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“Ecology Meets Cancer Biology: Keystone Cancer Cells are Actuators of Therapy Resistance and Cancer Lethality.”

Using cancer ecology to solve the problem of metastasis, Amend’s research is focused on understanding the role of the tumor microenvironment in cancer progression, specifically related to lethal metastasis.

Sarah Amend is an Assistant Professor, partnering with Dr. Ken Pienta to study the ecology of cancer.  She was a post-doctoral fellow in the lab and received her undergraduate degree from N.C. State University in Biological Sciences and did her Ph.D. thesis work on contributions of the microenvironment to bone resident cancer at Washington University in St. Louis. She is studying the role of the malignant cancer niche in inducing cancer cell biodiversity.

Please join us for our fall information session about our Maters Industry Co-Op program. The program provides students with career training while employed with an industry partner. Students will gain work experience, network, and build technical skills to prepare for a competitive job market. Plus, you will earn a salary and receive college credit during employment.

This program is open to engineering students in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.

Refreshments will be served.

More information can be found on our Maters Co-Op webpage.

Aikaterini Kontrogianni-Konstantopoulos research focuses on the elucidation of the roles of cytoskeletal and membrane-associated proteins as structural and signaling mediators. Using the muscle and epithelial cell as model systems, my laboratory has pioneered the molecular and functional characterization of the obscurin subfamily and its binding partner Myosin Binding Protein-C slow in health and disease.

In 2007, she joined the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine as Assistant Professor in the tenure track. Using the muscle and epithelial cell as model systems, her laboratory has pioneered the molecular and functional characterization of major cytoskeletal and membrane-associated proteins as structural and signaling mediators in health and disease.

Efie Kokkoli, a targeted drug delivery specialist, is a professor in the Chemical and Biomolecular Department at the Whiting School of Engineering. Her research focuses on the areas of DNA nanotechnology, multi-targeted gene and drug delivery, and the design of biopolymers and responsive hydrogels. With the goal of directing nanoparticles capable of carrying cancer drugs to tumor sites while sparing non-cancerous areas, her group concentrates on designing biomaterials ranging from polymeric nanoparticles to DNA nanotubes that respond best under certain conditions, like temperature or pH, and have specificity for cancer cells.

Please join us for our 5th Annual INBT Undergraduate Symposium on November 7th, 2019 from 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm.

Agenda
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm – Poster session 1
1:00 pm – Lunch served
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Poster session II
2:30 – 3:00 pm – Award presentation

Attendance
Registration is required for poster presenters. Register your poster and learn the requirements here by October 24th.
Registration is not needed to attend the symposium.

If you have questions, please email inbt.undergraduate@gmail.com.

Want to learn more about the symposium? Read about last years’ symposium in our news section.