Oral Pathology, Medicine, and Radiology
Supervisor: Mythily Srinivasan
- Internship Location:
-
Dentistry
- Pre Professional Interests Preferred:
-
Pre-Dentistry, Pre-Medicine, Pre-Nursing, Pre-Pharmacy
- Environment:
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Lab
- Dress Code:
- Safety gear and covered toes
- Website:
- https://www.dentistry.iu.edu/index.php/faculty/srinivasan-mythily/
- Majors Preferred:
-
Biology
- Hours per week:
- Flexible based on student needs
- Schedule:
- Flexible within regular work hours
- Summary:
- I. Peptide therapeutics for neuroinflammation: We are interested in evaluating the therapeutic potential of novel peptide agents in inhibiting deleterious inflammatory responses in neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. The students will learn to perform cultures of human macrophage and/or microglial/astrocyte cell lines. They will do functional assays, including cell proliferation and cell death assays. They will also have an opportunity to gain working knowledge of animal models of neurodegenrative diseases.
II. Salivary diagnostics: We are interested in detecting protein markers in saliva for oral and systemic diseases. In particular, we are interested in immune-associated markers for chronic periodontitis, a relatively common oral disease that has been widely associated with increased risk for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Diabetes and chronic periodontitis have been shown to affect the prognosis of either pathology. We are also interested in the identification of salivary markers relevant for microvascular complications of type II diabetes such as diabetic retinopathy. The students can observe and learn to perform simple laboratory techniques, including ELISA, immunoblot, and polymerase chain reaction. Motivated students can perform epithelial cell culture assays.
- Internship Duties:
- Project I: The students will learn to perform cultures of human macrophage and/or microglial/astrocyte cell lines. They will do functional assays, including cell proliferation and cell death assays. They will also have an opportunity to gain working knowledge of animal models of neurodegenrative diseases. Project II: The students can observe and learn to perform simple laboratory techniques, including ELISA, immunoblot, and polymerase chain reaction. Motivated students can perform epithelial cell culture assays.
- Qualifications:
- Curiosity, interest, and motivation to learning biology systems.