Page 13 - RFCUNY Annual Report 2016

Jun Liang Naphtali O’Connor

Assistant Professor, Science Associate Professor, Chemistry
Borough of Manhattan Community College Lehman College

The biological process of aging is still not well Wound healing is a complex biochemical process
understood. Researchers have found a connection that can be hampered by medical and environmental
between certain genes and their ability to prolong or factors, increasing an individual’s susceptibility to
shorten an individual’s lifespan, but that’s not enough infection. Developing biomaterials that expedite
information, according to Professor Liang. “There the healing process is one therapeutic strategy for
are still many genes that are unknown – the set of improving wound treatment. Professor O’Connor
genes we’ve identified is not enough to interpret investigates this tactic with his four-year, $471K NIH
the bigger picture of the aging process. We need award, Polysaccharide-Polyamine Hydrogels by ana-
to add new genes to the known knowledge.” Liang lyzing how changes in chemical structures affect cell
is contributing to this body of knowledge through behavior. “A characteristic of cell behavior relating
her three-year, $146K NIH grant, Novel Function of to wound healing is the rate of cells migrating into
CLIC and TGF-beta Signaling in Stress Response the affected area,” O’Connor explains,“ the question
and Health Span in C. elegans. Her experiments with is: Can we develop a material where we can boost
nematodes (worms) have revealed a chloride channel that rate?” O’Connor uses a polysaccharide-dextrin
protein (encoded by the gene CLIC) contributed to hydrogel (naturally non-reactive to cell adhesion)
a stress response in the TGF-beta pathway. This ion and adds or changes different amines (organic
channel influences a vast network of critical cellular compounds) to determine whether the material
processes in the human body. “Although the biolog- can be transformed in a manner that allows cells to
ical process is complicated, we have discovered a adhere. “We want to know if changing the ratio of
gene that contributes to stress and aging.” amines affects the process of cell migration, not just
adherence, but increasing the speed cell growth and
migration as well.”

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