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The cicadas are coming! Dr. Sammy Ramsey's take on a once-in-200-years event

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 21:22:31 +0000

The cicadas are coming! Dr. Sammy Ramsey's take on a once-in-200-years event Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 04/11/2024 - 15:22

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BioFrontiers scientists developing COVID-19 test that knows you’re sick before you do

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 15:02:49 +0000

BioFrontiers scientists developing COVID-19 test that knows you’re sick before you do Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/13/2020 - 09:02

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BioFrontiers Institute and IQ Biology alum, Joey Azofeifa (Arpeggio Bio), Raises $3.2 Million in Seed Funding and is Named to the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 List in Healthcare

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 23:51:42 +0000

BioFrontiers Institute and IQ Biology alum, Joey Azofeifa (Arpeggio Bio), Raises $3.2 Million in Seed Funding and is Named to the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 List in Healthcare Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 01/15/2020 - 16:51

Arpeggio Bio, a preclinical company whose technology provides a mechanistic understanding of how drugs work, today announced that it has closed a $3.2 million seed financing round, which was oversubscribed by over $2 million. Funding will support the ongoing development of a nascent RNA drug screen.

“We’re excited to have the support of our investors to allow us to continue our mission of helping bring new therapies to patients with epigenetically-driven diseases,” said Joey Azofeifa, Ph.D., Founder and CEO, Arpeggio.

Since inception in 2018, Arpeggio has partnered with over twenty biotech and pharmaceutical companies — including four of the world’s top ten — to uncover new insights into their therapeutics. Arpeggio’s early market traction and progress led it to be selected for the prestigious Y Combinator’s (YC) Summer 2019 batch, which provides emerging startups with funding and mentorship. Following a successful program tenure, Dr. Azofeifa’s YC Demo Day pitch attracted distinguished investors to lead a funding round, including Khosla Ventures, FundersClub, Fifty Years, TechU, and YC.

Arpeggio has built an automated system that collects information about which genes turn on or off for hundreds of time points beginning in the minutes following drug treatment in preclinical models. Using algorithms originally developed for financial forecasting, Arpeggio reconstructs the biological network a drug affects and identifies the genes critical for the success or failure of a drug. This new kind of data allows for the elucidation of novel drug and disease mechanisms, supporting development of safer, more effective therapies by understanding drug effects before they’re given to patients.

The company's platform analyzes its time-series RNA profiles using proprietary machine learning algorithms developed by Dr. Azofeifa. Driven by Arpeggio’s success, Dr. Azofeifa was recently named to the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 List in the Healthcare category, recognizing him as one of the country’s top young entrepreneurs.

Arpeggio's technology combines a proprietary biological assay and machine learning algorithms that, together, enable rapid, high-resolution snapshots of cellular dynamics following drug treatment. These snapshots are then analyzed to reveal the biological networks that determine a drug’s function and guide therapeutic development. To learn more, www.arpeggiobio.com

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Biochemist brothers identify “RNA Chaperone”

Anonymous — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 18:50:02 +0000

Biochemist brothers identify “RNA Chaperone” Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 01/10/2020 - 11:50

Giulia Corbet

Stress granules comprised of RNA (red) and protein assemblies (green) formed in part through RNA-RNA interactions.

A recent study from CU �鶹ӰԺ researchers shows that cells must actively work to keep sticky molecules, known as ribonucleic acid (RNA), apart, or they may form large assemblies that could cause problems for the cell. RNA is the biomolecule that serves as the template for protein synthesis in cells. Protein synthesis halts when cells become stressed, and RNAs assemble into complexes known as “stress granules” with other RNAs and proteins. Not much is known about the function of stress granules. However, aggregates that resemble stress granules are commonly found in neurodegenerative diseases, suggesting a possible role for stress granules in these diseases.

“While proteins have long been recognized to form aberrant complexes that can trigger disease, RNA has generally not been thought to form promiscuous assemblies that might have functional roles in cells as well as cause problems in some contexts,” said Roy Parker, Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry at CU �鶹ӰԺ.

