Event Description

Masuda Akther

Masuda Akther is a third-year graduate student in the Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology program, currently conducting research in Dr. Alexander Valvezan's lab at the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine (CABM). With a strong interest in translational studies, she has focused her research career on bridging fundamental science and clinical applications. Her current work centers on developing cancer therapeutics, specifically targeting cancer metabolism to identify new treatment strategies for patients with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC). Outside the lab, she enjoys spending time in nature, finding inspiration and balance in the outdoors.

Exploiting the unique metabolism of tumor cells to develop new therapies.

Mutations in the tumor-suppressor genes TSC1 and TSC2 cause Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC), a genetic disorder that can lead to tumor growth, and are also linked to certain cancers. Tumors lacking TSC1or TSC2 show increased activity of mTORC1, a protein complex that drives cell growth and metabolism. Our research has revealed that TSC2-deficient cells are highly dependent on the enzyme IMPDH, which is crucial for producing guanine nucleotides—essential building blocks for DNA and RNA. Blocking IMPDH with a drug called Mizoribine, which is already approved for clinical use, creates stress on DNA replication and damages the DNA in TSC2-deficientcells, ultimately causing them to die.

However, these cells can adapt to this treatment by activating pathways that repair DNA damage and manage replication stress, making them less sensitive to the drug. To overcome this resistance, we tested combining Mizoribine with drugs that block key proteins in these pathways, such as ATR, CHK1, CHK2, DNA-PK, WEE1, and ATM.

Our preliminary results show that combining Mizoribine with an ATR inhibitor (AZD6738), which is being tested in cancer clinical trials, significantly increases cell death in TSC2-deficient cells compared to using Mizoribine alone. Similarly, inhibitors targeting WEE1 (AZD1775) and CHK1/CHK2 (AZD7762) also boost Mizoribine effects. These findings suggest a promising new treatment strategy: combining drugs that block DNA repair and replication stress pathways with IMPDH inhibitors to more effectively kill cancer cells lacking TSC2.

 

V. Armour

Veronica Armour is a PhD student in the Department of Library and Information Science and the Director for the Innovation, Design, & Entrepreneurship Academy at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Her research is inspired by the pathways she has constructed as she’s navigated her career journey and her observations of the ways in which undergraduates’ career pathways are constructed and evolve while at university.

Mapping Pathways: How Information Shapes Transitional Journeys

My research tells the story of how and why information is used to create a pathway to support the navigation of a transitional period in an individual's life. Pathways can be constructed (think of planned or designed paths) or informal, sometimes called desire paths, that emerge as shortcuts taken by individuals when an official path does not exist or is not practical to take.

This presentation will discuss how we might use a socio-material perspective to tell the story of pathways through mapping information structures to see what shapes a pathway and mapping information sources to see who is found along the way. By emphasizing the actors and relations involved in our information interactions, I expand our view of information behavior beyond the individual/cognitive perspective to encompass a community/social perspective.

 

 

Join us for our next Research Café on Tuesday, April 16 at 3:00 PM (via Zoom) for an inspiring session showcasing the diverse and innovative work of graduate students at Rutgers.

Allison Bond & Rebecca Risman

  • March 26, 2025
Awards & Honors

The School of Graduate Studies (SGS) is pleased to announce the winners of the second annual SGS Community Engagement Award, recognizing graduate students who have demonstrated ethical, collaborative engagement through their research, teaching, and advocacy to advance the public good.

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2025 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Finals

  • March 19, 2025
Awards & Honors

March 14, 2025 – New Brunswick, NJ – The 2025 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Final Round at Rutgers University School of Graduate Studies (SGS) brought together eight doctoral finalists for an engaging competition that challenged them to present their research in just three minutes.

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Event Description

Your PhD can take you in many different directions, some of which you may have not even considered!  Learn what you can be with a PhD by coming to meet (in-person encouraged) a panel of Rutgers graduate school alumni to learn how they each took skills obtained in their PhD program and apply them in science-related careers including: medical writing, publishing, consulting, medical affairs, tech transfer/licensing among other options.

In person or Zoom options

 

Chakraborty and Yao

  • May 7, 2025
Grad CareerCraft

Join us as we spotlight two cutting-edge projects: Aijia Yao, a second-year Ph.D. student in the Hamilton Lab, is investigating how cultural backgrounds influence the expression of mental health symptoms among marginalized youth, and Soham Chakraborty, a fourth-year Ph.D.

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2025–2026 Winners Announced

  • April 28, 2025
Student Spotlight

Margo Weitzman Awarded Rome Prize

The School of Graduate Studies proudly celebrates Margo H. Weitzman, a doctoral candidate in Art History, who has been awarded a 2025–2026 Rome Prize by the American Academy in Rome.

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Building Skills and Connections through Community Engagement

  • April 28, 2025
Grad CareerCraft

Advancing Scholarship and Service through Community Engagement

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Julia Rose Katz Honored in Rome

  • April 25, 2025
Student Spotlight

SGS Student Julia Rose Katz Featured by the American Academy in Rome

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Celebrating Graduate Excellence and Community Engagement at SGS

  • April 23, 2025
Awards & Honors

Celebrating Graduate Excellence and Community Engagement at Rutgers

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