An important mission of our CounterACT Center is Education and Training. Seminars, symposia and short courses, and training sessions presented by our CounterACT Center can be found in our calendar section. Our reference library, including many abstracts not available online, is now searchable and can be found in the Reading Room section. Current courses and workshops are listed below. Also listed are undergraduates, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows training on our CounterACT projects.
Courses:
Biological and Chemical Weapons [Rutgers University Course ID 101 69 73363] - An examination of the probable weapons of biowarfare, including biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons, from several perspectives. Topics include their mechanism of action, biological impact, detection and recognition, epidemiology, and treatment. Critical thinking and risk assessment will be used in evaluating their potential dangers and effectiveness. Strategies for defense against attacks by such weapons will be investigated, and the bioethical challenges of anti-bioterror research will be discussed. This course is taught by CounterACT's Education and Training program, Joshua P. Gray, Ph.D., Director. Email for further information.
Training:
Training of undergraduates, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in the laboratories of the UMDNJ/Rutgers University CounterACT Research Center of Excellence:
Undergraduate students:
Melannie Soriano, Rutgers University School of Pharmacy, 3rd year Honor Student (2007-2010)
Honors Thesis Project: “Cytokines, Chemokines, and Mediators of Vesicant Skin Injury” (mentor: Dr. Donald R. Gerecke, Scientific Project 1, “Laminins, matrix metalloproteinases and protection against vesicant-induced skin injury).”
Angelic Sambat, Rutgers University School of Pharmacy, 4th year student (2007-2008)
Project: “Novel Therapeutic Countermeasures against Sulfur Mustard Exposed Skin” (mentor: Dr. Donald R. Gerecke, Scientific Project 1, “Laminins, matrix metalloproteinases and protection against vesicant-induced skin injury).”
Patrick Zito, Rutgers University School of Pharmacy, 4th year student (2006-2007)
Project: Analysis of microarrays from sulfur mustard treated mouse skin (mentor: Dr. Marion Gordon, Scientific Project 2, “Transmembraneous collagens and matrix metalloproteinases as targets for countermeasures for vesicants in the cornea”
Stephanie Papastephanou (3rd year student, Lehigh University)
Project: "HPLC studies on the hydrolysis of bifunctional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents” (mentor: Dr. Ned Heindel “Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutics Core”)
Dimple Vyas (5th year student, Rutgers University School of Pharmacy, 2006-2007)
Project: QPCR of MMPs in SM injured skin (mentor: Dr. Donald R. Gerecke, Scientific Project 1, “Laminins, matrix metalloproteinases and protection against vesicant-induced skin injury.”
Nisha Patel (5th year student, Rutgers University School of Pharmacy, 2006-2007)
Project: QPCR of Selected SM-induced genes (mentor: Dr. Donald R. Gerecke, Scientific Project 1, “Laminins, matrix metalloproteinases and protection against vesicant-induced skin injury.”
Hira Khan (5th year student, Rutgers University School of Pharmacy, 2006-2007)
Project: Microarray Analysis of SM Damaged Skin (mentor: Dr. Donald R. Gerecke, Scientific Project 1, “Laminins, matrix metalloproteinases and protection against vesicant-induced skin injury.”
Rehana Khan (5th year student, Rutgers University School of Pharmacy, 2006-2007)
Project: Analysis of Laminin regulation in SM Damaged Skin (mentor: Dr. Donald R. Gerecke, Scientific Project 1, “Laminins, matrix metalloproteinases and protection against vesicant-induced skin injury."
Viktoriya Gomilko (3rd year student, Rutgers University, Chemistry, 2006-2007)
Project: Analysis of Laminin regulation in SM Damaged Skin (mentor: Dr. Michael Shakarjian, Scientific Project 1, “Laminins, matrix metalloproteinases and protection against vesicant-induced skin injury.”
Tanveere Hassam (1st year student, Rutgers University, Biological Sciences, 2006-2007)
Project: Analysis of Laminin regulation in SM Damaged Skin mentor: Dr. Michael Shakarjian, Scientific Project 1, “Laminins, matrix metalloproteinases and protection against vesicant-induced skin injury."