The study, published recently in Cell, highlights how energetically favorable RNA self-assembly is and identifies one way to actively prevent this assembly from growing out of control. Parker has long studied the properties of stress granules and has pioneered the model that RNA-RNA interactions are a significant contributor to stress granule assembly.

This study, spearheaded by two brothers in the Parker research group at CU �鶹ӰԺ, presents two meaningful conclusions. First, stress granules and other ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes readily form favorable interactions with free RNAs. These interactions recruit new RNAs onto the surface of the RNP, thereby growing and stabilizing the complex. Second, a highly abundant enzyme within cells, known as eIF4A1, functions as an “RNA chaperone” to prevent the unregulated growth of RNPs within cells by binding to RNAs.

Devin (L) and Gabriel (R) Tauber, Parker Research Group, �鶹ӰԺ

Co-first authors and brothers Devin and Gabriel Tauber used their complementary expertise in Parker’s lab to understand RNA recruitment to RNPs both in a test tube and in living cells. Devin is a Ph.D. student, and Gabriel was an undergraduate at the time of the study. While unplanned, the brotherly collaboration resulted in an elegant characterization of RNA self-assembly and uncovered the role of the enzyme eIF4A1 in limiting this process in cells.

“Gabe and I have always been interested in science, but we never thought we’d publish a research article together, let alone work in the same lab. Yet, we both fell in love with RNA research and became engaged in understanding the many ways in which RNA can function in the cell beyond simply serving as a middle-man between DNA and protein synthesis,” said Devin. “Since we are brothers, when one of us comes up with an off the wall idea, we are comfortable letting each other have it without the risk of endangering a professional relationship.”

Gabriel sought to understand RNA recruitment into RNPs by watching fluorescently-labeled RNA species assemble under the microscope. Gabriel observed robust recruitment of RNAs with every type of RNP tested. This result raised the question – how do cells limit the growth of RNPs such as stress granules?

The authors believed that the enzyme eIF4A1 was the most likely mechanism to prevent aberrant RNA assembly. eIF4A1 is one of the most abundant RNA binding proteins in the cell and uses energy in the form of ATP to disrupt RNA-RNA interactions. Using fluorescence microscopy to view individual cells, they saw that eIF4A1 is concentrated at the periphery of stress granules, providing further support for the idea that eIF4A1 disrupts RNA-RNA interactions at the surface of RNPs. Thus, Devin sought out to ask whether modulating the levels of eIF4A1 in the cell would affect stress granule assembly.

The Tauber brothers observed that depleting the cell of eIF4A1 can induce stress granule assembly under conditions where they typically do not form. Conversely, they found that increasing the amount of eIF4A1 in the cell is sufficient to prevent stress granule formation under conditions where they would normally develop. However, a mutant form of eIF4A1 which cannot bind to RNA was unable to repress stress granule formation. Together, these experiments solidified the role of eIF4A1 as an inhibitor of RNA recruitment to stress granules and helped to shape the model of RNP assembly as a highly favorable process which requires the cell to use energy to limit it.

“This work will trigger a new set of studies on understanding how cells control RNA-RNA interactions to keep RNAs in the proper balance between functional and specific interactions while limiting inappropriate interactions,” said Parker.

eIF4A’s “RNA chaperone” function could be considered analogous to heat shock proteins, which prevent protein aggregation by binding to unfolded proteins. Protein aggregates that may contain RNA are commonly found in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Identifying the respective roles of RNA and protein in the formation of these aggregates could provide critical insight into the cause of these diseases.

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A Summer Internship Where Only the Cows Obey Traffic Signals

Anonymous — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 20:37:08 +0000

A Summer Internship Where Only the Cows Obey Traffic Signals Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 11/13/2019 - 13:37

Lindsay Diamond

IQ Biology graduate student, Taisa Kushner, spent her summer as a Microsoft Research intern in Bangalore, India, working on a global mental health platform.

