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   Welcome to the Institute of Mitochondrial Biology

Mission Statement

The Institute of Mitochondrial Biology (IMB) is a nonprofit organization of scientists and clinical experts dedicated to the advancement of medicine through interdisciplinary research relating to the role of mitochondria in disease and health.  By promoting research on the basic science of mitochondria, new insights into the pathogenesis, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human disease will be established.  Owing to the fundamental role of mitochondria in a great majority of living organisms, and the need for innovative approaches to monitor and manipulate the biologic activities of mitochondria, the IMB will facilitate innovative interdisciplinary research collaborations and will support the training of the next generation of mitochondrial researchers.

 

News & Acknowledgements

Position Announcement
A postdoctoral researcher is needed to participate in a NIH-funded laboratory studying the effects of oxidative stress and mechanical forces (shear stress) on vascular endothelial cell signaling (especially related to nitric oxide and mitochondria-derived reactive oxygen species), gene expression and protein synthesis.

Expertise in cell culture, PCR, immunoprecipitation and Western blotting, immunoassays, detection of reactive oxygen species, and knowledge of
vascular biology/mitochondrial biology and bioenergetics/free radicals are desirable.

PhD in cell or molecular biology/biochemistry/biomedical sciences or biomedical engineering, good communication skills, initiative and independence are required. Interdisciplinary training is facilitated by a rich institutional environment at the Davis Heart & Lung Research Institute of the Ohio State University (http://heartlung.osu.edu/).

Salary based upon experience. The position is available immediately and will remain open until filled. Email your CV, a description of research and career interests and contact information of 3 references to: rita.alevriadou@osumc.edu

Position Announcement
A MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association) sponsored post-doctoral position is available in the Department of Plant Cellular and Molecular Biology/Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, starting on August 1st 2008. The researcher will work in the field of mitochondria biogenesis and study the assembly process of c-type cytochromes, a class of hemoproteins with covalent attachment of the heme co-factor to a CXXCH motif on the apocytochrome. Cytochromes c are versatile molecules that function in electron transfer reactions but also in signaling the death pathways. Their assembly process is not understood and in humans mutations in the only known cytochrome c assembly factor cause a neurodevelopmental disease with cardiomyopathic manifestations.

The future hire will use yeast as an experimental system and focus on 1) elucidating the biochemical activity of Cyc2p a novel mitochondrial flavoprotein that controls a yet-to-be-defined redox step in the heme attachment reaction to apocytochrome and 2) identifying additional mammalian cytochrome c assembly factors. Because we suspect a role of Cyc2p in thiol-based chemistry, the researcher will also take part in on-going genetic experiments to 3) further dissect the pathway(s) that operate in intermembrane thiol-based redox chemistry. Thiol-based chemistry in the mitochondrial intermembrane space is a recent and novel development in the field since the discovery of catalysts that promote disulfide bond formation. Molecular genetics and biochemical approaches will be used to answer the scientific questions we are interested in. Interested candidates should send a cover letter, resume, and a list of three referees to Dr. Patrice Hamel at hamel.16@osu.edu. Use Post-doctoral Position in the subject line. For additional information, see also http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/pcmb/osu_pcmb/people_faculty_hamelPatrice.php

Grant Awarded
Jiyan Ma was awarded a five year NIH grant entitled "To investigate the contributions of lipid membranes to prion disease". This grant began 7/15/08.

Recent Presentations
B. Rita Alevriadou recently gave two presentations: "Fluid Shear Stress and Oxygen Tension Affect the Mitochondrial Redox Status in Vascular Endothelial Cells" at the Institute for Environmental Medicine at the University of Pennyslvania in Philadelphia on February 22 and "Mitochondria, Nitric Oxide and Endothelial Mechanosignalizing" at the Experimental Biology Annual Meeting in San Diego, California in April, 2008.

Patrice Hamel Receives Grant from OPBC
Co-PI Patrice Hamel has been awarded a grant from the Ohio Plant Biology Consortium entitled "Coiled-Coil Proteins in Organelle Biogenesis".

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UMDF Run Wild For the a Cure, 5K/1 Mile Walk to be Held on Saturday May 10, 2008 at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Please sign up to participate or offer a pledge for the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation Run Wild for a Cure, 5K/1 Mile Walk to be held on Saturday, May 10, 2008 at Cleveland Metrooparks Zoo. This race raised money earmarked for research grants, raising awareness and for programs and services for affected families.

You can learn more by going to the website www.runwildforacure.org.