Stephania Stephanopolis (4th year student, Lehigh University, 2006-2007)
Project: Development of bis-functional pharmaceuticals (mentor: Dr. Ned Heindel, Synthetic Chemistry Core.)
Graduate students:
Sreepriya Anumolu (Rutgers University Pharmaceutical Sciences doctoral program, 2006-present):
Project: Formulation development of a formulation for a spray-on hydrogel for sulfur mustard injuries. Permeation and release characteristics of doxycycline in hydrogel formulations (mentor, Dr. Patrick Sinko, Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutics Core).
Andrea DeSantis (Rutgers/UMDNJ Joint Graduate Program in Toxicology, 2007-present):
Project: Mechanism of action of sulfur mustard injury in the rabbit corneal organ culture model (mentors, Drs. Donald Gerecke and Marion Gordon, Scientific Research Projects 1 & 2: “Laminins, matrix metalloproteinases and protection against vesicant-induced skin injury” and “Transmembraneous collagens and matrix metalloproteinases as targets for countermeasures for vesicants in the cornea”)
Yuwen Huang (Rutgers/UMDNJ Joint Graduate Program in Toxicology, 2007-present):
Project: Methods to assess corneal and skin injury in response to vesicating agents (mentors, Drs. Donald Gerecke and Marion Gordon, Scientific Research Projects 1 & 2: “Laminins, matrix metalloproteinases and protection against vesicant-induced skin injury” and “Transmembraneous collagens and matrix metalloproteinases as targets for countermeasures for vesicants in the cornea”)
Ruijin Zheng (Rutgers/UMDNJ Joint Graduate Program in Toxicology, 2006-present):
Project: Role of oxidative stress in vesicant-induced toxicity (Project: Role of antioxidants in protecting the lung against vesicant toxicity (mentors: Drs. Jeffrey Laskin and Debra Laskin, Scientific Research Project 3, “Lung inflammatory models for the development of countermeasures against sulfur mustard”)
Karma Fussell (Rutgers/UMDNJ Joint Graduate Program in Toxicology, 2006-present):
Project: Studies on the mechanism of cytotoxicity of vesicants in the skin and lung (mentors: (mentors: Drs. Jeffrey Laskin, Donald Gerecke and Debra Laskin, Scientific Research Projects 1 & 3, “Laminins, matrix metalloproteinases and protection against vesicant-induced skin injury” and “Lung inflammatory models for the development of countermeasures against sulfur mustard”)
Postdoctoral fellows:
Raghavandra Navath, Ph.D. (2006-present)
Project: Formulation and development of spray on Hydrogel for sulfur mustard injuries releasing phenytoin (mentor, Dr. Patrick Sinko, Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutics Core)
Anupa Menjoge, Ph.D. (2006-present)
Project: Development of spray-on hydrogel dressing. Optimization of matrix polymer and the cross-linker (mentor, Dr. Patrick Sinko, Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutics Core)
Manjeet Deshmukh, Ph.D. (2006-present)
Project: Lung Delivery of microparticle/nano hydrogels (mentors, Drs. Patrick Sinko and Debra Laskin, Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutics Core and Scientific Research Project 3: “Lung inflammatory models for the development of countermeasures against sulfur mustard”)
Yi-Hua Jan, Ph.D. (2007-present)
Project: Role of antioxidants in protecting the lung against vesicant toxicity (mentors: Drs. Jeffrey Laskin and Debra Laskin, Scientific Research Project 3, “Lung inflammatory models for the development of countermeasures against sulfur mustard”)
Adrienne Black, Ph.D. (2007-2008)
Project: Role of eicosanoid metabolism in the mechanism of action of vesicants in the skin (mentors: Drs. Jeffrey Laskin and Donald Gerecke, Scientific Research Project 2, “Laminins, matrix metalloproteinases and protection against vesicant-induced skin injury”)
Yun Wang, Ph.D. (2007-present)
Project: Mechanism of action of sulfur mustard countermeasures acting via the TRPV1 receptor (mentor, Drs. Jeffrey Laskin, Debra Laskin and Ned Heindel, Scientific Research Project 3, “Lung inflammatory models for the development of countermeasures against sulfur mustard” and “Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutics Core”)
