Fall and Winter 2008 Happenings at GSK

Student Research

Recent publications from our students.

Eric Alonzo
Kovalovsky D, Uche OU, Eladad S, Hobbs RM, Yi W, Alonzo E, Chua K, Eidson M, Kim HJ, Im JS, Pandolfi PP, Sant’Angelo DB. The BTB-zinc finger transcriptional regulator PLZF controls the development of invariant natural killer T cell effector functions. Nat Immunol. 2008 Sep;9(9):1055-64. Epub 2008 Jul 27.
[PubMed Abstract]

Semanti Mukherjee
Kilpivaara O, Mukherjee S, Schram AM, Wadleigh M, Mullally A, Ebert BL, Bass A, Marubayash S, Heguy A, Garcia-Manero G, Kantarjian H, Offit K, Stone RM, Gilliland DG, Klein RJ Levine RL. A germline JAK2 SNP is associated with predisposition to the development of JAK2^V617F-positive myeloproliferative neoplasms. Nature Genetics. 2009. DOI 10.1038/ng.342
[Full Text]

The School Welcomes New Faculty Members

Alexander Rudensky
Immunology Program
Research Interests: Immunological tolerance, T cell differentiation and function

Iestyn Whitehouse
Molecular Biology Program
Research Interests: Cromatin structure and the function of ATP dependent chromatin remodelling enzymes

Beyond the Laboratory and the Classroom

Fostering a rich, supportive, and diverse community in which to study is high on the school’s agenda. Recent extracurricular pursuits promoted and encouraged comaraderie among students and faculty.

Halloween Party

Halloween is one of those holidays that needs to be celebrated with a big bash. Students, faculty, and school staff took advantage of an excuse to be someone else for an evening. Who doesn’t want to do that once in a while?

New York City Marathon

Although he ran alone, first-year student Bill Walkowizc had the full support of the entire GSK community for his New York City Marathon run last October.

A Reunion!

When the school learned that 2007 summer undergraduate program students planned a reunion in New York City in January, a school-sponsored kick-off reception was immediately placed on the agenda. The students — Jennifer Cohen, Julia Gerard, Keith Jacobs, Alex Kostic, Cristina Luiggi, Peter Ly, Courtney Schroeder, and Jennifer Zuckerman — then spent the remainder of their time in New York City renewing friendships and touring the city.

Sports and More Sports

Students let their energies loose during active excursions throughout the fall and winter. Accompanied by GSK Dean Kenneth Marians, the fall began with an outing to Grand Prix New York, a high-powered go-kart racing facility in Westchester, New York. Three men — Bill Walkowicz, Eric Alonzo, and John Maciejowski — and three women— Alexandria Miller, Heather Scherr, and Shannon Yu — emerged as the day’s champions. The winter was capped off with the second annual student-organized ski trip to Mount Snow in Vermont.

Grant Awards

Join us as we congratulate faculty members who received new or competitive renewal awards in December 2008 and February 2009.

Mary Baylies, PhD
Department/Program: Developmental Biology
Project Title: Investigation of Mechanisms Underlying Myonuclear Positioning
Annual Amount: $105,092
Awarding Agency: Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA)

Gabriela Chiosis, PhD
Department/Program: Molecular Pharmacology & Chemistry Program
Project Title: Development of Hsp90 Inhibitors in Tauopathies - in Vivo Preclinical Development
Annual Amount: $100,000
Awarding Agency: Alzheimer’s Drug DiscoveryFoundation

Filippo G. Giancotti, MD, PhD
Department/Program: Laboratory of Cell Adhesion & Signaling
Project Title: Integrin Signaling During Breast Tumorigenesis
Annual Amount: $379,200
Awarding Agency: NIH/NCI

Alexander Y. Rudensky, PhD
Department/Program: Immunology
Project Title: Self Peptides Bound to MHC Class II in T Cell Selection
Annual Amount: $474,000
Awarding Agency: NIH/NIAID
Project Title: Molecular Mechanisms of Regulatory T Cell Development
Annual Amount: $179,343
Awarding Agency: NIH/NIAID

Chris Sander, PhD
Department/Program: Computational Biology
Project Title: Functional Consequences of Cancer Mutations
Annual Amount: $672,951
Awarding Agency: NIH/NCI