Payton Harmon
Student Spotlight

Turning Taste Science into Lifesaving Care for Children

Turning Taste Science into Lifesaving Care for Children
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
675 Hoes Lane West
Piscataway, NJ 08854
Dr. David Julius will deliver the 2026 Morris-Inouye Lecture at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in the Main Lecture Hall of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway. His lecture is titled “Gut Feelings: Probing mechanisms of visceral pain.” A reception will follow.
Dr. Julius shared the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Ardem Patapoutian for work that transformed our understanding of how the nervous system senses temperature and mechanical stimuli. He discovered the ion channel that detects both the “hot” ingredient in chili peppers and painfully elevated temperature. His laboratory continues to investigate the structure, regulation, and tissue distribution of sensory ion channels.
In addition to the Nobel, Dr. Julius’ other honors including a Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences and the Kavli Prize in Neuroscience, which he also shared with Dr. Patapoutian. He is professor and chair of the Department of Physiology at UCSF, where he holds the Morris Herzstein Chair in Molecular Biology and Medicine. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the AAAS.
Applying for academic jobs and making the transition from grad student to postdoc and then to faculty member requires advanced planning and strategy. Come hear from faculty at Research Level 1 (R1) to get their advice and feedback on how to prepare and approach a faculty position.
Topics covered will include: How to select a postdoc that will eventually help you land an academic career; Discussing with your postdoc PI the project that you will take with you and getting them to help you advance your career; What other things you should be doing during your postdoc to be ready to apply for faculty jobs; Applying for K99/R00 grants; Deciding R1 vs PUI; Finding academic jobs to apply to; Preparing the research statement; Preparing the teaching statements; Preparing the job talk; Preparing the chalk talk; Preparing for the interview itself and tips; Negotiating offers; Setting up the lab; Filling your lab with students, postdocs and techs; Teaching for the first time and preparing classes; Service to the university; Preparing for tenure and expectations.
Applying for academic jobs and making the transition from grad student to postdoc and then to faculty member requires advanced planning and strategy. Come hear from faculty who serve at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) to get their advice and feedback on how to prepare and approach a faculty position.
Topics covered will include: How to select a postdoc that will eventually help you land an academic career; Discussing with your postdoc PI the project that you will take with you and getting them to help you advance your career; What other things you should be doing during your postdoc to be ready to apply for faculty jobs; Deciding R1 vs PUI; Finding academic jobs to apply to; Preparing the research statement; Preparing the teaching statements; Preparing the job talk; Preparing the teaching demo; Preparing for the interview itself and tips; Negotiating offers; Setting up the lab; Filling your lab with students, postdocs and techs; Teaching for the first time and preparing classes; Service to the university; Preparing for tenure and expectations.
Hear from recent iJOBS PhD alum who work at the bench or manage research programs in pharma and biotech to learn how they got their first job and what are the differences between academia and industry bench research. There will be PhD level people who are involved in research at large pharmaceutical companies like Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck and Abbvie as well as mid-sized and smaller biotech companies
Pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) information form the scientific basis of modern pharmacotherapy and it is critical for all scientists to understand these concepts Dan Gordin, PhD, a regulatory affairs consultant, will give an overview of this topic so when you are interviewing with a company, you can tell them that you are familiar with PK/PD and will be able to follow presentations from your colleagues.
675 Hoes Lane West
Deans Conference Room, R123
Piscataway, NJ 08854
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