SUMMER RESEARCH TRAINING IN MEMBRANE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 2008 NSF REU SITE PROGRAM at the UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
The Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine is pleased to offer this research project as part of the 2008 summer NSF-REU Site Program through the Department of Pharmacology & Cell Biophysics.  Students interested in this project are encouraged to contact Professor Conforti to discover more about the project, learn what your responsibilities will be during the ten-week research training program.
2008 REU Project #: 08 – 003 Faculty Supervisors/Mentors: Laura Conforti, Ph.D. Associate Professor Internal Medicine, College of Medicine Yeo-Heung Yun, Ph.D., College of Engineering Email: conforl@ucmail.uc.edu
Application of Engineered Bio-Surfaces to the Study of Bio-Membrane Protein Reorganization at the Immunological Synapse
General background and significance of the project: T cell activation (the response of T lymphocyte to antigens) is a necessary and beneficial process to fight pathogens or cancer cells.  T cell activation is initiated by the contact of the T cell with the antigen presenting cell (APC) and formation of the immunological synapse (IS). The IS is a highly organized bio-membrane signaling zone that forms at the T/APC interface and is needed for the full development of the activation response. Although various aspects of the activation response in T cells have been thoroughly investigated, the underlying bio-membrane ionic mechanisms are poorly understood. Ion channels, in particular potassium channels, are expressed in T cells where they compartmentalize together with the T cell receptor complex and various signaling molecules at the IS.  Potassium (K) channels play an important role during T cell activation as they regulate the Ca^2+ influx necessary for downstream functional events. Indeed, inhibition of these bio-membrane channels terminates the immune response and K blockers are under development as novel immunosuppressive agents. Despite the significance of these ion channels, the functional consequences of their compartmentalization in the IS are yet to be determined.  Dr. Conforti’s laboratory is interested in studying the mechanisms that drive the channel recruitment into the IS and the functional significance of this specific channel localization.
Brief description of proposed research and activities for the 10-week REU period: The REU student will participate to a collaborative research project with Dr. Conforti in the College of Medicine and Drs. Yun, Schulz, and Shanov within the Smart Materials NanoTechnology Group in the College of Engineering. This project aims to engineer artificial antigen presenting surfaces that mimic antigen presenting cells. This system will aid understanding the bio-membrane process of ion channel translocation to the IS. The REU student will gain experience in 1) basic bio-medical techniques including cell culture, immuno-cytochemistry, patch-clamp, and fluorescence microscopy and 2) electro-analytical chemistry, bio-micro-electromechanical system (Bio-MEMS), polymer synthesis, and nano-technologies.
What the REU Student can gain from participating in this project: The current project will provide the REU student with a unique background in both bio-medical sciences and engineering technologies since this project is highly inter-disciplinary. The experimental design process will allow REU students to learn and run their own experiments within a ten-week period. Any significant contribution made by the REU student will be acknowledged with the co-authorship on presentations and publications.