MBRS PROGRAM AT RUST COLLEGE

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The focal points of the MBRS program at Rust College is to expose students and faculty to biomedical research. Thus increasing the flux of minorities into biomedical sciences. Therefore, we are proposing to get to these focal points in the following four (4) ways: (1) Academic enrichment program directed by Dr. F. Yeh will provide students and faculty with the information on current research topics in biomedical research through invited guest speaker series, visits to graduate and professional schools, research (off campus). (2) The research development and training of students on campus in the area of "Adrenergic receptors and Hypertension in Blacks" will be conducted by Dr. E. Arafat. The goal of the study is to understand the participation of the adrenergic receptors in the possible mechanism leading to hypertension as compared in whites and blacks. Interest is focused on pregnancy induced hypertension. Blood samples will be obtained through the University of Tennessee Medical Center with a racial mixture (50%: 50% approx). Two (2) students will participate in this program during the second and third year. (3) The study of Behavior of Rats and Hypertension in Rats" will be supervised by Dr. M. I. Shafi with the help of Mr. Felix Osuji. The PIs believe that there is a correlation between hypertension and pattern of life. Since majority of previous studies are done either in the light at night or during the day time, therefore, may be stressful from rats view points since these are nocturnal animals. Therefore the PIs proposed to study the behavior of rats (SHR, WKY, DS and HLZ) in the dark by a new technique using "infrared sensing video taping" as well as in the light. They also propose to study if the use of hypertensive drugs change the life pattern of hypertensive rats. Two (2) students will participate in this project. (4) Dr. Frank Yeh will supervise the research on "Prodrug approach for a multisubstrate inhibitor of purine nucleotide phosphorylase." The best inhibitors to date are acyclovir diphosphate and related compounds all of which are too highly charged to penetrate by passive diffusion to the interior of the cell where the enzyme is located. We propose to prepare a series of purine derivatives carrying a bromoacetyl group. These neutral compounds have the potential to diffuse across the cell membrane and to react with phosphate, in a reaction catalyzed by nucleoside phosphorylase itself, generating a potent inhibitor of the enzyme in situ. Two (2) students will participate in this research project.