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Abstract or Project Description

Abstract or Project Description

A dance piece taking audiences on a captivating journey through time and perspective, exploring land acknowledgements from an Indigenous viewpoint. This audacious and satirical performance challenges conventional land acknowledgments, urging us to rethink our connection to land and ancestors.

Abstract or Project Description

To support the Unity Council and Fruitvale BART Street Gallery project.

Abstract or Project Description

Supports its evidence-based summer program, which continues to prevent summer learning loss for participating students, and OUSD has drastically increased its contribution to the cost.

Abstract or Project Description

Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) can experience many years of inflammation and remission in the gastrointestinal tract. As a result, the intestines can undergo a structural change known as fibrosis, which narrows the inside. This narrowing is a major, and sometimes life-threatening, health issue for patients because it can block the passage of digested food and stool. Unfortunately, the only treatment for this condition consists of invasive surgical procedures to either widen the opening or remove the affected areas of the intestine. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop less invasive therapies such as drug-based treatments. Preliminary studies carried out in our laboratory have pointed to a potential role for the molecule serine, an amino acid, in the development of intestinal fibrosis. For example, we have found that serine is produced in areas of fibrosis in the intestines of IBD patients and in our mouse model of intestinal fibrosis, suggesting that it may play a role in the development of this condition. The work proposed in this application will determine if in fact serine is largely responsible for intestinal fibrosis and establish methods to limit its production and thus prevent fibrosis development. Carrying out the proposed work can lead to the development of novel treatments for intestinal fibrosis and significantly improve the lives of patients with IBD.

Abstract or Project Description

This piece aims to transcend cultural boundaries and showcase the contemporary relevance of South Asian Dance in the international context. Using movement, poetry, theater, animation and 3D projection mapping technology, this dance work will challenge conventional notions of beauty and the idealization of womanhood while celebrating the simple joys that add vitality and vibrancy to our lives.

Abstract or Project Description

A song-creation and hula project that will celebrate the untold stories of people of African descent who came to Hawaiʻi as a direct result of colonization and enslavement. The piece celebrates the legacies of Hawai’i’s historical figures of African descent to ensure the history of marginalized people are not erased and their stories are told.

Abstract or Project Description

A piece conceived in and for a COVID and post-COVID world, exploring the nature of our relationship to the character of light, home and the passage of time – through the collection of a year-long data time-lapse of spectral footprint (or color) of light in homes worldwide. The data will be transformed into a live visual, music and physical installation piece to answer the question – what is the color of domestic light?

Abstract or Project Description

Supports the operations, media, and advocacy of the 23-24 Literacy Liberator Fellowship, which provides literacy skills, leadership skills and support in onboarding as tutors—Literacy Liberators—in OUSD.

Abstract or Project Description

Supports the 22-23 Literacy Liberator Fellowship, which provides literacy skills, leadership skills and support in onboarding as tutors—Literacy Liberators—in OUSD.

Abstract or Project Description

Supports OUSD, Education for Change and Aspire schools to implement equitable and restorative practices through individual coaching and mindfulness training for leaders and educators.

Abstract or Project Description

To research and prototype shared services for the field.

Abstract or Project Description

A dance film based on an original poem aiming to uplift a love story out of violence, defying the common spectacularization of blackness and amplifying the devotion of two people to each other, survival and joy. Using stillness and minimalism, the piece invites witnesses to settle into a space of imagination, curiosity and receptivity.

Abstract or Project Description

To administer The Rainin Arts Fellowship.

Abstract or Project Description

The microbes that flourish within our guts are central to many aspects of human health. Which microbes are present can dictate susceptibility to a number of acute and chronic diseases, including IBD. This proposal will use a mouse model with a defined and stable set of bacteria to probe how mice interact with specific members of their microbiota in health and during disease. First, each microbe will be tested for its ability to elicit an immune response in healthy mice. Once we have established the baseline response in normal healthy mice, we will use chemicals to disrupt the gut lining to elicit an inflammatory response, or we will disrupt genes known to limit intestinal inflammation. We will then investigate how immune recognition of the microbiota changes under these altered conditions. This system will enable us to track responses to the microbiota with unprecedented precision and will provide clues regarding which microbes drive immune activation during dysregulated responses to the microbiota. Such studies will pave the way for future work aimed at manipulating responses to key members of the microbiota responsible for inflammatory diseases of the gut.