Can you tell us about your internship experience at Microsoft Research?

I interned at Microsoft Research (MSR) in Bangalore, India this past summer. MSR is under the umbrella of Microsoft, but it is separate from Microsoft corporate, where they do product development and engineering. The work that comes out of MSR does influence products at Microsoft, but MSR is focused on basic research and functions more like academia than industry. MSR has multiple labs throughout the world, and each lab focuses on a different broad area. The Bangalore lab houses their "Tech for Emerging Markets" (TEM) group, which does computational social science, fieldwork, and tech development focused on working with and for individuals in developing countries. I have been interested in the work coming out of the TEM group for a couple of years and applied to be a Ph.D. intern at the lab. Luckily, after a few rounds of interviews, I got the position!

I worked with Dr. Amit Sharma in the TEM group, whose primary research focus is on causal inference and the societal impact algorithmic interventions can have. My project centered around a global mental health platform, Talklife, which seeks to provide a peer-to-peer support network for individuals suffering from psychological distress. When considering interactions on this platform, some end up being helpful, while others are not. Broadly, my work this summer focused on answering the questions, "What makes a certain series of interactions helpful to users?" And, "Are there actions individual users can take to improve their experience on the platform?"

What surprised you about the experience?

I knew MSR functioned more like academia than industry, but I was surprised by the extent to which there is not any hierarchy. Everyone is very humble despite being brilliant. The lab director, Sriram Rajamani, is very kind and collaborative. Despite being busy, he takes time to get to know everyone, including all the interns. I was able to have lunch with Sriram and discuss research ideas for my work back here in �鶹ӰԺ. I appreciated being treated as a research equal by all the full-time researchers.

Did your IQ Biology experience play a role in this experience?

Yes! It is such an interdisciplinary environment. For my project, in particular, we had to communicate with the company Talklife, which provided us with data, physicians from both the US and India, and other researchers who work on societal differences in mental health care and communication across the US and India. Through IQ Biology, I have gained a skill set of being able to effectively communicate with people from different backgrounds and also critically think through all of the aspects of a research problem. For this project, I had to consider how to identify causal relations within the data (math), identify and understand biases that might be present in the data (health care, social science), how to think about and handle them, and how to bridge computational work with medical care. With mental health, in particular, the stigmas are very different in the US and India, and people utilize different words and descriptions to discuss symptoms and how they manifest. You need to understand the human aspect of these nuances to deal with the data effectively.

Would you recommend doing a summer internship as part of grad school? Why/Why not?

Yes, 100%. Working at MSR is still very academic-focused rather than a traditional industry internship, so I can only speak to my experience. Still, I appreciated the opportunity to branch out from my doctoral research, which focuses on artificial pancreas controllers for individuals with type-1 diabetes. I had a lot of freedom to explore the data, and I learned techniques in causal inference, natural language processing, and I learned about how mental health care differs across the globe, which I feel will be beneficial to future work I do.

I would also recommend doing research in an eastern setting, if possible. I thought the experience provided a critical exposure to have as a researcher. I appreciated the opportunity to hear about the differences in culture and opinions and the needs of people in India. MSR brings in a lot of collaborators, and the Bangalore lab does a significant amount of social science focused on working with impoverished people across India, in their language. MSR identifies the needs they have in terms of life stressors and how technology may help rather than taking research done in the west and assuming other people want the same thing.

Did anything happen during your internship outside of the research/work experience that made an impression on you? Any lessons learned while abroad?

MSR brings in lots of researchers and doctoral interns from across the world. As a result, I was able to befriend people who come from different backgrounds. I appreciated embedding into the Indian culture through working and living there rather than just as a tourist. One of the other interns, who is a professor at the University of Cincinnati, is originally from the Indian state of Kerala. I visited her family's rubber and pineapple farms and experienced parts of India that I don't think I would otherwise get to see.

What will happen to the work you were doing during your experience?

