Symposium - 2018

Dr. Ivana Peran

Ivana graduated from the University of Zagreb with an engineering degree in Molecular Biology in 2008. As a Fulbright Science and Technology Scholar, Ivana pursued her doctoral training in Tumor Biology at the Georgetown University, and received her PhD degree in 2014. Her doctoral thesis in Dr. Wellstein’s lab focused on treatment response markers and novel therapies in pancreatic cancer.

Currently, she is a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Stehphen Byers’ lab, studying the role of activated stellate cells in immunomodulation of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and identifying new combination therapy strategies based on immune-related components. In her current research, Ivana uses immunocompetent mouse models and murine pancreatic cancer cell lines generated during her thesis research. Furthermore, she works with human primary pancreatic stellate cells that she isolated from pancreatic cancer samples of patients that undergone Whipple surgery. For her research on immunomodulation of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma mediated by cadherin-11, Ivana has been awarded with a pilot research grant by the Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers, the AACR-AstraZeneca Fellowship in Immuno-oncology Research, and an invitation to the 4^thAnnual Immuno-Oncology Young Investigators’ Forum. Finally, Ivana’s research could have a rapid clinical translation and transform future patient care, since cadherin-11 targeted therapies are already in clinical trials for other diseases.

Dr. Ewa Krzyszczyk

My research interests lie primarily in behavioral ecology, specifically, behavioral development in juvenile mammals. Juveniles are super interesting and intriguing, and I have many questions - what are they doing? with whom? and why do they need so long?

Despite extensive knowledge on mammalian life histories, infant and adult behavioural development, juveniles remain the least studied life-history stage. Few longitudinal data sets are available in long-lived mammals outside of primates, due in part to juvenile mammals being difficult to observe, especially in natural settings. The juvenile period is critical given that it is flanked by two transitions fraught with risks to fitness: (1) the transition to nutritional independence (i.e. weaning) (nursing offspring to juvenile) and (2) the transition to adulthood (juvenile to adult).

Systematic descriptions of juvenile attributes and behavior offer insights into ways that individuals solve specific developmental challenges such as developing social bonds, successful hunting, and avoiding predators. Attributes that are important to understanding the developmental process in juveniles that will later shape them as adults.

Using a diverse set of approaches and developing new ones: physiological and hormonal development, age- and sex-specific survival, behavior and relationships, I ultimately want to understand the function of the juvenile period, and the proximate and ultimate causes of an extended juvenile period. But also produce important baseline data for this relatively neglected age group, essential for future comparisons and ongoing conservation and conservation management.

Learn more about Dr. Krzyszczyk on her website!

Dr. Bevan Main

Bevan graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 2011 (Neuroscience/Pharmacology) and Ph.D. (Pharmacology and Therapeutics) from The University of Melbourne, Australia in 2016. His graduate research studied the role of neuro-inflammation toward the exacerbation and progression of Parkinson’s disease (PD), using both in vivo and in vitro PD models.

Currently, Bevan is a postdoctoral fellow under the mentorship of Dr. Mark Burns, in the Laboratory for Brain Injury and Dementia, within the Department of Neuroscience at Georgetown University. His research focuses on understanding the genetic and pathophysiological mechanisms that underlie the effects of concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Specific projects include investigating the contribution of blood brain barrier dysfunction in influencing poor outcomes after TBI, and identifying the nature and long-term consequences of sub-concussive and concussive impacts on the brain. These projects use a combination of animal models, molecular neurobiology, electrophysiology, behavioral and next-generation sequencing techniques to identify adaptations that occur after severe and mild head impacts. Bevan’s postdoctoral work was recently recognized, receiving awards from the National Neurotrauma Society and National Capital Area TBI Research Symposiums. His fellowship at Georgetown is supported by the Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training Grant.