SARASOTA, Fla. -- The University of Florida College of Dentistry selected Taylor Capasso and Amanda Francis from a large pool of applicants by faculty to represent the college at the 2014 Annual Hinman Student Research Symposium in Memphis, Tenn., on October 31 – November 2.
The Hinman Student Research Symposium is a national meeting that features oral and poster presentations of research studies by dental students and graduate trainees from dental schools across North America.
Capasso and Francis, members of the D.M.D. freshman class, participated in the 2014 Summer Research Program at the college and will present their research papers during the symposium. Taylor Capasso also happens to be a 2010 graduate of Venice High School. Go Suncoast!
Capasso’s project, “Enoxacin and bis-enoxacin stimulate GW Body formation and alter regulatory exosomes produced by murine breast cancer cells”, looked at whether enoxacin and bis-enoxacin stimulate GW Body formation in 4T1 murine breast cancer cells and attempted to isolate cancer exosomes from cell culture and determine if exosomes produced by 4T1 cells are altered when the 4T1 cells are treated with enoxacin and bis-enoxacin.
Francis’ study, “Epigenetic Regulation of the Inflammatory Response in Localized Aggressive Periodontitis,” looks at localized aggressive periodontitis, a rapidly progressing rare form of the disease that mostly affects children. The study’s purpose is to look at the role of epigenetic regulation of inflammatory genes and how they regulate the immune response.
The goal of the symposium is to help raise and maintain the quality of dental research and education in the U.S. by encouraging participation of dental students, graduate trainees, and dental school faculty in research to improve oral health care.
The symposium sponsors one participant from each dental school in North America and the college sponsored a second participant.
