| Affiliations: | |
| Project Leader: | Jace Willis jwillis@tamu.edu Biomedical Engineering |
| Faculty Mentor: | Dr. Vladislav V. Yakovlev, Ph.D. |
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Meeting Times:
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TBA |
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Team Size:
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3
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| Open Spots: | 0 |
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Special Opportunities:
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Students will gain valuable experience in biological models and optical systems applicable to many research fields, and may earn co-authorship on publications and/or presentations of research if desired (local or national).
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Team Needs:
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Preferred: Interest in multidisciplinary research, biological models of disease, and photonic treatments (i.e. photodynamics). Flexible schedule for non-daily research tasks. Clear communication and eagerness for collaborative endeavors. Mandatory: Willingness to complete some basic training (traintraq) and handle optical equipment (supervised) and animal models of c. elegans (nematodes) and/or drosophila (fruit flies). Commitment to a set research schedule such as 1-2 hours 2-3 times per week – open for discussion. |
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Description:
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The in vivo effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are often studied at the molecular, cellular, and tissue scales and are only moderately controllable in quantity and localization. The study of organism-wide ROS effects is rare and likewise is not highly developed or controlled, though the improvement of information will prove vital in describing general health effects of an ever-present cellular byproduct. With the employment of photodynamic techniques, exogenous ROS study can be applied to whole organisms with awareness and control of ROS distribution and quantity to fully expand upon the biphasic responses observed at smaller scales. Analysis of these responses to ROS will then aid the development of neurodegeneration and anti-aging treatments. To fill this knowledge gap, controlled photodynamic generation of exogenous ROS will be utilized to examine fine changes in lifespan and health responses in animal models of Drosophila and C. elegans. These two animal models will be utilized with test conditions involving the addition of photosensitizer to sustaining media and constant exposure to a corresponding low-power excitation source at various intensities. The presence or absence of these two environmental factors, in different quantities, will be compared to inspect effects unique to any light or dark controls and photodynamic treatments versus natural biological aging and development. This treatment applied to both models at different developmental stages and to different mutants will assess their ability to handle additional oxidative stress load at each stage of life. Overall, work will begin with the design, construction, and testing of custom exposure devices suited to the models at hand. Initial experiments focused on photosensitizer localization and controls will enable later experiments to more accurately justify the cause of measured outcomes such as survival and various health and cognitive factors. Based on cognitive and health outcomes, ROS dose-response curves will be generated and analyzed for biphasic nature often studied in vitro and hypothesized but not fully explored in vivo. It is anticipated that low ROS rates may contribute to improvements in survival curves and health measures, some mid-range of ROS rate will harm in a significant manner without killing, and higher ROS rates will harm to the point of killing significantly faster. Furthermore, cognitive assessments are expected to follow a similar trend and protein expression may be altered significantly in response to treatment. |