Bench to Bedside: The Effectiveness of a Professional Development Program Focused on Biomedical Sciences and Action Research.

A three-year, National Institutes of Health-funded residential project at a southeastern research university immersed 83 secondary science teachers in a summer institute called "Bench to Bedside." Teachers were provided with knowledge, skills, experiences, and incentives to improve their science teaching and increase their awareness of scientific processes, technologies, and careers by examining the translational medicine continuum of basic to clinical research. This was done with the help of medical school researchers, clinical personnel, biotechnology entrepreneurs, program mentors, and prior year participants.

Characterization of a novel functional protein in the pancreatic islet: islet homeostasis protein regulation of glucagon synthesis in α cells.

Objective: We have identified a novel protein in bone marrow-derived insulin-producing cells. Here we characterize this protein, hereby named islet homeostasis protein (IHoP), in the pancreatic islet.

Methods: Detection of IHoP mRNA and protein was performed using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, immunocytochemistry, and in situ hybridization.

Inhibition of Notch signaling affects hepatic oval cell response in rat model of 2AAF-PH.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Activation of the oval cell compartment occurs in the liver when hepatocytes are functionally compromised and/or unable to divide. Our goal was to investigate the systemic signals responsible for determining the efficiency of oval cell-mediated liver regeneration, focusing on the Notch signaling cascade. METHODS: The established oval cell induction protocol of 2-acetylaminofluorine (2-AAF) implantation followed by 70% surgical resection of the liver (partial hepatectomy, PH) was employed in a rat model.

Biology of the adult hepatic progenitor cell: "ghosts in the machine".

This chapter reviews some of the basic biological principles governing adult progenitor cells of the liver and the mechanisms by which they operate. If scientists were better able to understand the conditions that govern stem cell mechanics in the liver, it may be possible to apply that understanding in a clinical setting for use in the treatment or cure of human pathologies. This chapter gives a basic introduction to hepatic progenitor cell biology and explores what is known about progenitor cell-mediated liver regeneration.

Hepatic stellate cells' involvement in progenitor-mediated liver regeneration.

Earlier studies conducted by our laboratory have shown that suppression of transforming growth factor-beta (TGFbeta)-mediated upregulation of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) by iloprost resulted in a greatly diminished oval cell response to 2-acetylaminofluorene/partial hepatectomy (2AAF/PH) in rats. We hypothesized that this effect is due to decreased activation of hepatic stellate cells. To test this hypothesis, we maintained rats on a diet supplemented with 2% L-cysteine as a means of inhibiting stellate cell activation during the oval cell response to 2AAF/PH.

The role of the Wnt family of secreted proteins in rat oval "stem" cell-based liver regeneration: Wnt1 drives differentiation.

To date the molecular signals regulating activation, proliferation, and differentiation of hepatic oval cells are not fully understood. The Wnt family is essential in hepatic embryogenesis and implicated in hepatic carcinogenesis. This study elucidates novel findings implicating Wnt1 in directing oval cell differentiation during the rat 2-acetylaminofluorene (2AAF) and 2/3 partial hepatectomy (PHx) liver regeneration model.

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 is required for the regulation of rat oval cell proliferation and differentiation in the 2AAF/PHX model.

Oval cell-mediated liver regeneration is a highly complex process that involves the coordination of several signaling factors, chemokines and cytokines to allow for proper maintenance of the liver architecture. When hepatocyte proliferation is inhibited, an hepatic stem cell population, often referred to as "oval cells", is activated to aid in liver regeneration. The function of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) during this process of oval cell activation is of particular interest because it is produced in liver and has been shown to induce migration and differentiation of other stem cell populations both in vitro and in vivo.

Detection of transketolase in bone marrow-derived insulin-producing cells: benfotiamine enhances insulin synthesis and glucose metabolism.

Adult bone marrow (BM)-derived insulin-producing cells (IPCs) are capable of regulating blood glucose levels in chemically induced hyperglycemic mice. Using cell transplantation therapy, fully functional BM-derived IPCs help to mediate treatment of diabetes mellitus. Here, we demonstrate the detection of the pentose phosphate pathway enzyme, transketolase (TK), in BM-derived IPCs cultured under high-glucose conditions.