SOHLIS Science Seminar

The Science Department would like to invite you all to our first Science Seminar of the semester funded through our
SOHLIS
program on Wednesday, September 25th at 7 PM via zoom. Our seminar speaker Dr. Victor Garcia joins us from the Department of Pharmacology at New York Medical College (NYMC) where he currently serves as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Garcia holds the pivotal role of Director of the Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) and NYMC School of Medicine (SOM) linkage program. This initiative aims to broaden the representation of students from ethnically/racially underrepresented backgrounds in medicine and those facing educational or economic disadvantages. Dr. Garcia’s multifaceted contributions to academia and medicine underscore his dedication to advancing both scientific knowledge and equitable access to medical education and healthcare. Below you will find the information on our seminar including the link to register for this zoom event:
Title of talk: GPR75: A Key Regulator in Obesity and its Impact on End Organ Health
This presentation will focus on the role of 20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE), a vasoactive and proinflammatory lipid, and its high-affinity receptor, GPR75, across metabolic disorders including obesity, diabetes, and liver disease. Notably, in collaboration with Regeneron, several human loss-of-function GPR75 variants were identified. These variants are associated with leanness and protection against obesity. The presentation will also discuss the development of novel 20-HETE receptor blockers and agonists, including their role in the prevention and reversal of obesity-related cardiometabolic complications including liver diseases such as NAFLD/MAFLD. The research highlights how the 20-HETE/GPR75 pairing not only regulates inflammation, blood pressure, and vascular remodeling, it contributes to obesity and obesity-driven end organ damage.
Zoom registration link: https://shorturl.at/wlyzo

Science Seminar: Panama disease pathogen, a global threat to banana

Presented by Yong Zhang, Ph.D.

Computational Biologist
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst
"Combating a Global Threat to Bananas, OMICS in Panama disease pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense"

Diseases are major problems wherever banana is produced. They indirectly reduce yields by debilitating plants and directly reduce the yield and quality of fruit before and after harvest. The current global banana production is seriously threatened by the emergence of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical Race4 (Foc TR4), the causal agent of the Fusarium Wilt disease of banana (also referred to as Panama disease). As the fungus not only causes wilting and rapid death of the banana but also remains in the soil for decades, TR4 was determined to be the most dangerous banana pathogen.

I will talk about the research applying OMICS to understand the evolution of Foc host-specific pathogenicity and develop potential strategies to control the disease through identifying informative candidates associated with pathogenicity.