Cell Biology 2020

Dr. Aguilar obtained his PhD degree in Immunochemistry from the School of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dr. Aguilar pursued his post-doctoral training at the National institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD in the lab of the well-known cell ... biologist Dr. Juan Bonifacino. In 2005, after a period as Associate Research Scientist at The Johns Hopkins University (in Dr. Beverly Wendland lab), Dr. Aguilar joined the Faculty of the Department of Biological Sciences at Purdue University. There, his group studies the mechanisms linking endocytosis and signaling in health and disease. In order to pursue its research goals, the Aguilar lab routinely use biophysical, biochemical and genetic approaches.

Dr. Antonio T. Baines is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) and an adjunct professor in the Department of Pharmacology in the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Chapel Hill. He earned a ... bachelors degree in biology from Norfolk State University and a doctorate in pharmacology and toxicology from the University of Arizona. Afterwards, Dr. Baines accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at UNC in pharmacology and radiation oncology under Drs. Channing Der and Adrienne Cox. His research focused on understanding the role of the Ras oncogene as a molecular target in pancreatic cancer oncogenesis. In August 2006, Dr. Baines accepted a tenure-track faculty position at NCCU where he currently teaches and conducts research as a cancer biologist. Also, he mentors high school, undergraduate, and graduate students in his laboratory. Pancreatic cancer is the 4th most common cause of cancer deaths in the United States with a high mortality rate and very limited treatment options. The overall focus of Dr. Baines research program is to identify and validate novel molecular targets in pancreatic cancer which can be targeted by potential cancer therapeutics. Additionally, his lab aims to understand the role of these molecular targets in the development and progression of normal cells transforming into cancer cells of the pancreas. Currently, Dr Baines studies the functional significance of the oncogenic Pim kinase family in pancreatic cancer growth and development. He hypothesizes that inhibition of these enzymes will be an effective approach for antagonizing the aberrant growth of pancreatic carcinoma. In addition to working with colleagues in academia, he collaborates with various pharmaceutical companies that are developing Pim inhibitors. Results from his studies will allow for critical validation of these kinases as novel therapeutic targets for pancreatic cancer treatment. Dr. Baines research has been funded by NIH and other grant sources. He has presented his research at various national scientific meetings such as the Society of Toxicology and the American Association for Cancer Research. In addition, Dr. Baines has given invited research seminars at universities such as Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical (A&T) State University, Indiana University, North Carolina State University, University of Missouri-Kansas City and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Matt entered the research field over 20 years ago as a lab animal technician at the TSI/Mason contract research facility. He has worked at both contract facilities such as TSI and OREAD Biosafety as well in industry at Pharmacia, Pfizer, and Sanofi-Aventis. During that period he ... has performed a variety of surgical procedures including device implantation, transplants, orthopedic defect, ocular and vascular implants, cardiac surgery, and brain and spinal procedures. His experience ranges from mice and rats to non-human primates and livestock. In addition, he holds four patents for novel surgical devices and implants and has been training technicians, scientists, veterinarians, and physicians in surgical techniques and procedures for over 15 years. Outside of the surgical realm, he has been a study director, sonographer, Safety Pharmacology scientist, and manager. Currently Matt supervises a team of technicians and surgeon-technicians at Genzyme who support the Boston hub and perform over 1250 surgical procedures a year. Matt was also on the board of directors for the Academy of Surgical Research for over ten years, serving as their program chair for three of them as well as educational chair for two. Currently he is the program chairman for the New England branch of AALAS.

Brian McNally received his doctorate in Cell & Molecular Biology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where he focused on the transcriptional mechanisms governing polycystic kidney disease, renal cancer and development. His post-doctoral fellowship concentrated on ... the regulatory relationship between the proteasome and Toll-like receptor signaling at the University of Maryland Medical School in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology. Brian has fifteen years of practical experience at the laboratory bench, and his work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences. In 2008, he transitioned to industry to commercialize new biomedical products including assays, reagents and software. Brian has been with Canon BioMedical since its inception last year. He is passionate about partnering with life scientists to develop the next wave of biomedical solutions.