We have submitted a paper on the work, and we have a second paper in progress. Related work on the project is being continued at MSR now, and I'm assuming they will have new interns on the project in the future. If anyone wants to talk more about the project or my experience, I'd be happy to connect!

Did this experience affect your current career plans?

It was very helpful in making me feel more competent as a researcher, which is nice to be able to say. I feel like I was able to approach a pretty loosely defined project and complete a substantial amount of work on it. I had a lot of independence in the process, along with excellent mentoring, which made it a great experience overall. In terms of working at MSR again, I would love to work at MSR Bangalore, though there is a lot about living in India that would be tough long-term. It's also a challenging position to obtain.

What is your favorite memory from this experience?

Oh, so many! All of the people I was able to meet and befriend. Everyone was so kind and welcoming. I learned so much about India, the local politics, climate problems, and social structure. It was fascinating to see US news from the Indian perspective and to listen to the thoughts and opinions of people who are not from the west.

We did have one very ridiculous series of events where we almost got stuck in the Indian Himalayas and, as a last resort effort, ended up going to Kashmir during the peak in military occupation and unrest surrounding the split of the state and removal of article 370. This adventure involved classic Indian twelve-passenger van travel for 17 hours straight with people I had never met. The van was a classic sight: completely falling apart, the exhaust poured in from the gear shift, yet it was decorated with LEDs and cheesy phrases. We had tea in the middle of nowhere in Kashmir at 2:00 am. I genuinely thought we would fall off the mountainside on this incredibly steep and narrow dirt path, and we had a run-in with the Indian Army 30km outside of Srinagar when our driver didn't have his driver's license. Thankfully, they let us through because we all had our proper documents.

I miss being in Bangalore with its almost 13 million people living there. It was overwhelming at times, but by the end, I loved it. I enjoyed being able to safely walk around at any time and see people congregated around tea shops and street food at all hours of the day. It's a lively city. The cows wandering the streets are also very fun. They are the only ones who obey traffic signals.

The Interdisciplinary Quantitative (IQ) Biology Ph.D. Certificate is designed for students interested in gaining interdisciplinary quantitative skills, while also joining a network of interdisciplinary faculty and peers across our eleven partner departments.

IQ Biology graduate student, Taisa Kushner, talks about her summer as a Microsoft Research intern in Bangalore, India, working on a global mental health platform.

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Biochemist wins top award for study of cellular proliferation

Anonymous — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 14:33:01 +0000

Biochemist wins top award for study of cellular proliferation Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 10/05/2018 - 08:33

Sabrina Spencer, CU �鶹ӰԺ assistant professor of biochemistry, is one of 58 scientists nationwide to have won an NIH Director’s New Innovator Award. Those awards, announced today, are part of the High-Risk, High-Reward Research program, which supports “extraordinarily creative scientists proposing highly innovative research to address major challenges in biomedical research.”

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Conference brings experts in regenerative medicine to CU �鶹ӰԺ

Anonymous — Tue, 04 Sep 2018 21:38:40 +0000

Conference brings experts in regenerative medicine to CU �鶹ӰԺ Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/04/2018 - 15:38

Josh Rhoten

Some of the top researchers in the field of regenerative medicine attended the RegenerativeBIOX Conference on CU �鶹ӰԺ’s East Campus last week.

Hosted by the BioFrontiers Institute, the conference was designed to be interactive and help scientists and engineers from academia, national laboratories, students and industry partners identify and explore the growing challenges and opportunities in regenerative biology, engineering and me dicine. Especially those that require overlapping and converging research approaches, including advances like growing human organoids and tissues for drug screening or new cell based therapies to treat diseases like arthritis.

