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Abstract or Project Description

Abstract or Project Description

Lymphatic vessels are specialized vessels that transport immune cells and fat out of the gut to maintain health. Surgeons treating Crohn’s disease decades ago argued that impaired lymphatic flow may be a key problem in the disease. However, only recently have tools emerged to study lymphatic vessels in detail. We have data that lymph transport is impaired even in early Crohn’s disease. However, treatments targeting the cytokine TNF reverse the impaired transport. As investigators specializing in different lymphatic research areas, we will synergistically utilize human subjects’ studies with research in mice and rats to map in detail how terminal ileal inflammation alters lymph flow. We will also address whether a gut hormone called GIP that is overproduced in the setting of TNF neutralizing therapy accounts for how therapy against TNF restores lymph flow. If so, mimetics of the hormone may have utility in subjects unable to use therapeutics against TNF.

Abstract or Project Description

A new choreographic work bridging and interweaving dance and percussion of West Africa and the African American marching bands of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The work takes the form of a call-and-response battle featuring intricately composed sections of highly stylized movement and percussion merging into community rising together in unison.

Abstract or Project Description

World Central Kitchen (WCK) is a nonprofit organization founded by chef JosŽ AndrŽs, dedicated to providing meals to those affected by natural disasters and humanitarian crises worldwide. Through its network of volunteers and partnerships, WCK works to alleviate hunger and promote food security in communities facing adversity.

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

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

A site-specific aerial performance that examines the reconciliation between acts of violence towards Places of Worship and themes of love, sacred space, and community. Love, a state of grace is designed to promote dialogue, healing, and understanding among diverse multicultural and multigenerational communities.

Abstract or Project Description

To support a student through the student scholarship program.

Abstract or Project Description

To support SEEDS of Learning, an eight month professional development program for transitional kindergarten and kindergarten teachers that includes materials, classroom tutor resources and ongoing coaching support.

Abstract or Project Description

Athletic Scholars Advancement Program (ASAP) is a student-centered college access and persistence program based at Mission High School, focused on getting students to and through college. They encourage all students to realize their full potential for college completion.

Abstract or Project Description

By Britney Fazier and Margo Hall, a multidisciplinary performance ritual focused on the life and work of Marie Laveau, a Louisiana Voodoo Queen. LAVEAU will go beyond the traditional theatrical experience by incorporating voodoo cleansing rituals with movement, music and story-telling, challenging what engaging Black theater is and should be.

Abstract or Project Description

Explores the intersections between people with disabilities and the homeless community through the story of Alice in Wonderland. Alice seeks to highlight the disproportionate impact of homelessness on people with disabilities, as well as their need for accessible housing, healthcare and employment opportunities.

Abstract or Project Description

To support operating expenses for Bay Area International Children’s Film Festival.

Abstract or Project Description

Berkeley Community Scholars empowers Berkeley youth who face racial, economic and other barriers to achieving their college dreams by providing a unique experience of scholarships, advising, mentoring and a community of support.

Abstract or Project Description

Not available

Abstract or Project Description

To fund a book access program that allows students to choose books they are most excited to read,with level guidance from their teachers, and keep them for their homes.

Abstract or Project Description

To support the development of a non-toxic metabolic therapy for malignant brain cancer.

Abstract or Project Description

Mesenchymal cells are the building blocks of the connective tissue that provides rigidity and structural support for most organs. Although mesenchymal cells comprise the most abundant cell type in the intestine, their role in regulating intestinal inflammation is poorly understood. In this project we study the role of mesenchymal cells in colitis, the most prevalent form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease characterized by non-resolving inflammation in the colon tissue. Mesenchymal cells are equipped with the molecular machinery required for robust initiation of innate immune responses to a wide array of inflammatory mediators. In addition, these cells have the inherent capacity to shift between activation states in response to environmental cues and dramatically change their gene expression program and activity. We hypothesize that in the setting of colitis, mesenchymal cells are polarized by neighboring immune cells towards a proinflammatory activation state. This may lead to a vicious proinflammatory cycle perpetuated by the inflammatory crosstalk between mesenchymal and immune cells. We will first determine if the activation state of mesenchymal cells is determined by their specific interactions with immune cells. We will then determine how the crosstalk between these cells propagates proinflammatory responses in colitis.

Abstract or Project Description

Microbial communities living on the surfaces of the mammalian intestinal tract likely play a role in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), but this role is not yet fully understood. We will develop two innovative technologies that will help researchers visualize and quantify which microbes live on intestinal surfaces, where these microbes are located relative to each other and relative to the mammalian cells, how these microbial communities change in response to inflammation, and which of these microbial communities likely cause inflammation or protect from it. This work is an interdisciplinary collaboration among junior researchers Jacob Barlow, Octavio Mondragón-Palomino and Roberta Poceviciute at the California Institute of Technology.