The proposed project will focus on discovering novel drug candidates as a targeted therapy for cancer using computational and synthetic approaches. 48Hour Discovery INC (48HD) aims to build a high-value drug discovery platform for internal drug discovery programs and for clients that provide synthetic molecules with drug-like properties to maximize the success of early drug discovery efforts. 48HD has developed genetically-encoded technologies that accelerate drug discovery to find new and better drug candidates.

There are many challenges with assessing accurate food intake data from research participants. Food image analysis is being recognized as a potential tool to make the assessment of food intake data easier for patients and dietitians who assess the data. There remain several gaps about how this data can be used in research with participants with chronic diseases. Several of these gaps will be addressed as part of this research project. First, the Intern will assess the accuracy of the food image analysis data against a gold-standard reference measure.

Dynamic changes in maternal bone health occur during pregnancy and postpartum. To sustain thecalcium requirements of a developing fetus, a mother’s bone mineral density (BMD) may decreaseby 6%. This bone loss persists following childbirth. Further, with more women are having childrenlater in life coupled with known decreases of BMD after the age of 40, women may be predisposedto a more rapid decline of bone health following pregnancy, as well as increased risk of bone injuriesor osteoporosis later in life.

The virus spike receptor has been used to successful generate vaccine candidates for SARS-CoV-2 infections. Furthermore, disruption of the virus interacting with host cells represents a viable options for antiviral development. We will express both the viral spike protein and host ACE2 receptor for development of vaccine and antivirals.

The agricultural industry is adopting new technologies in many practices, including automation of routine practices such as milking in dairy or harvesting fruits. These innovations require the development of sophisticated machines and image processing algorithms associated with. This proposed project aims to develop the technology that allows design of a machine and associated algorithms to assess livestock for morphological traits. This innovation allows the farmers to evaluate their animals morphological traits more frequently and on their own.

Multiomics studies of the human microbiome have an enormous potential for understanding the mechanism of biological processes involving the microbial community and the metabolites produced by gut microbiota. We will apply a multiomics strategy to clinical fecal samples using a novel collection device to stabilize fecal metabolites at room temperature, thereby making the standard practise of freezing at - 80°C unnecessary.

Industrial workplaces can expose physical and chemical hazards to workers, which can lead to health complications in the short term and/or long term. The primary objective of this project is to develop a flexible industrial internet of things (IIoT) kit that is connected to the worker over work-shift to monitor various environmental factors in the workplace that could be potentially hazardous (such as noise, temperature, humidity, vibration, UV, H2S, VCM, VOC, benzene, acetone, ammonia, and etc.).

Traditional strategies of drug development is to develop small molecules that bind and block the activity of the protein based enzymes in a cell, where the activity of the enzyme is linked to the disease, such as cancer. Recently a new paradigm has been emerging where it is being appreciated that other proteins, that are not enzymes can also be targeted by next generation drugs. This ability to target proteins which do not have enzymatic activity may potentially reshape much of the pharmaceutical industry.

Diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis have been widely impacted by the pathogenesis of inflammation. After traditional therapy, most of the time dying cells stimulate inflammatory effects which results the reduction of therapeutic effect and enhances the drug resistance. That is why treatment often requires frequent or continuous high-dosage administration of anti-inflammatory drugs. Efficient delivery of anti-inflammatory drugs to the targeted sites can reduce medical dosage and improve therapeutic effect.

My research will take place in the City of Beaumont, focusing on the Beaumont and District Agricultural Society (BADAS) and its potential role as a collaborative partner with the City of Beaumont and food system actors in the community of Beaumont. My research aims to address a gap in the literature concerning the roles agricultural societies are or could potentially be taking in response to the changing needs of agriculture in relations to building resilient and place-based agri-food systems, such as through the development of urban agriculture.