The event was co-sponsored through the CU �鶹ӰԺ College of Engineering and Science’s Precision Biomaterials Interdisciplinary Research Theme.That group of faculty and students within the college has similar goals to the conference: bringing together bioengineers and biomaterials scientist with researchers from the bioscience and medicine to pioneer new directions in healthcare products

“Like the Precision Biomaterials research theme, the goal for the symposium was to bring together a diverse group of people from those developing new technologies to those that are answering basic scientific questions to those that are treating patients,” Precision Biomaterials IRT Director and CU Distinguished Professor Kristi Anseth said. “The question was: How can we work together to make major discoveries that will impact human health.”

The interactive symposium and workshops were held at the Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnical Building and featured speakers from Harvard University, University of California, Los Angeles, Columbia University and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, among others. The prestigious group included two members of the National Academy of Engineering, two members of the National Association of Manufacturers and one member of the National Academy of Sciences. They were jointed by nine working group leaders who were early to mid-career scientist from the across the nation. These individuals were selected for their creativity and demonstrated achievements, and they led the breakout sessions and community building. Nearly 200 people attended the conference in all, including CU graduate students, postdocs, facuty and research staff and representatives from neighboring institutions like Colorado State University, the Colorado School of Mines and the Anschutz Medical Campus.

While the first portion of the symposium followed a standard lecture format, it also featured ample time for questions from the audience on the various presentations. The three main themes of the lectures addressed advances in the chemistry and processing of biomaterials, in vitro tissue and disease models and manipulating tissue regeneration and biological responses in vivo.

The second half of the symposium saw attendees break into workshops to explore the issues discussed in the lecture, then share their perspective and possible plans with the whole group. Anseth’s vision was primarily to build a community to help tackle the grand challenges, and the outputs will be widely distributed, including a co-authored perspective by the meeting leaders that aims to shape collaborative research in regenerative medicine in the future.

“We wanted to reach not just within the walls of CU �鶹ӰԺ, but to extend our interactions and lead collaborations throughout the region, nation and world,” Anseth said of hosting the conference. “Our vision is to make us - the research theme, the BioFrontiers Institute, the college of engineering and CU �鶹ӰԺ - a hub of not only scientific activity, but leadership in transformative discoveries in regenerative biology, engineering and medicine.”

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New Faculty Member Ed Chuong Named Boettcher Investigator

Anonymous — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 20:41:33 +0000

New Faculty Member Ed Chuong Named Boettcher Investigator Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 06/18/2018 - 14:41

Six University of Colorado researchers at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus and CU �鶹ӰԺ have been named Boettcher Investigators in the Boettcher Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards Program for 2018.

The awards support promising, early career scientific researchers, allowing them to establish their independent research and compete in the future for major federal and private awards. Recipients are awarded $235,000 in grant funding to sustain up to three years of biomedical research. They also receive the title of Boettcher Investigator.

“The 2018 class of Boettcher Investigators represents Colorado’s most dynamic emerging scientists, leaders who are committed to improving human health,” said Katie Kramer, president and CEO of the Boettcher Foundation. “The Boettcher Foundation is honored to support their research at this critical juncture in their careers and to elevate scientific innovation across our state.”

The 2018 Class of Boettcher Investigators and their research topics are:

CU Anschutz Medical Campus

Kathleen M. Gavin, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine – Cellular composition of adipose tissue
Jean M. Mulcahy Levy, M.D., assistant professor, Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders – New therapy development for pediatric brain tumors
Matthew Taliaferro, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics – Regulation of subcellular RNA localization
Eszter K. Vladar, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine and cell and developmental biology – Airway epithelial development, homeostasis and dysfunction

CU �鶹ӰԺ

Edward Chuong, Ph.D., assistant professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology – Evolution of gene regulatory networks
David H. Root, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience – Neurobiology of drug addiction

Also named to the 2018 class of Boettcher Investigators: Jesse W. Wilson, Ph.D., of Colorado State University.

The Boettcher Foundation Board of Trustees formally announced its annual class of Boettcher Investigators on June 7. The year’s total funding from the Boettcher Foundation’s Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards program is $1.41 million.

With the addition of the ninth class, there are 39 Boettcher Investigators at CU receiving over $9 million in biomedical research support.

