myHPI Featuring division news, monthly seminar announcements and conversation starters
A monthly eBulletin
PMI seminar series
special PMI seminar- 08/11/14 C-2303 MCN 12:00pm
Wayne C. Koff, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Senior Vice President R&D
International AIDS Vaccine Initiative
Regular PMI seminar series will resume in September
This month's image is a little easier, to promote HPI interactions: Is this Panama red-eyed tree frog resistant or sensitive to chytridiomycosis? Image courtesy of Dr. Louise Rollins-Smith
HPI DIVISION ANNOUNCEMENTS
A big Congratulations goes to our division leader, Dr. Eric Skaar for winning the VUMC Post-doctoral mentor award this year. Post-doctoral training is a modern-day apprenticeship that generates tomorrow's research leaders. Dr. Skaar's legacy will live through the successes of his trainees, as have the legacies of other great mentors.
Dr. Aiken has been asked to continue serving as an Associate Editor for the journal PLoS Pathogens. Congratulations!
The DDRC seminar series will feature Dr. Mark Forsyth today, at noon at 8380B MCE. His talk title: "Genetic Variation and Signal Transduction as means to regulate gene transcription in H. pylori".
HPI division primary and secondary faculty publications that appeared since the last installment of myHPI are listed below. Please follow the links to browse through our colleagues' findings. Note: Searches are set up to run automatically on a specific date, and gathered information is compiled 4 days prior to myHPI launch. If we have missed anyone, we apologize! Please contact us and we will rectify our mistake.
HPI Division Meeting: July 29, 2014 at 3pm, MCN A5305. Business Meeting
2nd Friday Happy Hour: 07/11 at MCN A5305, 5:00pm - Hosted by theJoyce and Van Kaer Labs
Featured Publication:
"KLF2 is a rate-limiting transcription factor that can be targeted to enhance regulatory T-cell production"
Pabbisetty et al., PNAS 2014 Jun 16. pii: 201323493
The Sebzda and Aune labs have just published new insights into the production of specific subsets of regulatory T-cells (Tregs).
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a specialized subset of CD4+ T cells that maintain self-tolerance by functionally suppressing autoreactive lymphocytes. Therefore Tregs play a critical role in preventing auto-immunity.
In this publication, Pabbisetty and colleagues demonstrate for the first time that the transcription factor Kruppel like Factor (KLF) 2 selectively controls the production of antigen-induced Tregs, but not the production of thymus-derived Tregs.
This finding by the Sebzda group and colleagues points towards a new avenue of developing therapeutics, via the targeting of KLF2.
Applying for pre-doctoral or post-doctoral support from the NIH
It is never too early to get started. If you think you are ready, here is the deal:
The NIH F32/F32 fellowships cover 3 years of salary support.
Identify your target institution (one that is most well-aligned with your lab's research)
Formulate (under the supervision of your sponsor) your research plan and discuss the possibility of forming a mentoring committee.
Talk to Loreita Little, our pre-award budget/account analyst. Phone: 2-5217, Room A-5302 MCN, loreita.little@vanderbilt.edu. Do this sooner, than later!
Documents required: •Narrative (limit 2-3 sentences)•Facilities and Other Resources (no limit)•Equipment (no limit)•Bibliography (literature cited, no limit but be concise)•Summary (limit 30 lines)•Cover Letter•Respective Contributions (limit 1 page)•Selection of Sponsor and Institution (limit 1 page)•Responsible Conduct of Research (limit 1 page)•Current or Prior Support (limit 1 page)•Application for Concurrent Support (limit 1 page)•Goals for Fellowship Training and Career (limit 1 page)•Doctoral Dissertation and Other Research (limit 1 page)•Activities Planned Under This Award (limit 1 page)•Specific Aims (limit 1 page)•Resource Sharing Plan(s)•Research Strategy (limit 6 pages)•Protection of Human Subjects•Inclusion of Women and Minorities•Targeted Planned Enrollment (clinical research only)•Inclusion of Children•Vertebrate Animals•Sponsor Information (limit 6 pages)•List of Referees (names, degrees, and affiliations – this same list should be in cover letter)•Other Research Experience•Letters of Support
