There has been a resurgence in research regarding the therapeutic potential of hallucinogenic psilocybin. Although this research is promising, much is unknown about how psilocybin impacts behavior from a pharmacological perspective. It is established that psilocybin is a serotonergic agonist with affinities for several different serotonin receptors; binding affinity data indicate that psilocybin has a […]
A45: Evaluation of the Safety of Various E. Coli Derived Tryptamine Compounds
Clinical trials on the use of psilocybin (PSL) to treat depression are promising, but still in preliminary stages. Additionally, they are confounded by the presence of hallucinations, which may not be necessary for its clinical effectiveness but create challenges when designing experiments. Results from our lab have also indicated potential antidepressant efficacy for a number […]
A74: UV-LED Photocatalytic Device for Fuel Vapor Emission Control
A large percentage of the population in developed countries use automobiles. This directly contributes to the emission of volatile organic vapors into the atmosphere, which in turn affects both humans and the environment. With the creation of a system that is able to reduce fuel vapor emissions, a cleaner and safer environment is generated. Therefore, […]
B01: Effect of Polydimethylsiloxane Support on Nickel-Based Catalysis in Dry Reformation of Methane
The release of methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is rapidly increasing with the growth of dependence on fossil fuels. In an effort to combat the levels of CO2 and CH4 accumulating, chemical engineers have turned to the dry reformation of methane to produce syngas (H2 and CO), an inexpensive product with higher energy […]
B70: Investigation of Pyrolyzed Polydimethylsiloxane as an Adsorbent for Pb in Water
Porous materials and mediums such as activated carbon and membranes have been playing a vital role in catalyzing chemical reactions and removing notoriously harmful environmental contaminants. Given the growing population and the rising initiatives to significantly reduce pollution by 2050, the global scientific community continues to remain interested in coming up with low-cost, innovative yet […]
B17-P: Engineering Sigma Factors for Synthetic Biology
To expand the current synthetic biology toolbox, new mechanisms of genetic control must be discovered and assessed based on specific transcription-altering capabilities. We posit that sigma factors are precisely the tool needed for metabolic engineers to reroute cells to produce molecules of interest while being orthogonal to other transcription factors. Additionally, sigma factors permit various […]
B54-P: Perstraction: A Novel Membrane-Assisted Liquid-Liquid Extraction of Perflouryl Compounds (PFAs) From Water
Perfluorooctanic acid or PFOA is a man-made chemical byproduct of the production of Teflon, and does not break down in the environment, leaving water sources contaminated. The health effects this has on humans is largely unknown, but it has been found to be present in low levels in the bloodstream of most people and can […]
B53-P: Crosslinking to Enhance the Mechanical Properties of 3D-Plotted Collagen-Based Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering
This research generally focuses on tissue engineering, specifically scaffold-based bone tissue engineering. Bone complications are increasingly prevalent, presenting serious issues to patient quality of life. Nonunion bone fractures, fractures that require surgery to heal, are clinically important because of their morbidity and economic burden. Bone grafts or rod implants are the standard remedy, but they […]
B16-P: Transposon Mediated Integration and Cas9 Assisted Promoter Optimization of Psilocybin Biosynthetic Pathway for in vivo Production in E. coli
Psychedelics have shown promise for the treatment of several mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, treatment resistant depression, and addiction. These small biomolecules are difficult to mass produce through chemical means or through extraction from the original organism. Recently, psilocybin has been produced on a gram per liter scale in E. coli using […]
C47-P: Production and Purification of Savinase Protease from B. subtilis
Protease enzymes are widely utilizing in industry in laundry detergents to break down proteinaceous stains as well in pharmaceutical and food industries. A particular serine protease called Savinase shows promise for usage in high pH detergent solutions due to its broad substrate specificity. In this study we aim to produce and characterize recombinant Savinase made […]