See all CU Boettcher Investigators.

In its ninth year, the Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards honor the commitments that the Webb and Waring families made to scientific research. Including the class of 2018, 61 Boettcher Investigators have received funding through the Webb-Waring program.

Since 2010, Boettcher Investigators have gone on to earn a collective $34 million in subsequent independent research funding. Some 95 percent of award recipients still reside at Colorado research institutions, advancing the foundation’s mission of keeping Colorado’s top scientific minds in the state.

“We are continually impressed by the caliber of the community of Boettcher Investigators and the promise of their research to build better lives” said April Giles, president and CEO of the Colorado BioScience Association. “The research supported by the Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards undoubtedly improves the health of the bioscience industry and the residents of Colorado.”

Original publication https://connections.cu.edu/spotlights/six-cu-researchers-named-boettcher-investigators

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Researchers peer inside cells to spy on cancer's on-off switch

Anonymous — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 06:00:00 +0000

Researchers peer inside cells to spy on cancer's on-off switch Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 06/13/2018 - 00:00

Lisa Marshall

Medical student Daniel Youmans (left) and Tom Cech (right), director of the BioFrontiers Institute, look over an image from a high-powered microscope (Credit: Glenn Asakawa/CU �鶹ӰԺ)

Forty years after researchers first discovered it in fruit flies, a once-obscure cluster of proteins called PRC2 has become a key target for new cancer-fighting drugs, due to its tendency—when mutated—to bind to and silence tumor-suppressing genes.

New CU �鶹ӰԺ research published today uses state-of-the-art imaging to offer an unprecedented look at the complex, illuminating how it finds its way to genes, what happens when it gets there and how a new generation of cancer therapeutics might disrupt the process.

The findings, published in the journal Genes and Development, also shed new light on just how epigenetic changes—the switching on or off of genes—happen inside the cell.

“Many cancers make use of epigenetic gene silencing to promote their own growth. Medical scientists want to inhibit this cancer-causing process, but they first need to know exactly how it works,” said Nobel Laureate and Distinguished Professor Thomas Cech, senior author of the study. “Our new work contributes to the understanding of how the molecular machine responsible for gene silencing is recruited to its sites of action in human cells, determining which genes are turned off.”

Daniel Youmans works in his lab (Credit: Glenn Asakawa/CU �鶹ӰԺ)

For the study, Cech and lead author Daniel Youmans, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in biochemistry at CU �鶹ӰԺ and an MD at Anschutz Medical Center, used the gene-editing tool CRISPR to apply fluorescent tags to the individual proteins which make up PRC2, or Polycomb Repressive Complex 2.

Then, they used a high-tech microscope to observe what happens to the proteins inside living human cells, both under normal conditions and when exposed to a cancer drug called A-395, which is a PRC2 inhibitor.

“Our work helps define the mechanism of these cancer drugs and changes what we thought about the way PRC2 functions inside cells,” Youmans said.

PRC2 is made of a cluster of four core proteins, which interact with other proteins circulating in the cell. When they click together just right, like puzzle pieces, it signals the complex to make its way to certain genes in the cell, silencing them, said Youmans.

In a healthy cell, that silencing can influence whether a stem cell becomes a neuron or heart cell and shut off genes which could promote disease. But in many cancers, including lymphoma, the complex is hijacked to silence tumor suppressors.

Scientists previously thought that PRC2 cancer therapeutics worked by preventing the complex from binding to genes. But when watching it swirl around the cell, the researchers discovered that in the presence of the drug, the molecular silencing machine made it to its locations. Once there, it just failed to fully do its job.

They also identified specific auxiliary proteins which PRC2 must click to in order to be recruited to its target genes.

“We showed that when you disrupt the interaction between PRC2 and these other puzzle pieces, it completely disrupts its ability to bind to specific places,” said Youmans.

The findings suggest that existing PRC2 inhibitors, while effective, may be working in a different way than previously believed. They also open the door for development of new drugs, which could get at the same end goal by preventing PRC2 from binding to certain locations on genes altogether.

