Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences Graduate Theses
Recent Submissions
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Bioinformatics Approaches for Investigating Missing Heritability in Complex Traits
Advancements in high-throughput technologies and high-performance computing have enabled the discovery of tens of thousands of genetic associations for complex traits and diseases. However, these associations explain only ... -
Neurophysiology of Exertional Dyspnea in Interstitial Lung Disease and Pulmonary Vascular Disease: Final Common Pathways
Dyspnea is an important symptom that negatively impacts quality of life and results in functional limitation and disability. The overarching objective of this thesis was to explore mechanisms of chronic activity-related ... -
Characterizing the Development of Secondary Hyperparathyroidism and Vitamin D Resistance in Experimental Chronic Kidney Disease
The parathyroid gland (PTG) responds to alterations in calcium and phosphate via secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH) that acts on kidneys and bone to regulate mineral homeostasis. Hallmarks of chronic kidney disease ... -
Developing Synthetic Actin Toxins for the Treatment of Metastatic Cancers
Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer related deaths and new therapies that disrupt the metastatic process are urgently needed. The actin cytoskeleton is very dynamic structure required for cancer cell invasion and ... -
Characterization of GM- and M-CSF-Derived Macrophages Response to Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Infection and TLR7 Agonist
Macrophages (MΦ) are innate immune cells considered as the primary line of defense during infection and as controllers of tissue homeostasis. In response to viral infection, MΦ induce cytokine production and regulate ... -
Investigating the Receptor Interactions and Mechanisms of a Folic Acid-Conjugated Nanoparticle in the Treatment of Breast Cancer
An area of intense research focus is the development of a highly specific drug delivery system (DDS) for anti-cancer agents. Chemical engineering of a “smart” DDS to specifically target tumor cells has gained interest in ... -
Investigating the Blockade of Transforming Growth Factor-beta Signaling in Preclinical Models of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer is the most the lethal gynecologic malignancy and most commonly develops as epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Most EOC tumours are genetically unstable high-grade serous carcinomas that initiate and grow ... -
Characterization of Transcription Factor-Coactivator Complexes in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancerous hematological disorder originating in B-lymphoid progenitor cells. In 5% of ALL cases, the oncogenic transcription factor E2A-PBX1 is expressed as a result of the chromosomal ... -
Hypoxia Inhibits Kv1.5 Currents Through Reactive Oxygen Species-Mediated Post Translational Cysteine Modification
The voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.5 plays an important role in atrial repolarization and vascular tone of pulmonary arteries. Dysfunction of Kv1.5 channels can lead to atrial fibrillation and pulmonary hypertension, ... -
Development of a Vascularized Carotid Artery Plaque Phantom for the Investigation of Novel Ultrasound-Based Technologies
As the global burden of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease continues to rise, there is an increased demand for improved imaging techniques for earlier detection and diagnosis of atherosclerotic plaques, and for ... -
Implications of macrophage recruitment and activation in the immunopathophysiology of endometriosis
Endometriosis is an inflammatory gynaecological disease that affects 1 in 10 women globally. Characterized by the presence of endometrial-like tissues found proliferating outside the uterus, the disease is associated with ... -
Using a Novel Complexity-based Human Dissection Course for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Practitioners of Physical Manipulation: Utility and Effect on Clinical Practice
Background and Purpose: There will always be a discrepancy between theory and practice. The coevolution of the theory and practice of anatomy has become more difficult with the passage of time, and the advancement of ... -
Functional Dissection of the N-Terminal Domains of KIF14: A Mitotic Kinesin Required for Cell Abscission
Kinesins are the largest superfamily of microtubule-binding motor proteins in eukaryotic cells. All kinesins contain a motor domain that hydrolyzes ATP to power their directional movement along microtubules, or to catalyze ... -
Assessing the Presence, Extractability, and Function of Core Histones in the Perinuclear Theca of Murid Spermatozoa
The perinuclear theca (PT) is a condensed cytosolic capsule that surrounds the eutherian sperm nucleus and contains various proteins involved in fertilization. Previously, proteomic analysis of the bovine PT revealed a ... -
Characterizing the roles of microRNA in metastatic lung adenocarcinoma and melanoma
Cancer metastasis is the greatest ongoing obstacle to improving therapeutic efficacy and patient outcomes. Metastasis is a complex process reliant on phenotypic plasticity and dynamic changes in gene expression. MicroRNA ... -
Right Heart Adaptation to Pressure and Volume Overload: Epidemiology, Animal Models, and Molecular Mechanisms
Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a syndrome in which an increase in mean pulmonary artery pressure>20 mmHg is associated with adverse pulmonary vascular remodeling, which results in right heart failure and death. ... -
Investigating the Efficacy of a Combination Therapy and a Nanopolymer-Mediated Drug Delivery Approach to Treat Pancreatic and Breast Cancer
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most challenging malignancies to treat clinically. The current standard of care for a possible cure requires surgery; however, only a small subset of patients is eligible ... -
Mechanical stretch increases Kv1.5 current through interaction between the S1-S2 linker and N-terminus of the channel
The voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.5 mediates the ultra-rapid delayed rectifier current (IKur) in the heart, important for human atrial repolarization. In physiological conditions cardiomyocytes continuously undergo ... -
O antigen biosynthesis in Gram-negative bacteria: Characterization of alpha1,4-glucosyltransferase WclY from Escherichia coli O117 and development of glycosyltransferase inhibitors.
Gram-negative bacteria have a polysaccharide coat (O antigen) consisting of repeating units of oligosaccharides that is assembled by glycosyltransferases. Many of these bacteria are associated with disease, and the ... -
Crosstalk Signaling Between cAMP and Calcium on the Leading Edge of Migrating Human Arterial Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells
Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are phenotypically plastic. Thus, while the VSMCs in healthy blood vessels are ‘contractile’ and control vascular tone, these cells can increase their synthetic, migratory and proliferative ...
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