Celebrating Student Research at the 2024 EITS Research Evening

The Institute for Integrative Toxicology’s Annual Research Evening showcased trainees in the Environmental and Integrative Toxicological Sciences Graduate Training program and their accomplishments. This year’s event took place on Thursday, December 5, 2024 in the Lincoln Room at the MSU Kellogg Center. The event included dinner, student posters and platform presentations. 

Saamera Awali, training in the lab of Dr. Cheryl Rockwell, spoke  on, “The effect of tBHQ and Nrf2 activation on dendritic cell function during influenza A infection.” Awali is a doctoral student in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and has focused her graduate research on the effects of a commonly used food additive, tBHQ, on dendritic cell function in the context of an influenza A infection. Awali hypothesizes that the transcript factor Nrf2, which is activated by tBHQ, plays a major role in reducing dendritic cell maturation and activation, overall inhibiting the ability of dendritic cells to properly present antigen to T cells, which is their primary function.

Rachel Bauer, training in the lab of Dr. Courtney Carignan, spoke on, “Investigating immunotoxicity of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances using functional measures in a highly exposed population.” Bauer is a doctoral student in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and has focused her research on PFAS exposure and its impact on the immune system. In a Michigan community affected by PFAS-contaminated drinking water,  Bauer assessed whether serum PFAS levels were associated with reduced SARS-CoV-2 IgG spike antibody levels in vaccinated adults, and alterations in immune cell populations. Overall, she found serum PFAS to be negatively associated with anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG spike antibodies and associated with changes in leukocyte subpopulations.

Jacob Reynolds, training in the lab of Dr. Brian Johnson, spoke on, “Refinement of a Microphysiological Model of Orofacial Development for Chemical Testing.” Reynolds is a doctoral student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Orofacial clefts are one of the most common structural birth defects that arise from a complex, multi-factorial etiology. Reynolds work focuses on engineering ways to study the complex cell-cell interactions of development and identify potential harmful exposures with a primary focus on the Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) pathway. To accomplish this, he utilizes computer numerical control (CNC) machining to create plate based microfluidic devices that create a 3D microtissue of the epithelial-mesenchyme interaction that is essential to proper orofacial development.

To those who attended, thank you for joining us for this special evening of celebration, camaraderie, and learning!

To learn more about the research interests of our current EITS students, please visit: https://iit.msu.edu/training/eits/current-students.html.