“Cancer is always mutating so it’s important to have a broad toolbox of therapeutic options,” said Youmans.

As a student in CU’s Medical Scientist Training Program, which enables medical students to simultaneously pursue a Ph.D., Youmans has a unique perspective on the possible applications of his research.

“I’m heartened by the idea that the work I do in the laboratory could ultimately help the patients I see in the hospital,” he said.

Jens Schmidt, who was a postdoctoral research fellow at the BioFrontiers Institute and is now an assistant professor at Michigan State University, contributed to this study.

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A Tale of Horses and Heroes

Anonymous — Thu, 31 May 2018 14:35:01 +0000

A Tale of Horses and Heroes Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/31/2018 - 08:35

Lindsay Diamond

Dan and Gloria Timmons were living in suburban splendor with their two daughters and two dogs when Mariposa and Montez joined the family and drastically changed the next chapter of their lives.

“We had begun searching for horses to buy for our daughters and the cost of horses was staggering. Through my research, I happened upon a horse rescue organization. I don’t know why it hadn’t occurred to me there would be organizations seeking homes for horses just as there are for dogs and cats,” says Gloria.

Gloria is a career human resources professional who worked at CU �鶹ӰԺ for over 20 years before retiring in 2014. The process of spending time with and then adopting horses for their daughters was highly educational and awakened Gloria’s passion for rescuing these amazing animals. “Our experiences finding Montez and Mariposa opened our eyes to the world of horse rescue and the many horses in need of safe and loving homes. It also led us to the knowledge that hundreds and thousands of horses are being sent to slaughter every year. Many people don’t realize this. We certainly had no idea,” says Gloria.

Mariposa was found abandoned in a field, in the middle of nowhere, tied to a tree with multiple ropes. Thankfully someone discovered Mariposa and brought her to Colorado Horse Rescue where the Timmons happily found her. “Despite having trust issues, unsurprisingly given the way she was left, she is a sassy, strong and loving horse,” says Dan.

Another rescue organization purchased Montez at auction. Considered an old man at 16, Montez is believed to have been a ranch horse and was showing signs of wear with popping joints and creaking bones. “Gorgeous boy that he is, he could easily have found himself on a truck bound for slaughter. Instead, we happened to walk into the rescue looking for a horse just a couple of days after the rescue had purchased him. Montez is a gentle giant who loves to go fast but will take it slow for our daughter. We are so grateful that rescue organizations saved our horses and, as a result, we were able to bring them into our lives,” says Dan.

Dan is a Navy veteran whose career has been in information technology with an emphasis on supporting scientific research communities. He currently serves as the IT Director for BioFrontiers Institute at CU �鶹ӰԺ. Dan is a fierce advocate for veterans, on a mission to find a way to better help this community. In early 2016, the Timmons’ daughters approached them with the idea of trading in the suburban dream for a horse property. They longed for daily interactions with their horses and sought an opportunity to relieve the stress and anxiety of a busy, suburban life.

Allegiance Ranch and Equine Rescue was born out of love for rescue horses and a desire to honor our country's veterans. “Our mission is to help horses and heroes by offering a safe place for healing, developing a sense of purpose, and establishing meaningful connections between horses and humans,” says Gloria.

The mission of the organization allows Dan, Gloria and their daughters to fulfill their passions for horses and veterans through this beautifully overlapping project. On the one hand, they can help animals in need. “Our goal is to rescue horses before they end up in the slaughter pipeline. We want to help horse owners who may need short-term assistance and those who can no longer care for their horses. We want to bring in horses in need and provide training, rehabilitation and find new homes or use them as therapy horses. If we don’t reach horse owners in need early enough, we’ll intercept horses at auction before they end up in the slaughter pipeline,” says Gloria.

On the other hand, they have the opportunity to support veterans and their families. “Horses and heroes need a safe place for healing, a sense of purpose and meaningful connections. Equine-assisted learning and therapy is an effective and impactful tool for veterans and first responders struggling with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries,” says Dan.

