Tufts' Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences students have been conducting significant research recently - and earning recognition that is consistent with the Sackler School's record of contributing to the biomedical world.
The Sackler School, which includes nine different programs of study and is comprised of about 250 students and 150 faculty members, draws "faculty from the medical school, the school of arts and sciences, the dental school, the nutrition school, and from the engineering programs," biochemistry professor David Stollar said, who has also served as interim Dean of the Sackler School.
"[The activities and studies of the Sackler school] bring research and graduate studies from all parts of the University together," Stollar said, adding that "the Sackler School is one of the gems of the University."
Recent highlights of Sackler School research include a study by biochemistry graduate student Adrienne Boire. Through her study of the factors that contribute to metastasis of breast cancer, Boire found that a protein called PAR1 is involved in controlling the ability of breast cancer cells to invade normal tissue. In addition, she identified the protein that is responsible for the activation of PAR1.
"By helping us understand the way breast cancer cells metastasize, Adrienne's work strikes at the stage of the disease that is most problematic and responsible for most breast cancer mortality," Dean of the Sackler School and pathology professor Naomi Rosenberg said.
In January, Boire's findings were published in the journal Cell. Also published in Cell were findings by genetics graduate student Elizabeth Egan, who studied with molecular biology and microbiology associate professor Matthew Waldor.
Egan's work focused on the replication of the bacterial pathogen Vibrio coholerae. Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera, is unique among bacteria because it has two chromosomes.
"Elizabeth's work helped us understand how the bacterium controls division and produces progeny that have the correct number of chromosomes, and explored a unique mechanism of bacterial replication," Rosenberg said. Egan's findings were published last August.
The findings of another student, Brenda Eustace, who studied with physiology professor Daniel Jay, were published last June in Nature Cell Biology. In order to identify the role of a protein called hsp90 alpha in controlling cell migration and metastasis, Eustace used a novel functional proteomic screen.
Although hsp90 was discovered quite some time ago, "Brenda's finding that the protein plays a role in cancer and metastasis was unexpected," Rosenberg said. "Her ability to screen for molecules that influence metastasis provides a way for scientists to identify new and unexpected cellular molecules that might be targets for therapy in the future."
Such research conducted by Sackler School students is relevant to biomedicine not only here at Tufts, but throughout the world. "[These] findings have the potential to help scientists and physicians understand the way diseases can be prevented, diagnosed and treated," Rosenberg said. "Individual projects contribute to the larger scientific knowledge."
Graduates of the Sackler School choose many different paths after graduation: some have pursued academic positions, careers in the government, or further research.
Boire completed her Ph.D. this past year and is now a medical student at the University of Chicago. Eustace, who also completed her Ph.D. this year, is a postdoctoral fellow at a local biotechnology company. Egan is currently completing her M.D. and Ph.D. and will graduate this May. She plans to continue her studies as a resident in pediatrics at Children's Hospital in Boston.
"In addition to the research done at the school, Sackler students are involved in community outreach programs," Rosenberg added.
One example is GAP Junction, a program in which Sackler students introduce middle school students to science by serving as enthusiastic volunteer teachers at Boston middle schools.
"[There are] an enormous range of activities [within the Sackler school]," Stollar said.
