The GW Research Showcase is an opportunity for students across The George Washington University to share their research findings – highlighting the ingenuity and hard work of students at all levels and disciplines.
This year’s event was held from April 11-14, 2022 in a virtual capacity, featuring around 400 students. Of these, 15 IBS students shared their impressive cutting-edge research and competed for cash prizes. Check out all the posters here.
Congratulations to IBS poster presentation 1st place winner, Brendan Mann (’19, Maggirwar Lab)!
You can learn more about his research and science/life experiences in the spotlight below!
Poster title: Persistent Dysregulation of Vδ1 T Lymphocytes in ART-Suppressed People Living with HIV
What is your poster about and why is it important?
The development of antiretroviral therapy (ART) was a huge medical achievement that changed HIV infection from a death sentence into a manageable chronic illness. Despite suppressing the virus with ART, many people living with HIV (PLWH) never recover their full immune function and face higher rates of cancer or co-infections. Therefore, it’s important to figure out which parts of the immune system are not restored with ART so we can develop better therapies. This brings us to the focus of our study which is an unconventional lymphocyte population called γδ T cells. These special γδ T cells exist in relatively small frequencies but play a huge role in fighting infections and surveilling tissue for malignant cells. We found that a subpopulation of these cells (Vδ1 T cells) have impaired cytotoxic and tissue homing capabilities in ART-suppressed PLWH. These findings warrant a follow up study to determine how the dysregulation of these cells might contribute to the issues PLWH continue to face after starting treatment.
Can you give a one-sentence-takeaway from this work?
Persistent HIV infection negatively impacts a small, but mighty T cell population that isn’t restored following treatment.
How do these findings relate to your lab’s larger body of work? What got you interested in this topic in particular?
Our lab’s general ethos is how to translate basic research on persistent HIV infection into developing a complete cure. This has led us to investigating which cell types/anatomical compartments are harboring latent HIV or contributing to the effects of infection. γδ T cells are unconventional in the sense that they recognize non-peptidic antigens in an MHC-independent manner and have unique tissue homing properties that make them distinct from most other T cells in the body. More importantly, they’re generally understudied compared to conventional CD4 Helper T cells and CD8 Cytotoxic T cells so there’s a clear gap in our knowledge base. My specific interest in γδ T cells came about after attending a MITM seminar by one of my mentors (Dr. Natalia Soriano-Sarabia) while I was deciding where I wanted to do my final rotation. Listening to her talk was like a flipping on a lightbulb in my head where I suddenly knew what I wanted to study for the next 5 years.
What is the best part about working in your lab or with your mentor?
I have two awesome mentors (Natalia and Sanjay) that act as my biggest advocates, listen to my crazy ideas, let me actually try out those crazy ideas, and push me to be a well-rounded scientist. They also love celebrating our accomplishments by going to happy hour!
Do you have a “traditional” background, or did you take a winding road to your PhD?
I have a fairly traditional background where I studied biological sciences and was able to get some wet lab experience in a plant pathology lab my junior/senior year at Virginia Tech. After graduating, I ended up working as a full-time research assistant in the US Military HIV Research Program for just over 6 years before coming back for a PhD.
Who is your science idol and why?
Maurice Hilleman, he’s probably one of the most influential vaccine researchers whose name isn’t as recognized as someone like Louis Pasteur or Jonas Salk. The level of scientific productivity he had in his lifetime is awe-inspiring. He also developed a few of the big vaccines we get while growing up (MMR and HepB) which has arguably saved countless lives.
What gets you through those long days in the lab?
On busy days podcasts are a real lifesaver. On bad days where I’m stuck doing flow cytometry for hours on an experiment that clearly didn’t work, I made a playlist called “When life gives you p > 0.05” filled with angsty alt rock songs that were popular when I was in middle school. The lyrics are so over the top it’s hard not to smile or laugh.
Is there something you are really proud of achieving over the past year?
Definitely getting the 1st place award for IBS in the Research Showcase and an abstract/poster accepted to the International AIDS Conference coming up in July. This year has been a tough slog of optimizing and troubleshooting experiments so it’s nice to see some of that hard work pay off.
Is there a person, facility, or department you would like to shoutout?
Basically the entire Bosque lab for helping me out in times of need throughout my grad school career.
What do you do for fun when you’re not in lab?
I have a very energetic German Shepherd/Rottweiler mix that loves playing around outside. Other than that, I’ve been relearning how to play bass guitar and trying to pursue more artsy hobbies since so much of my day-to-day requires analytical thinking.
Was there another poster at the Research Showcase that you thought was really interesting?
