Dr. Qian Xie and Dr. Kun Yang have each been selected to receive $25,000 Quillen Research Enhancement Awards. The Quillen Research Enhancement Award is a competitive program that provides support to faculty as they generate preliminary data that have a high potential for receiving extramural grant funding.
Dr. Qian Xie’s project is titled “Optimizing Methodology for Targeting MET in Glioblastoma.” Her work could lead to new ways of treating glioblastoma (GBM). GBM is widely known to have a high mortality rate and can be difficult to treat due to the presence of glioma stem cells (GSC), which are resistant to irradiation and chemotherapy. The project will optimize methodologies for targeting GSCs bearing Mesenchymal Epithelial Transition (MET) alterations using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells and establish bioluminescence-based assays for testing MET-targeting CAR T cell activity against GBM cell lines and animal models.
Dr. Xie states, "I’d like to thank all my collaborators who have provided valuable materials and meaningful insights to this project, with special thanks to Dr. Phillip R. Musich for his continuous support since I joined ETSU, and Ms. Anna Qin for her efforts on the experimental details."
Dr. Kun Yang’s project is titled “The Suppressive Effects of Lactate on B Cell Immunity During Sepsis” Lactate, an end product of glycolysis, has been recognized as a signaling molecule in the pathogenesis of sepsis/septic shock. Dr. Yang says, “Our team recently made a novel observation that lactate suppresses B cell immune responses in sepsis. The proposed mechanism involves lactate-induced impairment of B cell function through G protein-coupled receptor 81 (GPR81)-dependent phosphorylation of Forkhead Box 1 (Foxo1) and lactylation. Successful completion of this project is expected to yield crucial insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of immune paralysis in sepsis, potentially nforming innovative therapeutic strategies to enhance immunity and improve survival outcomes for sepsis patients.”
Dr. Yang would like to extend his appreciation to Drs. Chuanfu Li and David L. Williams, who are mentors to him in his role as Principal Investigator, and recognize investigator Dr. Min Fan.
Dr. Xie is an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Yang is an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery. Both are members of the Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease, and Immunity. Please join us in congratulating them as recipients of the Quillen Research Enhancement Award.