Abstract or Project Description

In Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), inflammation of the digestive tract lining results in the development of chronic ulcers appearing throughout the intestines, colon or rectum. Although symptoms of IBD can be managed through the use of corticosteroids, complete disease remission is rare, often leading to surgical intervention. High expression of the transcription factor HIF-1_ is a key feature of regeneration in the Murphy Roths Large mouse, an inbred laboratory strain displaying remarkable regenerative capabilities. Recently, our team demonstrated enhanced regeneration of acute and chronic tissue wounds in adult mice following transient therapeutic upregulation of HIF-1_ using the experimental drug DPCA. Previous studies of HIF-1_ in IBD have been limited to preventative therapy and have not explored fibrosis inhibition or regeneration. Therefore, we hypothesize that transient upregulation of HIF-1_ can inhibit fibrosis of IBD lesions. We propose to study the effects of DPCA on 1) fibrosis in a human intestinal organoid (HIO) model; and 2) lesion development in a murine TGFb-induced model of intestinal fibrosis. This project will contribute to the development of a new clinical treatment for IBD, as an alternative or adjunct to existing therapies that focus on resolving inflammation, but do not address fibrosis.

Abstract or Project Description

Various immune cells in the gut recognize and respond to microbes that live there, which are collectively known as the gut microbiota. This project focuses on a subset of immune cells termed B cells, which are important for functions such as antibody production. In particular, we are investigating how certain kinds of beneficial gut bacteria interact with B cells to improve gut health. Moreover, we are testing whether harmful bacteria found in the gut of patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease do not interact with B cells, which may partly explain the altered immune responses observed during gut inflammation in these patients. Collectively, our work will have a significant impact on Inflammatory Bowel Disease by identifying and investigating new ways by which beneficial and harmful bacteria interact with B cells in the gut, which could have important implications for the future treatment of these diseases.

Abstract or Project Description

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disorder that affects the colon. There are multiple types of cells that drive inflammation and injury to the lining of the colon. Vedolizumab (VDZ) is a medication that blocks circulating immune cells from gaining access to the colon, but there are conflicting data about the primary cell types affected by this treatment. To identify the inflammatory cells that contribute to colitis and respond to VDZ, we performed a comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of peripheral blood and colonic biopsies of patients with and without UC. We identified inflammatory cells called mononuclear phagocytes (MNPs) as a primary target of VDZ. We then used four new, complementary methods to look at where these cells are located in fixed tissue sections, and we discovered increased density and proximity of MNP and fibroblast subsets in UC biopsies when compared to HC, with inhibition by VDZ. We now want to confirm and extend these findings by looking in more detail at these cell types in tissue sections before and after therapy. We also want to culture epithelial cells from patients with MNPs and fibroblasts to see how these cells interact when grown in the lab.

Abstract or Project Description

The intestinal immune system must maintain a delicate balance between harmless bacteria in the gut and immunity against dangerous pathogens. Dysregulation of this balance can lead to Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) such as ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease. Many treatments for IBD focus on blocking inflammation and fail to repair damaged tissue and restore the integrity of the tissue. We have identified a long non-coding RNA that is only expressed in the colon. When this RNA is present the tissue is healthy and functional. In patients with ulcerative colitis however, the levels of this lncRNA decrease. To model this state, we generated mice lacking this lncRNA and like patients with UC, these mice develope colitis. The lncRNA localizes to the mitochondria in cells of the healthy colon. When the lncRNA is lost, the mitochondria in the cells in the colon are damaged, produce reactive oxygen species and damage colonic tissue. These findings provide new insights into how a lncRNA can help mitochondria work well to maintain homeostasis in the gut. These studies suggest new opportunities to restore tissue health by controlling the levels of this lncRNA.