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Abstract or Project Description

Abstract or Project Description

Gut inflammation alters the bacterial communities in the gut (the microbiome), and these disruptions are thought to make inflammation even worse. Understanding and derailing this cycle could provide new avenues for IBD therapy. Although we know that inflammation can change “who’s there” in the gut microbiome, this project will determine whether harder-to-measure changes within the microbiome also impact the cycle of inflammation and microbiome disruption. Specifically, we will study whether episodes of inflammation cause these bacteria to change by altering their genetic instructions or how those instructions are read out. If successful, the study will uncover new measurements that we need to collect in order to understand how an individual’s microbiome responds to flares of inflammation and remission in IBD. In the future, this understanding will help us design microbiome-based therapies equipped to persist in the inflamed gut and break the cycle of microbiome disruption and inflammation that characterizes IBD.

Abstract or Project Description

We have discovered a novel single-gene defect in patients with pediatric IBD, setting the stage for new molecular and cellular discoveries to dissect biology stemming from human disease. Here, we will pursue two aims that will open new doors by leveraging the strength of preclinical models to uncover mechanisms by which the gene we identified in patients orchestrates immune responses and inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. Specifically, we will assess roles for this gene in regulating production of the inflammatory IL-1 cytokine and begin to dissect interplay between immune cells lacking this gene and bacteria in the intestine. Since our work begins with patients, our findings will be directly translatable between humans and mice and will advance our unbiased gene discovery to mechanistic insights more broadly relevant for mapping immune interactions relevant for the larger IBD community. Together, these aims address innovative new hypotheses and will advance the mission of the Kenneth Rainin Foundation by enabling transformative IBD discoveries rooted in human biology and advanced with powerful modeling approaches.

Abstract or Project Description

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is associated with currently untreatable conditions such as fibrosis and strictures that arise as a consequence of aberrant wound healing. It is of utmost importance that we understand the biology of normal wound healing and discover why IBD is associated instead with abnormal wound healing. Immune cells called macrophages help sense damage and rebuild injured tissues. We have discovered that macrophages promote tissue repair when they sense that cells have died by a specific suicide mechanism called apoptosis. We propose that, if macrophages sense that cells have died by other means such as necroptosis, it is sensed as danger by sentinel macrophages and they respond by producing factors that cause fibrosis. We aim to identify the sensors that macrophages use to identify dead cells and hide the ones that sense danger and promote bad healing, while tricking the macrophages to use their apoptosis sensors that instruct good healing. Our studies have the potential to address a currently unmet need in IBD therapy.

Abstract or Project Description

To support the Artist Power Center.

Abstract or Project Description

The Young Musicians Choral Orchestra (YMCO) is dedicated to enriching the lives of talented, low-income students aged 9-18 across the Bay Area through high-quality musical training, academic support and personal guidance.

Abstract or Project Description

Young Storytellers empowers young individuals to shape their own narratives, fostering inclusivity and amplifying voices often marginalized or unheard. By recognizing the power of individual stories, encompassing diverse backgrounds and identities, Young Storytellers aims to cultivate empathy and promote equity for a more inclusive future, one story at a time.

Abstract or Project Description

Youth Beat provides free digital media training to kids from some of the Bay AreaÕs lowest income neighborhoods. Their mission is to help inner-city kids get on a path that leads to success in college, career and life.

Abstract or Project Description

To support the Oakland Mayoral Town Hall on Arts & Culture at Youth SpeaksÕ 2022 Life is Living festival.

Abstract or Project Description

18 Reasons is a nonprofit community cooking school on a mission to empower our community with the confidence and creativity needed to buy, cook and eat good food every day.

Abstract or Project Description

To accelerate the skills of Black and Latinx leaders starting in Sobrante Park schools to deliver instructional support to students. Literacy, Leadership, and Liberation Academy (3Ls Academy) led by Dr. Sabrina Moore will build literacy community centers, aiming for school and community transformation.

Abstract or Project Description

Aperformance project celebrating imagination as a powerful form of resistance. Towards Opulence engages San Francisco Tenderloin residents—often living without access to essential services—to envision one’s most opulent self that grows from and feeds community-wide change.

Abstract or Project Description

A performance ritual film by artist Sammay Dizon that seeks to de-stigmatize and elevate mental health in the Filipinx diasporic community. Memorya will use a multi-modal approach of movement, song and spoken word to explore ancestral remembering and intergenerational healing.

Abstract or Project Description

To administer assessments in their Early Learning Grades across the organization to give the schools a baseline of student progress. This data will inform teachers’ plans to address gaps in their practices.

Abstract or Project Description

A multi-media performance piece by jose e. abad and co-choreographers Styles Alexander, Gabriel Christian, Clarissa Dyas and Stephanie Hewet that explores the potentialities of Black life in the Diaspora. The work will be presented at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archives.

Abstract or Project Description

Bay Area Hispano Institute for Advancement, Inc. (BAHIA Inc.) was established by and for Latino families in 1975 as a nonprofit organization to address an unmet need: high quality, bilingual learning environments where children grow to become successful lifelong bilingual learners. BAHIA is the only full-time Latino nonprofit in Berkeley providing bilingual (Spanish-English) childcare and education to children ages 2-10 years of age.

Abstract or Project Description

The Bay Area Media Maker Summit (BAMMS) plans to host community-driven events from Fall 2021 to Spring 2022, aiming to foster connections and support for local filmmakers. BAMMS seeks to cater to the diverse needs of Bay Area media makers by providing free resources, networking opportunities, and tailored community-building initiatives.

Abstract or Project Description

To develop the leadership of Black, Latino and immigrant parents to transform early childhood education and public schools so that all students achieve academic success.

Abstract or Project Description

A series of short films and theatre show that re-envisions Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, placing Shylock at the center as a reflection of the immigrant, working class citizens of our port cities. Using direct address monologues and rap songs, Currency visits the marketplaces of West Oakland, Hong Kong, Managua, Downtown LA, and Venice to connect those “othered” by society with the larger issues of place, race, privilege, ownership, violence and revolution.

Abstract or Project Description

Black Girls Code is a nonprofit organization that focuses on engaging African-American girls and other youth of color with computer programming education to nurture their careers in tech