I’m always captivated by the research coming out of the Fernandes lab, but I was especially partial to Josh Ghofrani’s poster “Nanoparticle-enhanced immune cells for eradicating the HIV reservoir” due to the relation to my own work.
The Children’s National Research, Education, and Innovation Week is an annual event showcasing the basic, translational, and clinical research happening across the hospital, allowing cross-disciplinary awareness, and even facilitating new collaborations.
This year’s event was held from April 4-8, 2022 in-person for the first time in 2 years! Over 300 abstracts were shared, 8 guest speakers were featured, and 25 prizes were awarded. Eight IBS students participated in the poster sessions across three days.
Congratulations to Kristen Kocher (’17, Vilain Lab) for winning a poster award in the Basic and Translational Research category!
You can learn more about her research and science experiences in the spotlight below!
Poster title: Characterization of neonatal epigenetic markers associated with elevated stress from the COVID-19 pandemic
What is your poster about and why is it important?
The poster that I presented at REI week this year focused on understanding how maternal stress and/or COVID-19 infection during pregnancy may influence epigenetic changes in newborns. We were able to directly compare newborns exposed in utero to pandemic stressors to pre-pandemic newborns and found significant epigenetic differences between the two cohorts. While the exact implication of these differences is only speculative at the moment, we will next be working to pair this genomic data with longitudinal MRI brain imaging and clinical data from our collaborators in the Children’s Developing Brain Institute to better predict the influence of stress during pregnancy on long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes. This is also important work from a perspective of how future epigenetic studies should consider the notable differences associated with “pandemic” patient samples when designing experiments.
Can you give a one-sentence-takeaway from this work?
We saw striking epigenetic differences between newborns born during the COVID-19 pandemic and exposed to undue maternal stress during pregnancy, in comparison to pre-pandemic newborns.
How do these findings relate to your lab’s larger body of work? What got you interested in this topic in particular?
This project is very different from the larger body of work in our lab- it’s a new and very exciting collaboration between my mentor, Dr. Eric Vilain, and Dr. Catherine Limperopoulos in the Children’s Developing Brain Institute. Having the opportunity to combine my training in genomics with a project centered around maternal and fetal health has been very rewarding.
What is the best part about working in your lab or with your mentor?
Dr. Vilain has given me a lot of independence on this project, allowing me to spearhead a new collaboration, learn novel genomics and informatics techniques, and develop a strong partnership with Dr. Limperopoulos and her team. I’m really grateful to have had this style of mentorship to prepare me for the next stage of my career.
Do you have a “traditional” background, or did you take a winding road to your PhD?
I’ve had a pretty traditional progression to grad school. After graduating from undergrad in 2012, I did a brief stint in clinical research, headed off to get my MS in Biochemistry (also at GW), worked as a research associate at GW for a few years, and then decided to go back for my PhD. I tried to be thoughtful and intentional about each move, but love living in DC, which is why I decided to stay in the GW family for my PhD.
Who is your science idol and why?
Elizabeth Holmes- I think she’s done amazing things for blonde women in STEM. JKJK I wouldn’t say that I have one particular science idol- rather I’ll use this prompt as an opportunity thank some of the incredible women who mentored me throughout my career so far. Each taught me valuable lessons and skills to navigate my journey through research and I wouldn’t be where I am today without them!
What gets you through those long days in the lab?
I had the chance to work with some really wonderful coworkers-turned-friends over the last 5 years- whether I’m having a rough day or a great day, I always feel like I have people that I can turn to at work. Also, I couldn’t answer this question without mentioning my husband and two kittens, who have unwaveringly offered support through the ups and downs of the last 5 years!
Is there something you are really proud of achieving over the past year?
My husband and I bought a house! After living in DC for almost 10 years, this has been a major goal of ours and it felt really great to achieve this goal amidst a global pandemic and grad school.
Is there a person, facility, or department you would like to shoutout?
Toni Freeland, the center manager for the Center for Genetic Medicine Research- she’s the best (but if you’re at Children’s you already knew that!). She’s an incredible advocate for all graduate students at Children’s and is constantly my #1 cheerleader!
What do you do for fun when you’re not in lab?
Recently, my extracurriculars all involve home improvement tasks. The house we bought requires a decent amount of renovating, so I’ve become a regular at Home Depot and Ace Hardware, trying to tackle house projects on my own. For the first time in my almost 10 years in DC, I also have a front and backyard, so I’ve been gardening a lot- planting flowers, trees, etc. There’s something to be said for accomplishing tangible projects over a weekend, especially when a majority of your PhD goals are reached slowly and methodically.
Was there another poster at REI week that you thought was really interesting?
