucker offered both scientific "Sympatho-excitation in heart failure: molecular and integrative mechanisms") and motivational "A successful career in biomedical science in troubling times") presentations. Zucker has published more than 200 papers and his research has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association (he serves as primary investigator of a project now in its 15th year of funding).  

A total of 35 poster abstracts were on display during the day-long session on Aug. 16 at the Rockwell Pavilion, with more than a dozen projects selected for oral presentation.   

Best Oral Presentations (Graduate Student)

First Place: Nour Al-Sawalha, "cAMP-dependent Kinases and ERK1/2 Mediate β2-Adrenoceptor DependentMucin Production in Normal Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells in Response to IL-13", and Second Place: Vaidehi Thanawala, "Role of biased signaling by beta-blockers in the development of asthma phenotypein a murine model." 

Best Poster Presentations (Graduate Student) 

First Place: Hironari Akasaka, "Molecular and cellular basis of inflammatory PGE2 biosynthesis in ER environment," and Second Place: Prajakta Gadgil, "Formulation and characterization of Lazaroid-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles for brain delivery."

Best Oral Presentation (Post-doctoral)

Guarav Patki, "A new model for studying effects of witnessing traumatic events in rats."