The Society for Developmental Biology has awarded Paul Kroeger with prestigious second place honors for his invited oral presentation at the recent 50th Annual Midwest Developmental Biology Meeting, held May 10-12, 2012 at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH. Paul is a 5th year Ph.D. candidate in the laboratory of Dr. Robert A. Schulz.
Paul’s research abstract, entitled “Identification of factors that regulate the plasmatocyte lineage during Drosophila hematopoiesis,” was selected by meeting organizers for an oral presentation from over a hundred submitted abstracts. In his seminar, Paul delivered his research findings on Eater, a transmembrane protein expressed in fly immune cells known as plasmatocytes. Some of this work was recently published in the journal Genesis.
Paul also presented his unpublished discovery of a novel protein complex that regulates the plasmatocyte lineage during embryo development. Genetic deficiencies of this complex generate enlarged plasmatocytes, a phenotype that has not been previously reported in the fly. These findings may ultimately lead to a better understanding of the pathways that regulate the development of analogous immune cells in humans. Presentation awards were given to the top three oral talks, and include a certificate of accomplishment, a one-year journal subscription, and a cash prize.
Written by Rebecca A. Wingert, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
Originally published by at biology.nd.edu on May 24, 2012.