The Timmons’ ranch is open to local veterans and their families who are invited to spend time with the horses. Anusha Roy from 9News recently visited Allegiance Ranch and aired a news story about their “first veteran visitor”, Cory Hixson, before they even moved onto the property. Cory’s journey with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury led to several changes in medication that resulted in his disappearing from his family and eventually seeking refuge inside the Timmons’ barn. This coincidence ultimately served as the validation the Timmons family needed to solidify their plans to offer services for veterans struggling after having served in the Armed Forces. It was clear to them that the country’s veterans needed a safe landing upon returning from service now more than ever.

Currently, four veterans regularly visit and spend time at the ranch, and their families find solace at the ranch as well. In the near future, Allegiance Ranch and Equine Rescue’s facility will partner with equine-assisted therapy practitioners using models such as Eagala and Path International. The goal is to have two groups of veterans participating in 5-week sessions with equine-assisted learning instructors and/or therapists. For now, the regular visitors are finding purpose and comfort in the relationships they are building with the horses.

As one veteran said, “the sense of trust you have to have with a horse...it allows me to prioritize things and clear my mind.” Another veteran says of her veteran spouse, “I haven't seen my husband so happy in such a long time - he loves being able to go out and connect with the horses. There's just something about spending time with them that lights up my city slicker!”

The relationships between the veterans and horses have been so impactful that Dan wondered what biological factors might be changing as a result of equine therapy. He recently approached his colleague at the BioFrontiers Institute, Associate Professor Robin Dowell, about the idea of looking at how equine therapy affects veterans at a molecular level. The overarching goals of the project are to understand better the genetic-level markers that change in response to equine or other veteran therapy models and to use this new information to inform more targeted therapies for veterans.

“We know there is some overlap in the markers of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and asthma as well as Alzheimer’s. Inflammation and the stress response also plays a role. We have the tools to look more deeply at the physiological responses veterans have to these therapies,” says Robin. “We can look at veterans who are responding well to therapy, by equine therapists’ evaluations as well as self-evaluations, and identify the markers that correspond with that change.”

Dan hopes that in the future, the knowledge gained from this project could help us better understand the physiological impacts of equine therapy, to be able to compare equine therapy to other therapy models, and to one day have the tools to better match veterans with the best possible therapy model for their profile. “It would be great to use this information to say that an individual veteran is a good candidate for a specific therapy - be it psychotherapy, art therapy, DE-CRUIT, or equine therapy,” says Dan. BioFrontiers colleagues Robin and Dan are currently writing a grant proposal to fund this exciting research project.

“At the end of the day, I want to apply pressure on the public to pay attention to the fact that many of our veterans are struggling. We need to do more to keep these veteran families together and to build better support systems,” says Dan. The Timmons’ goal is to provide a safe place for veterans, their families, and health professionals to participate in equine therapy while simultaneously raising awareness and garnering more support for veterans and their families.

Montez and Mariposa inspired this exciting and meaningful new chapter in the Timmons’ lives. The once suburban family of four with two dogs now calls this almost 5-acre ranch home. The family has grown considerably and now includes the 2 original dogs, 9 rescue horses, 2 miniature donkeys, 12 chickens, 4 goats, and a stray cat who showed up on a cold winter’s night.

If you are interested in learning more about Allegiance Ranch and Equine Rescue, they will be hosting an Open House and Family Fun Day on June 10th from 12:00 to 4:00 pm. Guests can tour the ranch, meet the rescue horses, and learn about the Timmons' vision for helping horses and heroes. There will be food, games, pony rides, opportunities to pet goats and donkeys, live music with members of The Sweet Lillies and a silent auction. Free tickets are available through Eventbrite. All proceeds will be used for the direct care of horses and development of veteran programs and services.

You can also help support Allegiance Ranch and Equine Rescue by visiting here.

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