Arti Shukla, Ph.D. Research Assistant Professor

Maria Ramos, Ph.D. Research Assistant Professor

Sylke Buder-Hoffmann - Postdoctoral Fellow

Steven Blumen - Ph.D. Student

Max MacPherson - Laboratory Research Technician
Area: Utilization of peroxidase and fluorescent immunohistochemical staining techniques to visualize protein expression of proliferative, apoptotic, and MAPK related genes in mouse distal bronchiolar epithelial cells in response to crocidolite and chrysotile asbestos, as well as other environmental and chemical insults such as chromium, arsenic, and bleomycin. Distal bronchiolar epithelial as well as mesothelial cells are also isolated via laser capture microdissection. RNA isolated from these cells is used for taqman QRT-PCR to analyze the message levels of fibrosis related genes, namely IL-6, in response to crocidolite asbestos.

Trisha Barrett - Laboratory Research Technician
Area: Studying the effects of PKCs, namely PKCd (a novel isoform of PKC) on asbestos-induced injury, proliferation, and apoptosis in mouse lung epithelial type II cells (C10) and more recently on pkc delta knockout mice.

Stacie Beuschel  - Laboratory Research Technician
Area: Maintains breeding colonies of mice and screens our transgenic mice by pcr and slot blot techniques. Also helps in the organization and collection of tissues for our animal inhalation studies.

Joanna Gell - Congratulations to Joanna! She will begin Medical School at UVM in September 2006.