Winter 2015 - University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

NIH/NIDDK P30 Center for Molecular Studies in Digestive & Liver Diseases
Joint Penn-CHOP Center for Digestive, Liver and Pancreatic Medicine
Division of Gastroenterology
University of Pennsylvania
NEWSLETTER
Winter 2015
CORE FACILITIES
THE MOLECULAR PATHOLOGY AND IMAGING
CORE
- Molecular Pathology &
Imaging Core (MPIC) -
(D) Jonathan Katz, MD
(TD) Adam Bedenbaugh
- Molecular Biology/Gene
Expression Core -
(D) Gary Wu, MD
(TD) Lilian Chau
- Transgenic and Chimeric
Mouse Core -
(D) Steve Leibhaber. MD
(TD) Jean Richa, PhD
- Cell Culture Core (D) Erle Robertson, PhD
(AD) Hiroshi Nakagawa,
MD, PhD
(TD) Hem Chandra Jha,
PhD
RESEARCH SEMINAR SCHEDULE
JANUARY – APRIL 2015
----- JANUARY ----The Molecular Pathology and Imaging Core (MPIC) is
excited about the upcoming year and being able to
continue working with the labs of Penn. Please feel free
to stop by and see if there is anything we can help you
with. Additionally, we continue to maintain an average
turnaround of 5 working days for orders, which helps you
get your results quicker.
A human GI cancer tissue bank is maintained that
contains both frozen and paraffin embedded. The bank
is a service that is provided by the MPIC and can be
used at no additional charge to sectioning. The majority
of tissues also have a pathology report. If you are
interested in seeing what is available please contact
Adam Bedenbaugh, blakebe@mail.med.upenn.edu, for
more information.
8, Scott Snapper, MD PhD, “Very Early Onset IBD
- From Genes to Function:
A Journey from Mice to Man and Back to Mice
Again “
15, Anne Powell, PhD, “The Pan-ErbB Negative
Regulator, Lrig1, in the Gastrointestinal Tract”
22, Patrick Seale, PhD, “Transcriptional control of
fat cell fate and function”
29, Matthew Good, PhD, “Building Synthetic Celllike Compartments to Characterize the Impacts of
Cell Size and Shape on Intracellular Function"
----- FEBRUARY ----5, Wei Tong, PhD, “Mechanisms of cytokine
signaling in hematopoietic stem cells and
leukemia”
CENTER SYMPOSIUM
12, Ramon Parsons, MD PhD, “TBD”
19, Linda Siracusa, PhD, “TBD”
Save the date
June 17, 2015
for our
2015 GI Center Symposium
“Innovative perspectives on
pancreatitis and pancreatic
cancer”
To be held at the National
Constitution Center in
Philadelphia.
26, Kitai Kim, PhD, “Recovery of genomic integrity
in IPS cells from aged donors”
----- MARCH ----5, Frank J. Gonzalez, PhD, “The gut microbiome
leads to a novel treatment for metabolic
syndrome.”
12, Andrei Thomas-Tikhonenko, PhD, “TBD”
19, Craig Bassing, PhD, “Lymphocyte Lineage
and Developmental Stage Specific DNA Damage
Responses Regulate Antigen Receptor Gene
Assembly”
26, Lucy Erin O'Brien, PhD, “TBD”
----- APRIL -----
The Molecular Biology Core would like to announce that Ms. Lillian Chau has accepted
the position as Technical Assistant in the Core. In January, Ms. Chau will become the
Technical Director of the Core due to the retirement of Dr. Sue Keilbaugh.
Contact information: Lillian Chau chaul@mail.med.upenn.edu
2, Jessie Villaneuva, PhD “Searching for novel
targets to overcome therapy resistance in
melanoma”
9, Xavier Graña, PhD “Roles of the PP2A
regulatory subunit B55alha/PPP2R2A in the cell
cycle, differentiation and cancer.”
NEWSLETTER
Winter 2015 Cont.
NEW DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE FOR REGENERATIVE MEDICINE
Dr. Ken Zaret, Joseph Leidy Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology and Co-Director of the Epigenetics Program, was
named as the new Director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IRM). The overarching goal of IRM is to understand how
cells and tissues are formed and then use the information for medical breakthroughs. The Institute is a collaborative effort,
comprised of researchers of varying backgrounds – spanning GI, cardiology, orthopedics, neurology, engineering, veterinary
sciences, and more – who share the same desire to join forces and advance regenerative medicine.
The IRM also has successful outreach programs, including public lectures on stem cells and regenerative biology and Project
BioEYES, a K-12 science education program which provides classroom-based learning opportunities through the use of live
zebrafish. More community based projects and events are on the horizon in 2015.
For more information about the IRM, as well as becoming a member, please contact Abby Behrends, Communications
Coordinator for the IRM at behrends@mail.med.upenn.edu .
Dr. Klaus Kaestner is the new Associate Director of the Center, effective
October 2014, succeeding Dr. Morris Birnbaum. Dr. Kaestner is the Thomas
and Evelyn Suor Butterworth Professor of Genetics, and the Director of the
Next Generation Sequencing Core Facility. Internationally renowned, Dr.
Kaestner and his lab employ modern genetic, genomic and epigenomic
approaches (ChIP-Seq, RNA-Seq, gene targeting, tissue-specific and
inducible gene ablation) to understand the molecular mechanisms of
organogenesis and physiology of the liver, pancreas and gastrointestinal
tract. His publications are in premier journals such as Nature, Cell, Genes &
Development, and JCI, amongst others. No doubt, Dr. Kaestner's experience
and expertise will be most helpful in advancing the Center's missions.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY CORE
Beginning Jan 1, 2015, the Molecular Biology
Core will charge $100 for the initial training
and consultation (includes background,
software instructions, setup, and analysis) for
both the qPCR (Step One Plus and ABI 7000)
and Odyssey instruments.
THE INSTITUTE OF REGENERATIVE MEDICINE AND THE JOINT CHOP-PENN CENTER IN DIGESTIVE, LIVER, AND PANCREATIC MEDICINE
The Institute of Regenerative Medicine and the Joint CHOP-Penn Center in Digestive, Liver and Pancreatic Medicine has
awarded a pilot grant to Drs. John Lynch and F. Brad Johnson, Center members, for their proposed work entitled "DNA doublestranded break repair responses in quiescent and actively cycling intestinal stem cells", effective this month.
Please remember to cite the Center (NIH-P30-DK050306) and its core facilities (Molecular Pathology and Imaging Core,
Molecular Biology/Gene Expression Core, Transgenic and Chimeric Mouse Core, and Cell Culture Core) in your
publications.