Periannan Kuppusamy Receives Grant from NIBIB
Periannan Kuppusamy has been awarded a grant from the NIBIB entitled "Noninvasive Monitoring of In Situ Oxygenation and Cell Therapy in Infarct Heart".

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NHLBI Grant Awarded to Yong Xia
Yong Xia received a grant from the NHLBI entitled "Endothelial Dysfunction in Postischemic Hearts".

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Denis Gutteridge Receives Grant from National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Denis Gutteridge received a grant from the NINDS entitled "NF-kappaBeta Therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy". Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is the most frequent of all lethal X linked recessive disorders occurring n 1 of 3,500 boys.

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Elliot Crouser Receives Grant from American Thoracic Society
Elliott Crouser received a grant from the American Thoracic Society for an investigation entitled "Modulation of pulmonary sarcoidosis by nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

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Chandan Sen has been named Associate Dean for Translational and Applied Research in OSUCM
Chandan Sen has been named Associate Dean for Translational and Applied Research in The Ohio State University College of Medicine. He also has been awarded a new RO1 from NIH entitled "Vitamin E Neuroprotection: Novel Molecular Mechanisms" that began in January 2008 to add to his other new NIH award of August 2007 entitled "Tissue oxygenation and wound angiogenesis".

Denis Gutteridge Receives NIH Grant
Denis Gutterridge received an NIH grant entitled "NF-KappaB/1KK Signaling in Myogenesis and Disease" with five years funding beginning in May, 2007. His research plans to establish the function of the classical pathway in a primary myogenic culture system, determine wether regulation of myogenesis by IKK beta and p65 is relevant in vivo; and determine the regulation and function of IKK alpha and the alternative pathway in skeletal muscle differentiation. This should provide insight in how these signaling pathways participate in the onset or progression of skeletal muscle disorders.

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Clay Marsh Selected to Board
Clay Marsh, MD was selected to serve on the External Advisory Board of the Battelle Memorial Institute's Biology and Science Initiative. Board members provide clinical insight into diagnostic and therapeutic needs in pulmonary disease, as well as scientific expertise in biomarker discovery, genetics of disease and relevant technologies. Additionally, he was appointed chair of the Stanley Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Foundation Board of Directors. The foundation supports the early career development of cardiovascular scientists.

Position Announcement
Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Pathology is seeking two (2) postdoctoral associates in the laboratory of Gerald S. Shadel, Ph.D.  Two NIH-funded areas of investigation are currently ongoing aimed at understanding the role of mitochondria in human disease.

>>READ MORE [pdf]

Crouser named to Editorial Board CCM
Elliott Crouser has been appointed to the Editorial Board of the journal Critical Care Medicine, which is a highly respected journal serving physicians and scientists with an interest in critical care. In 2007 he was appointed the acting Director of Research in the Critical Care Signature Program at the Ohio State University College of Medicine.

Pfeiffer Guest Speaker at IGR in Japan
The Institute for Genome Research at the University of Tokushima, Japan, held a symposium recently entitled "Understanding Health and Disease Through Functional Genomics". Occasions included the Institutes 10th anniversary and it's elevation to a National Center of Excellence by the Japanese government. Douglas Pfeiffer was an invited speaker at the symposium and was one of five brought in from outside Japan. His presentation was entitled “The Mitochondrial iPLA2 as a Potential Target for Drug Development Directed at Controlling the Permeability Transition”.

NIH/NHLBI Grant for Rita Alevriadou
The goal of this project is to characterize the mitochondrial (dys)function in cultured coronary arterial endothelial cells exposed to either fluid shear stress or an in vitro protocol of ischemia/reperfusion and to test potential therapeutic strategies, such as mitochondria-targeted antioxidants, that may protect the coronary endothelium from reperfusion injury.

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NHLBI Grant for Yeong-Renn Chen
Yeong-Renn Chen recently received a five year NIH grant entitled "Myocardial Injury Associated with Mitochondria-derived Oxygen Free Radical(s)". This grant was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

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TSFRE Grant for Juan Crestanella
Juan Crestanella recently received a two year TSFRE grant entitled "Post Conditioning, Free Oxygen Radical Generation and Mitochondrial Function". This grant was funded by the Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education.

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Alcon Laboratories Inc. Grant to Pfeiffer
Nonsteriodal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have many applications in medicine, including their use topically to alleviate pain and inflammation in the eye. As a new phase of our collaborations with Alcon Laboratories we are investigating the potential of these compounds to promote mitochondrial dysfunction. The goal is to reveal particular members of the NSAIDs family which have a minimum potential to generate toxicity and attendant side effects in an ocular environment.

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