RUMP Work in Progress (WIP)

Bhupendra Singh Rawat, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

New Jersey Medical School

Center for Immunity and Inflammation

Department of Medicine

Topic:

“Hepcidin and Iron homeostasis in inflammatory diseases"

Intestinal macrophages express the iron exporter ferroportin (Fpn) which can bind hepcidin. The intestinal hepcidin-Fpn axis does not impact systemic iron availability. Exogenous oral hepcidin acts on intestinal macrophage Fpn, suppresses pro-inflammatory bacteria, and promotes mucosal healing after intestinal inflammation.
 

Michael Manhart, PhD

Assistant Professor

Rutgers University | Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Topic:

“How do ecological interactions shape evolution in the microbiome?"

Ecological interactions, such as sharing or competing for nutrients, are widespread in natural microbial communities.  While we know these interactions play important roles in these communities’ stability, metabolic activity, and host health, we understand little about how interactions affect the ability of these communities to adapt to environmental changes such as drug treatment.  Using a combination of controlled laboratory experiments and computational models, we are working to determine the principles by which ecological interactions alter the fitness of mutants and hence adaptation.