Eppie D. Rael, Ph.D - US grants

The overall program objectives are to involve ethnic minority students in biomedical research and to encourage these students to pursue research careers in the biomedical sciences. The goals of the program also include the enhancement of biomedical research capability of the faculty in the departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry, and Psychology at The University of Texas at E1 Paso. The MBRS Program at U.T. E1 Paso involves 14 undergraduate students, 9.5 graduate students and 11 faculty in 3 departments. The projects include research activities in biochemistry, immunology, virology, parasitology, psychopharmacology,and bilingual cognitive functions.

Mojave toxin from Crotalus scutulatus scutulatus (Mojave rattlesnake) and related toxins from other rattlesnake species will be conjugated to monoclonal antibodies and evaluated for use as an immunotoxin. The holotoxins and the basic subunits will be conjugated to OKT1 antibodies directed against human T cells. The T cell killing activity of the immunotoxin will be evaluated by inhibition of mitogenesis by PHA of cultured human blood lymphocytes. Inhibition of cytotoxic activity of T cells will be done as a confirmation of immunotoxin activity.

The Minority Biomedical Support Continuation Proposal will provide support for seven research projects involving nine faculty and 24.5 students. The research projects include the areas of virology, immunology, animal parasitology, biochemistry and experimental psychology. The overall goal of the proposed project is to produce well-trained minority biomedical researchers and to provide a suitable environment for the training of such students.

The primary objective of the MBRS program is to develop worthy and significant biomedical research at the University of Texas at El Paso, to enhance on-going faculty biomedical research capabilities, to foster a productive research environment and augment efforts of young investigators in developing biomedical research programs. This superlative atmosphere of research and scholarship has been recently augmented by the addition of several multi-user research facilities in Cell and Tissue Culture, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Analytical Cytology and Biostatistics. The MBRS Program at the University of Texas at El Paso has fostered and will continue to foster interdisciplinary approaches to solve problems in the biomedical sciences. In this proposal, 15 faculty from 4 departments will be involved in 14 projects in biochemistry, biostatistics, chemistry, molecular biology, molecular pathogenesis, membrane assembly, chemical modeling, bioremediation and immunology. Four of the projects are from investigators new to the University or the MBRS Program and this application includes three Associate Investigator sub-projects. The University of Texas at El Paso views the MBRS Program's support for individual research efforts as providing them with the opportunities to increase their competitive skills for entrance into the general pool of competition for biomedical research support. A second focus of the MBRS Program is to increase the number of underrepresented minorities who chose careers in biomedical science or health professions by providing the means for these students to participate in original biomedical research and by providing a nurturing and supportive environment. Sixteen graduate and thirteen undergraduate student researchers will be employed and will be involved in all aspects of their respective research projects. The University will contribute substantially to the MBRS Program by providing partial release time from teaching duties for every faculty member. Release time will be at University expense with an approximate dollar value of $1,000,000 over the four years of proposal.

The primary objective of the MBRS SCORE Program at The University of Texas at El Paso is to develop a work environment conducive to scientific research excellence in the biomedical sciences. This program will enhance and cultivate the research capabilities of the program participants by providing research support. The SCORE Program at The University of Texas at El Paso will foster interdisciplinary approaches to solving problems that affect health. In this proposal, twenty faculty members from five departments will be involved in eighteen subprojects involving biochemistry, biostatistics, bioremediation, chemistry and chemical modeling, infectious diseases, membrane assembly, and immunology research. A second focus is to increase the number of under-represented minorities participating in the biomedical sciences or in health professions. The MBRS/SCORE will help expand the opportunities for minority students, especially Hispanics, by providing the funds necessary to foster a productive research environment associated with graduate education. With our current initiatives, and through our graduate degree programs, we intend to increase the number of minority students who will seek careers in science. Our unique geographical location, and our high Hispanic enrollment, virtually assures us of succeeding in this endeavor. The University will contribute substantially to the SCORE Program by providing partial release time from teaching duties for each participating faculty member. Release time will be at University expense with an approximate dollar value exceeding $1,000,000 over the four years of this proposal.

reptile poison; immunoconjugates; drug design /synthesis /production; antineoplastics; vascular endothelium; drug screening /evaluation; snakes; metalloendopeptidases; synthetic peptide; neoplasm /cancer immunotherapy; SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; tissue /cell culture; human subject; laboratory mouse; polymerase chain reaction; molecular cloning; western blottings; protein sequence; electrofocusing; dialysis; ion exchange chromatography; high performance liquid chromatography;

Hispanic Americans; minority institution research support;

The University of Texas at El Paso will be offering ten Undergraduate Research Positions for ten weeks during June and July beginning 2002. These positions will be funded through the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program in biological research. The main goal of this program is to provide an exciting and nurturing research experience for students, one that will encourage them to pursue careers as research scientists. Each student is paired with a faculty advisor, who is often supported by interested graduate and advanced undergraduate students. Students are required to engage in a 10-week research project. Areas of research conducted by our faculty include: host-parasite interactions, DNA repair, toxicology, lipid metabolism, autoimmunity, neurobiology, systematics, desert ecology, behavioral ecology, and many others. In addition to the work with their faculty advisors, students attend several weekly meetings: lab meetings with their mentor and fellow lab colleagues, a faculty lecture series on research opportunities in biology, and a journal club to discuss cutting-edge science that is followed by an informal gathering with current UTEP undergraduate and graduate students to discuss questions, issues and concerns. Students will also have the opportunity to visit a national research laboratory so as to expand student exposure to biology beyond the campus. Towards the end of the program, students are asked to give a short talk at the Undergraduate Summer Research symposium and to provide a written summary of their summer research. As recognition for student achievement, two of the ten students will be selected to attend a national meeting with their REU mentor based on their overall performance. Several social activities are also organized throughout the summer to help students get acquainted with each other, with the University, and with the surrounding area.

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to purchase two x-ray diffractometers that will immediately and significantly enhance the capacity of the University of Texas at El Paso to conduct biomedical research at the highest level. Specifically we will obtain both a protein crystal diffractometer and a single crystal diffractometer. The former instrumentation will be used as a core facility that will be of major benefit to the SCORE-supported subprojects of Professors Eppie Rael and Jorge Gardea-Torresdey and the latter, also a core facility will primarily be used, within the SCORE program, by the sub-project of Professor Keith H. Pannell. Furthermore, these instruments will form the equipment basis of a proposed Institute of Health Related Structural Biochemistry at U. T. El Paso under the umbrella of the Border Biomedical research Center. The research program of Dr. Rael involves the isolation of potential anti-cancer proteins from rattlesnake venom where structure/reactivity is essential; the project of Dr. Gardea seeks to uncover and understand the mechanisms of proteins involved in plant metal uptake from health-threatening soils; and the program of Dr.Pannell aims at the synthesis of structurally characterized organotin biocides with specific targets and activities. All three projects have the common denominator of needing precise structural information to understand the activity of the respective research goals. The institutional support from the U. T. El Paso administration includes the provision of $490,000 matching funds; PLUS the commitment to hire a new tenure track faculty protein crystallographer, who will be "onboard" by Fall 2002; PLUS the upgrading of the 50% staff post of Dr. Francisco Cervantes, our staff crystallographer, to a 100% post; PLUS in-kind support to modify existing space to install the new instrumentation, cost ~ $100,000- 200,000; PLUS purchase of the needed service contracts for the new instrumentation.