 |
 |
|
|
|
Vaibhav Pai Successfully Defends His PhD Thesis
03/13/2009
Vaibhav Pai today capped his fifth year in the PhD program in systems biology and physiology by successfully defending his PhD thesis "Role of serotonin in mammary physiology and its involvement in breast cancer", mentored by Nelson Horseman, PhD, professor of molecular and cellular physiology.
"Vaibhav has pioneered a completely novel aspect of breast-cancer biology," said Horseman, whose laboratory had earlier discovered an intrinsic serotonin system in the normal mammary gland. "Vaibhav developed a project in human breast tumors and cancer cells revealing that the normally-homeostatic serotonin signaling system is subverted in breast cancer, ultimately promoting breast-cancer progression."
Much of the work in VaibhavÕs PhD thesis has been described in two major publications. Vaibhav shared first authorship on a 2007 paper appearing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA [view publication] showing that serotoninÑa neurotransmitter more commonly known for its association with depressionÑis also produced in the human mammary gland and inhibits milk synthesis and secretion as the gland reaches capacity. As demand outstrips milk supplies in some parts of the world, this new finding could aid development of therapeutics or technologies that would increase milk yield in cows.
Vaibhav's first-author paper in Journal of Biological Chemistry [view publication] in 2008 was described by Horseman as "a tour-de-force study of signal transduction by serotonin in normal breast cells that established a critical foundation for studies in breast cancer cells."
Vaibhav, whose hometown is Mumbai (Bombay), India, earned his BSc in microbiology in 2001 and his MSc in biophysics in 2003, both at the University of Mumbai. Vaibhav aspires to a career in academia and looks forward to one day running his own lab. Vaibhav's interests include reading, sports, music, traveling, hiking, and sketching.
PhD graduand Vaibhav Pai is congratulated by members of his PhD thesis committee following
the successful defense of his thesis on March 13, 2009 at the University of Cincinnati. Pictured (from left to right) are Susan Waltz, PhD, Arthur Buckley, PhD, Vaibhav Pai, PhD, and Nelson Horseman, PhD. Not pictured, Leighton Grimes, PhD and Stuart Handwerger, MD also served on Viabhav's thesis committee.
|
|
|
| Copyright Information © University of Cincinnati. |
231 Albert Sabin Way, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267 (513) 558-3104 |
 |
|
|
 |
|