Students Share Findings During GGB Research Day

Twenty-one students participated by delivering an oral presentation, presenting a research poster or both.

Cash prizes of $100 each were awarded to the best in category in oral presentation and poster presentation.

Gustavo Della Flora Nunes, a student in the biochemistry doctoral program, was awarded the “Best Oral Presentation Award” for his study titled “Prohibitin 1 Preserves Axon and Myelin Integrity in the Peripheral Nervous System.”

He is mentored by M. Laura Feltri, MD, professor of biochemistry and neurology.

The research was conducted at the Hunter James Kelly Research Institute (HJKRI).

Along with Feltri, other co-authors on the study are:

• Bogdan K. Beirowski, MD, PhD, assistant professor of biochemistry
• Edward L. Hurley, a research technician in the Department of Neurology
• Yannick Poitelon, PhD, assistant professor of neuroscience and experimental therapeutics at Albany Medical College, who was a former postdoctoral fellow in Feltri’s lab
• Emma R. Wilson, PhD, postdoctoral associate in the Department of Biochemistry
• Lawrence Wrabetz, MD, professor of neurology and biochemistry and director of the HJKRI

The “Best Poster Presentation Award” was presented to Swetha Anandh, a student in the GGB master’s program, for her study titled “Defining Pioneering Capabilities with Pioneer-Seq.”

Her faculty mentor is Michael Buck, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry.

Buck and Xinyang Yu, a graduate student in biochemistry, are co-authors on the study.

Sarah E. Walker, PhD, assistant professor of biological sciences in UB’s College of Arts and Sciences, was the event’s keynote speaker. She spoke about the translational regulation of gene expression.

In addition to sharing their findings, the event allowed students from GGB-affiliated labs to receive feedback and network with other investigators, says Richard M. Gronostajski, PhD, professor of biochemistry and director of the GGB graduate program.

“By presenting a poster or delivering an oral presentation, the students gain valuable experience discussing and defending their scholarly work,” he says.

The annual event not only recognizes the accomplishments of the graduate students, but it also notes the important role of the faculty who mentor them, Gronostajski adds.

The GGB Research Day was conducted Jan. 22 at UB’s New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences.