Fall 2007 Vignette 4
Pioneering Scientific Research
The Neuro-Immunology Research Project (NIRP) group is truly a revolutionary concept for the College. Not only have a group of 10 students been able to conduct advanced scientific research right on campus, but they have participated in building the project from scratch, forming a foundation for research to continue well into the future.
Recent graduate Patrick Duff '07, who is pursuing a career in biotechnology, understands the significance of this. "Not many students are able to help start a research project from the ground floor, from doing literature searches, stocking and setting up the lab, developing a research objective, having lab meetings and collecting preliminary results. I am actually a little bit jealous of the people coming in now because the future for this project is so promising."
A collaborative project between Assistant Professor of Biology Todd Williams, a neurobiologist, and Josef Kurtz, an immunologist, the research involves investigating the interaction between the immune and central nervous systems. This includes studying cells of which little is known about - immune cells that infiltrate the central nervous system (CNS) as well as resident CNS immune microglial cells that become active during trauma. When inflammation occurs following an accident, for example, both CNS resident and infiltrating immune cells aid in its recovery. The students are using two advanced methods to identify these different cell populations - flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. The eventual findings of this research could have implications for conditions like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
"Our goal at the start of this project was to come up with something that the scientific community would say 'wow' about - something that changes our body of research knowledge," said Dr. Kurtz. He presented some of the preliminary data at the International Congress of Immunology Conference in Brazil this summer.
The NIRP group for the 2006-2007 academic year included Forum Raval '07, who is now pursuing a Ph.D. in immunology at the University of Massachusetts, Patrick Duff, Casey Vallot '07, who has accepted a position at Merck-Research Laboratories - Boston, Lisa Shubert '08, Carolyn Ferrick '08, Kari Davidson '08, Emily Willmer '08, Alex Bravoco '08, Sam LoCascio '09 and Chris Borges '10. Patrick, Forum and Casey were the first members of the NIRP group, which was formed in the fall of 2005, and students have been invited over the last two years to join. There is a six-month apprenticeship period in which new students work with experienced students and faculty to learn laboratory techniques. There are regular lab team meetings in which members of the group present scientific literature, share information from experiments and plan for the future.
"This is a very driven group," said Dr. Kurtz. "They are self-motivators who push each other academically. We wanted to do something neither I nor Dr. Williams had done, which means within a month, some of the students knew more than we did in certain areas of the project."
Lisa Shubert recognizes what this type of experience means for her future. "Being in the science field is very competitive, especially if you want to go to graduate school or medical school. It's really great to be able to work on a real research project that will be on-going for years - it's pioneering in the science department. I now know that I want to do research and work in immunology. It has become my passion."
Dr. Williams is looking at ways to solidify this type of research in the future. "Our ultimate goal, as the research project continues, is to publish papers in scholarly journals and to present at more conferences. We are also identifying grants to support the future of the project. In addition to our current anatomical studies, we would like to investigate the behavioral aspects of alterations to the immune functioning of the central nervous system."
He is also looking to the future of his current students. "We want them to utilize this Longwood Medical Area neighborhood, full of world-renowned medical and academic institutions, and do exceptionally well."
"It really is, in the true sense, a mentor-mentee relationship," said Dr. Kurtz. "I have so much invested in these students, and they are more vested in the project because we are doing real research that will have an impact. I have come to truly rely on them."
It is safe to say that the experience Chris Borges has had since he attended Dr. Kurtz's presentation in 2006 has exceeded expectations. He is doing the work he loves and is heading towards a bright future. But he has also gained a support system in his faculty and peers at Emmanuel who helped him cope with his father's illness.
"I have great friends here, and they supported me through a really tough time," said Chris. "Of everyone, Dr. Kurtz has been the most supportive. He has an open-door policy. When my father was sick, he would talk me through the science behind the treatments, and, for me, that made all the difference in the world."
- Molly Honan