Past Announcements
Terri Messier, Research Analyst and Lab Manager of the Cunniff lab was recently awarded a Dean's Excellence in Research Award from the Larner College of Medicine. Terri has served the UVM community for over 25 years both as a scientist and steward of professionalism. Terri is a rigorous, creative and skilled scientist. She has authored 18 manuscripts, contributed to numerous patent applications and mentored an abundance of students. Terri serves on the UVM Laboratory Safety Partnership, the Youth Workforce Development Grad Challenge and is a member of the Vermont Biosciences Alliance. Terri is actively involved in the larger Chittenden county community, directing the Vermont Cancer Center Community Outreach Program that brings high school students into LCOM research labs and provides them with early exposure to science and research. Terri is a driving factor in the continuing success of our research and a role model for a dedicated and professional research scientist. Congratulations Terri!! (11/2020)
Congratulations to Dr. Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D. on her selection as a new Fellow of the Society for Redox Biology and Medicine (SfRBM) in recognition of her outstanding contributions in the field of redox biology and to SfRBM. (Sep 2020)
From Yvonne Janssen Heininger, Ph.D.: nine members from the VLC/RBP group traveled to Ventura, CA to attend the Gordon Research Conference/Seminar on Oxygen Radicals that I organized together with Dr. Manisha Patel from Denver.
Congratulations to Cheryl van de Wetering who organized a highly successful Gordon Research Seminar on Oxygen Radicals: "Redox Processes from Chemical Reactivity to Their Role in Health and Disease" in Ventura CA February 1-2 2020.
Trainees from all over the world gathered, and gave oral and poster presentations along with elevator pitches in their work in redox biology. Cheryl also organized two keynote lectures held by leaders in our field. She single handedly did the fund raising and obtained grants that allowed her to reimburse travel and registration for the trainees. Congratulations to Cheryl on a job performed with the highest level of professionalism!
Congratulations also go to Dr. Allison Manuel. Allison won a GRC 2020 Mini-Bolt Award for the best elevator pitch of the conference!
A special note of thanks to Dr. Albert van der Vliet who designed the Mini-Bolt Awards in line with the Iron Bolt Award that accompanies this conference. Albert started a new tradition in this GRC.
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The Cunniff Lab recently received funding from the Butler Family Foundation (managed by the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region) to investigate malignant mesothelioma tumor profiles that may predict sensitivity to therapies currently being developed in the Cunniff Lab, with support from RS Oncology. Malignant mesothelioma is a devastating disease that has no cure and is one of the most difficult tumors to treat. RS Oncology, in collaboration with the Cunniff Lab, is developing a therapeutic approach utilizing a novel mechanism of action that has shown promising pre-clinical activity.
This generous gift from the Butler Family will help to identify patients who are most likely to respond to current and new therapies under development. We are very thankful to the Butler Family for their generous support!
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From: Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D.: What are the latest discoveries in the study of Oxygen Radicals? Join me in Ventura, CA next February and find out!
My co-chair, Manisha Patel PhD, and I have put together a Gordon Research Conference: “OXYGEN RADICALS – CHEMICAL REACTIVITY, METABOLISM, & OPPORTUNITIES FOR THERAPEUTIC DEVELOPMENT.”
See poster here
It’s
going to be an exciting program with a diverse range of outstanding
speakers, both junior and senior. Discussions will emphasize both
opportunities and obstacles in developing redox-based compounds for
therapeutics. Our goal is to spread knowledge and foster new
collaborations leading to future discoveries!
The conference will be from Feb. 2nd to 7th. For more information, go to https://www.grc.org/oxygen-radicals-conference/2020/.
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Recently accepted review by Wyatt Chia of the Janssen-Heininger lab was recognized by AJP-CellBio with an “Image of the Week”.
https://twitter.com/AJPCellPhys
https://www.facebook.com/AJPCellPhys/
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Dr. Arti Shukla, Ph.D. awarded
prestigious award: She was invited by OHSU Knight Cancer Institute
(Portland, Oregon) to deliver Michael J. Hasson Lectureship for
Mesothelioma on Monday, Oct 7 and was presented with an award,
recognizing her outstanding work in mesothelioma research.
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Dr. Jos van der Velden was featured in the 2019 summer edition of Vermont Medicine.
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Dr. Brian Cunniff's research was the focus of a recent commentary in mSphere, a journal published by The American Society for Microbiology. Congratulations Brian ! Read the commentary
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Dr. Albert van der Vliet, Ph.D. has been asked to join the Editorial Board of Scientific Reports, an online open access journal from the publishers of Nature. Board members manage the peer review process for manuscripts submitted to the journal.
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Dr. Albert van der Vliet, Ph.D. will be
a symposium speaker at an upcoming annual meeting of the Japanese
Respiratory Society (April 12-14 in Tokyo), where he will be discussing
the current status of oxidative stress in COPD and implications for
therapeutic approaches.
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Phillip Munson, a graduate student in Arti Shukla’s
lab was recently invited to present his research to Dean Richard Page
and the Medical Alumni Executive Committee. Thanks for representing UVM
CMB graduate students!
Additionally, Phillip Munson
will be presenting at the American Association for Cancer Research
Meeting on April 1, 2019 in Atlanta Georgia. The title of his talk is
“Exosomes in Mesothelioma. Congrats Phillip!
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Dr. Yvonne Jenssen-Heininger, Ph.D. will present a University Scholar Lecture: Using
the Domain of Redox Biology to Understand Chronic Lung Diseases and to
Provide Avenues for Drug Development, Wednesday, March 20th, 4:00 pm in
the Waterman Memorial Lounge.
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Dr. Brian Cunniff, Ph.D. received a UVM Cancer Center Pilot award entitled ”Mitochondrial positioning determines subcellular redox modifications supporting cell migration and metastasis.” Dr. Albert van der Vliet, Ph.D. will also serve as a Co-PI on the project. Congratulations to Drs. Cunniff and van der Vliet!
Dr. Nick Heintz, Ph.D.
received the 2018 UVM Medical Alumni Association’s Distinguished
Graduate Alumni Award, which is presented to Larner College of Medicine
(LCOM) alumni who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in basic,
clinical or applied research; education; industry; public
service/humanitarianism; and/or outstanding commitment to the LCOM
community. He accepted his award at the college's Celebrating Research
Excellence event at the end of October. (September 2018)
Dr. Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D. to be inducted as a University Scholar...read here. (3/2018)
Dr. Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph. D. was awarded a patent on the concept that
strategies to inhibit GSTP has utility for the treatment of patients with
pulmonary fibrosis. Congratulations, Yvonne! (Jan. 2018)