About
49
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Introduction
Experienced Research Scientist with the desire to progress my career within academia. Skilled in experimental design and execution, mentoring, and teaching. Strong research professional with a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Behavioral Neuroscience from Michigan State University.
Current institution
Additional affiliations
November 2017 - present
Position
- CRTA Postdoctoral Fellow
Description
- Neuro-Oncology Research examining preclinical and clinical studies to understand the impact of disease and treatment on sleep and circadian rhythms.
August 2013 - November 2017
Position
- Postdoctoral Fellow
Description
- Molecular Imaging Research examining the use of MRI and CT techniques to understand the early identification and monitoring of disease.
Education
August 2009 - July 2013
September 2005 - May 2009
Publications
Publications (49)
Background
Sleep-wake disturbances are common and disabling in primary brain tumor (PBT) patients but studies exploring longitudinal data are limited. This study investigates the feasibility and relationship between longitudinal patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and physiologic data collected via smart wearables.
Methods
Fifty-four PBT patients ≥18...
Introduction: Sleep is vitally important for the improvement of cancer outcomes, but evaluation of sleep in the primary brain tumor (PBT) population is limited. This analysis aims to provide preliminary data on the consistency/reliability of sleep-related patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and to assess sleep symptom severity with both PROs and objec...
Background
Hypersomnolence is a common and disruptive side effect of cranial radiotherapy and is associated with fatigue and disturbances in mood and cognition in primary brain tumor (PBT) patients. The biological underpinnings of this effect are not understood. Our laboratory has previously found that the presence of a single nucleotide polymorphi...
Cocaine, one of the most abused drugs worldwide, is capable of activating microglia in vitro and in vivo. Several neuroimmune pathways have been suggested to play roles in cocaine-mediated microglial activation. Previous work showed that cocaine activates microglia in a region-specific manner in the brains of self-administered mice. To further char...
Sleep problems in astronauts can arise from mission demands and stress and can impact both their health and ability to accomplish mission objectives. In addition to mission-related physical and psychological stressors, the long durations of the proposed Mars missions will expose astronauts to space radiation (SR), which has a significant impact on...
Chronic daytime sleepiness, or hypersomnolence, is one of the most common and disruptive side effects of cranial radiotherapy and is associated with disturbances in mood and cognition in primary brain tumor patients. Our laboratory previously found that increased minor allele presence of the PERIOD2 (PER2) polymorphism (rs934945, G-E mutation) corr...
Sleep-wake disturbances are among the most common and severe symptoms in primary brain tumor (PBT) patients. Currently, no studies have quantified their physiological sleep measurements or compared these assessments to established patient reported outcome measures (PROs). Smart wearable devices, such as Fitbits, continuously monitor patient behavio...
BACKGROUND
PBT patients experience high levels of distress and anxiety symptoms at the time of neuroimaging, yet few non-pharmacological interventions are available. This phase 2 clinical trial interim analysis explored feasibility of a VR relaxation intervention for a PBT population.
METHODS
PBT patients seen at NIH were recruited to participate...
BACKGROUND
Seizures are a common symptom in patients with CNS tumors. The RANO-Seizure Control Composite Index (RANO-SCCI) was developed to monitor seizures over time by patients and clinicians. We describe the use of the RANO-SCCI as part of the NCI NOB-Natural History Study.
METHODS
Patients completed a RANO-SCCI prior to their clinic appointmen...
Female cancer patients have a better prognosis but more adverse events with chemotherapy; less is known with other cancer treatments like radiation therapy. Previous literature has demonstrated sex-dependent effects on the hippocampi and behavioral tasks within post-natal mice after radiotherapy. We explored the differences in activity and sleep in...
Astrocytomas are the most common subtype of brain tumors and no curative treatment exist. Longitudinal assessment of patients, usually via Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), is crucial since tumor progression may occur earlier than clinical progression. MRI usually provides a means for monitoring the disease, but it only informs about the structural...
Environmental cues (e.g., light-dark cycle) have an immediate and direct effect on behavior, but these cues are also capable of “masking” the expression of the circadian pacemaker, depending on the type of cue presented, the time-of-day when they are presented, and the temporal niche of the organism. Masking is capable of complementing entrainment,...
Disrupted sleep, including daytime hypersomnolence, is a core symptom reported by primary brain tumor patients and often manifests after radiotherapy. The biological mechanisms driving the onset of sleep disturbances after cranial radiation remains unclear but may result from treatment-induced injury to neural circuits controlling sleep behavior, b...
