We are contacting the women or obtaining information from tumor registries to determine whether they have developed breast cancer. The most difficult aspect of this project is locating the study participants after 20-years. It requires a lot of detective work, persistence, and attention to detail. No wet lab work is involved. The project is suitable for humanities and social science majors, as well as science majors.
Position is open to all classes.
Professor Eva Harris Investigation of the role of the immune system, specifically chemokines, in dengue virus infection in mice. Presently, no vaccine or treatment for DHF exists. Since the immune system has been hypothesized to play a role in both viral clearance and pathogenesis of DHF, we have begun to analyze the interactions between specific elements of the immune system and DV in vivo in mice. We are currently optimizing a mouse model for DV infection by systematically evaluating novel routes of infection, different viral and mouse strains, and co-injection of immunomodulatory compounds from mosquito saliva. The optimized mouse model will then be used to determine the role of particular immune components, such as chemokines, in DV-infected mice, since chemokines are central regulators of the immune response.