It’s hard to pinpoint just one- I think REI week is not only a great platform for graduate students to present their research but it also really highlights the important of basic and translational research in the larger field of healthcare, specifically in pediatrics. As biomedical graduate students, I think it is really easy to get tunnel vision on the minutia of our research and forget the larger implications of our projects. Working at Children’s and participating in REI week does a great job of showcasing all types of research to make sure that the practical, clinical significance of our research is never lost.
Additional congratulations to all other IBS and Special Category prize winners at the GW Research Showcase. Below, they have shared a little more about their research and why we should care (of course)!
Jacob Medina (’19, Fernandes Lab)
IBS prize, 1st runner-up
The Clinical Translational Research Prize, 2nd place
Poster title: Photothermal Therapy of Melanoma with anti-CD137 coated Prussian Blue nanoparticles
My project aims to combine photothermal therapy with immunotherapy using a single nanoparticle construct. We bind Prussian Blue nanoparticles (photothermal agents) with the costimulatory antibody αCD137. We hypothesize that we will be able to simultaneously thermally ablate tumors and costimulate cytotoxic T cells. We have currently found that our nanoparticles can eliminate single tumors but need precise dosing regimens to prevent hepatotoxicity. Our ultimate goal is to provide a therapeutic platform for metastatic melanoma that treats only a single tumor but eliminates distal tumors. Our work is important because it will show the full potential of PTT as a metastatic cancer therapy. We hope to fully characterize the immune response as well as show our efficacy in metastatic mouse models.
Samantha Dow (’18, Young Lab)
IBS prize, 2nd runner-up
The CTSI-CN Prize for Promoting Health Equity in Clinical and Translational Research
Poster title: Sexual Dimorphism in Brain Cellular Senescence during Angiotensin II-Induced Hypertension
Sex differences exist in hypertension, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The work in my poster demonstrates that cellular senescence in the subfornical organ, an important brain region for blood pressure regulation, could serve as a potential mechanism for sexual dimorphism in Angiotensin II-induced hypertension.
Erin Grundy (’19, Chiappinelli Lab)
IBS prize, 3rd runner-up
Cancer Laboratory Science Prize
Poster title: Identification and generation of repetitive element-specific T cells to target ovarian cancer
My poster summarizes a preliminary study conducted in our lab in which we generated T cells specific for a tumor-associated repetitive element, the non-functional envelope gene of endogenous retrovirus-K, or ERV-K-Env for short. As repetitive elements are upregulated by epigenetic therapy, our goal is to combine these repetitive element specific T cells with epigenetic therapy to create a more potent immune response to ovarian tumors.
Hannah Smith (’19, Marvar Lab)
The Clinical Translational Research Prize, 1st place
Poster title: The effects of losartan on background anxiety and fear-potentiated startle in male and female mice
My poster is investigating the effect of losartan, an angiotensin type 1 receptor antagonist, on fear-potentiated startle and anxiety as a model of PTSD symptoms in males and females. We found that losartan had a significant effect on anxiety, indicating it could potentially be effective as a PTSD treatment, and we saw this in both male and female mice, which is important given the severe male-focused bias in current PTSD research and treatment.
Josh Ghofrani (’19, Fernandes Lab)
GW Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Prize
Poster title: Nanoparticle-enhanced immune cells for eradication of the HIV reservoir
This research is about a potential new approach for targeting HIV that combines techniques in nanomaterials science with immunotherapy. There is no cure for HIV/AIDS, and even under current antiretroviral treatments, the virus persists in so-called latently infected cells that hide from the immune system. Here, we encapsulated a latency reversing agent and an anti-HIV antibody in a non-toxic nanoparticle that releases these therapeutics over time. We show these nanoparticles help to reactivate latent infection, bind to new virions, and act synergistically to enhance a killer immune cell’s ability to kill a latently HIV-infected target — and we can even conjugate them onto the surface of that immune cell, essentially using the cell to deliver these therapeutics to sites of latent infection. A strategy like this – where you orchestrate the effects of different therapeutic mechanisms – may one day serve as a replacement or adjuvant to current antiretroviral therapy, significantly improving quality of life for people living with HIV.
Finally, congratulations to all other students who presented their work at the GW Research Showcase: Claire Charpentier (’19), Blake Cooper (’19), Tyson Dawson (’19), Maria Hernandez (’17), Natalie Howard (’18), Debbie Ledezma (’17), Jessica Schenck (’17), Carissa Stover (’19) or CNH REI week: Amara Ayoub (’21), Erin Bonner (‘17), Claire Charpentier (’19), Blake Cooper (’19), Jonathan LoTempio (’17), Nicole Rivero Ballon (’20), Danielle Sohai (’18).
Written by Blake Cooper (’19), Alumni Chair and Children’s National Campus Representative for SOBS 2022-2023.
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