Background
Sleep disturbance (SD) is common in patients with cancer and has been associated with worse clinical outcomes. This cross-sectional study explored the prevalence of SD in a primary brain tumor (PBT) population, identified associated demographic and clinical characteristics, and investigated co-occurrence of SD with other symptoms and moo...
Circadian clock genes have been linked to differences in clinical outcomes in cancer, including gliomas. However, these studies have not accounted for established prognostic markers, including mutations in Isocitrate Dehydrogenase (IDH). To study the connection between circadian clock genes and glioma outcomes while accounting for IDH mutational st...
BACKGROUND
Disrupted sleep, including daytime hypersomnolence, is a core symptom reported by primary brain tumor patients and often manifests after radiotherapy. The biological mechanisms driving cranial radiation-induced hypersomnolence (C-RIH) remain unclear but we hypothesize this may result from damage to neural circuits controlling sleep behav...
Circadian clock genes have been linked to clinical outcomes in cancer, including gliomas. However, these studies have not accounted for established markers that predict the prognosis, including mutations in Isocitrate Dehydrogenase (IDH), which characterize the majority of lower-grade gliomas and secondary high-grade gliomas. To demonstrate the con...
Age plays a critical role in disease development and tolerance to cancer treatment, often leading to an increased risk of developing negative symptoms including sleep disturbances. Circadian rhythms and sleep become disrupted as organisms age. In this study, we explored the behavioral alterations in sleep, circadian rhythms, and masking using a nov...
Here, we describe the synthesis, characterization and in vitro and in vivo performance of a series of tantalum oxide (TaOx) based nanoparticles (NPs) for computed tomography (CT). Five distinct versions of 9-12 nm diameter silane coated TaOx nanocrystals (NCs) were fabricated by a sol-gel method with varying degrees of hydrophilicity and with or wi...
Here we describe the synthesis, characterization and in vitro and in vivo performance of a series of tantalum oxide (TaOx) based nanoparticles (NPs) for computed tomography (CT). Five distinct versions of 9-12 nm diameter silane coated TaOx nanocrystals (NCs) were fabricated by a sol-gel method with varying degrees of hydrophilicity and with or wit...
Purpose
Many brain tumor patients suffer from radiation-induced toxicities. Chronotherapy is a treatment modality that utilizes circadian rhythms to optimize the effect on tumor while minimizing negative outcomes on healthy tissue. This review aims to systematically examine the literature on the application of a radiation chronotherapeutic for all...
Sleep disturbance (SD) is a common symptom reported by PBT patients and research has demonstrated a link between sleep and stress circadian pathways. SD can impact perceived severity of other symptoms and development of psychopathology. This study explored the prevalence of moderate-severe SD in PBT patients, identifying associated clinical charact...
BACKGROUND
Radiation therapy is the standard of care for both primary and secondary brain tumors. The majority of patients experience radiation induced hypersomnia (RIH) to varying extents which may impact life quality and treatment tolerance. Previously, we demonstrated that risk is enhanced by presence of select clock gene polymorphisms. The purp...
BACKGROUND
Chronotherapy is the optimally timed administration of treatment based on the circadian clock. In non-CNS cancers, circadian rhythms (CR) drive the expression of mechanisms responsible for radiation sensitivity and associated toxicity. Our previous work has shown that cranial irradiation in GBM patients produces a high incidence of hyper...
Daily rhythms in light exposure influence the expression of behavior by entraining circadian rhythms and through its acute effects on behavior (i.e., masking). Importantly, these effects of light are dependent on the temporal niche of the organism; for diurnal organisms, light increases activity, whereas for nocturnal organisms, the opposite is tru...
Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) are critical for the light signaling properties of non-image forming vision. Melanopsin-expressing ipRGCs project to retinorecipient brain regions involved in modulating circadian rhythms. Melanopsin has been shown to play an important role in how animals respond to light, including photo...
The subventricular zone (SVZ) is a neurogenic niche in the mammalian brain, giving rise to migratory neural progenitor cells (NPC). In rodents, it is well-established that neurogenesis decreases with aging. MRI-based cell tracking has been used to measure various aspects of neurogenesis and NPC migration in rodents, yet it has not yet been validate...
Purpose
While rodents are the primary animal models for contrast agent evaluation, rodents can potentially misrepresent human organ clearance of newly developed contrast agents. For example, gadolinium (Gd)‐BOPTA has ~50% hepatic clearance in rodents, but ~5% in humans. This study demonstrates the benefit of chimeric mice expressing human hepatic O...
The study of neurogenesis and neural progenitor cells (NPCs) is important across the biomedical spectrum, from learning about normal brain development and studying disease to engineering new strategies in regenerative medicine. In adult mammals, NPCs proliferate in two main areas of the brain, the subventricular zone (SVZ) and the subgranular zone,...
Diabetes mellitus is associated with hepatic metabolic dysfunction predisposing patients to drug induced liver injury. Mouse models of Type 2 diabetes (T2D) have dramatically reduced expression of Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptide (OATP) 1A1, a transporter expressed in hepatocytes and in the kidneys. Effects of diabetes on OATP1B2 expression a...
PURPOSE: GBM cell invasion is particularly aggressive and leads to poor prognosis. In vitro and in vivo cell tracking techniques for studying tumor progression could facilitate drug discovery. Here we demonstrate the utility of MRI-based cell tracking as a tool for in vitro testing of inhibitors for cancer cell invasion. Iron oxide particles are th...
BACKGROUND
Cranial radiation is part of standard PBT treatment with patient age recognized to impact response and toxicity. RIH is one of the most common toxicities. We have reported an association between circadian gene variants and RIH susceptibility. No rodent model for RIH has been validated. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact...
The subventricular zone (SVZ) is one of the primary sources for rodent neural progenitor cells (NPC), however, aging greatly impacts the substructure of the region and rate of new cell birth. To determine if age impacts the rate of in vivo migration within animals, we examined the rostral migratory stream (RMS) of animals across 12 days using an es...
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0123282.].
Purpose:
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based cell tracking has emerged as a useful tool for identifying the location of transplanted cells, and even their migration. Magnetically labeled cells appear as dark contrast in T2*-weighted MRI, with sensitivities of individual cells. One key hurdle to the widespread use of MRI-based cell tracking is t...
Rapid dissolution of Bi Nanocrystals (NCs) in lysosomal conditions results in poor biocompatibility. We report that an in situ surface coating of Bi nanocrystals with Ganex® V216, a cosmetic dispersant, limits its dissolution under physiological conditions. These Bi Ganex (BiG) NCs are readily encapsulated in FDA approved polymer poly(dl-lactic-co-...
Melatonin is a hormone rhythmically secreted at night by the pineal gland in vertebrates. In diurnal mammals, melatonin is present during the inactive phase of the rest/activity cycle, and in primates it directly facilitates sleep and decreases body temperature. However, the role of the pineal gland for the promotion of sleep at night has not yet b...
The ventral subparaventricular zone (vSPVZ) receives direct retinal input and influences the daily patterning of activity in rodents, making it a likely candidate for the mediation of acute behavioral responses to light (i.e., masking). We performed chemical lesions aimed at the vSPVZ of diurnal grass rats (Arvicanthis niloticus) using N-methyl-D,L...
Reports of molecular and cellular imaging using computed tomography (CT) are rapidly increasing. Many of these reports use gold nanoparticles. Bismuth has similar CT contrast properties to gold while being approximately 1000-fold less expensive. Herein we report the design, fabrication, characterization, and CT and fluorescence imaging properties o...
The term masking refers to immediate responses to stimuli that override the influence of the circadian timekeeping system on behavior and physiology. Masking by light and darkness plays an important role in shaping an organism’s daily pattern of activity. Nocturnal animals generally become more active in response to darkness (positive masking) and...
The daily light dark cycle is the most salient entraining factor for the circadian system. However, in modern society, darkness at night is vanishing as light pollution steadily increases. The impact of brighter nights on wild life ecology and human physiology is just now being recognized. In the present study, we tested the possible detrimental ef...
Questions
Questions (3)
I have read several papers about FMT that cite using a cocktail for Ampicillin/Neomycin, however, the product company and number are never included in these manuscripts. I was able to find a few citations that use sigma products (Ampicillin sodium salt, A0166 and Neomycin trisulfate salt hydrate N6910) but these are for cell culture use and not animal research. Does anyone have a suggestion for vet approved solutions?
I am looking for a protocol to do oral gavage without scruffing the animal, as there will be electrical leads at the nape of the neck. Has anyone tried other holds and gavage successfully? If anyone could share literature or video examples of these techniques, it would be much appreciated.
I have been intubating my rats for stereotaxtic surgery, however, recently the company (Excel International) that made the caterers I was using have altered their product. They are no longer rigid enough to sustain ventilation. Are their any other that work well? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
