Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Cancer Research
Aizaz Ahmad - Xavier University of Louisiana
Co-Author(s): Hasahn Conway, Usman Chaudhry, Moamen Ismail, Elise LeMelle, Kevin Lam, Syed Muniruzzaman, and Harris McFerrin, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans
The practical application, usefulness and physiological effect of rare carbohydrates have not been well investigated because of initially high production costs and low natural availability. Despite these initial impediments to their study, rare ketohexoses can be produced systematically from inexpensive glucose and can be used to produce healthier foods or as pharmaceutical products. The main goal of this study was to determine the effect of rare ketohexoses on the process of angiogenesis in a chick embryo model. Angiogenesis is the fundamental process by which new blood vessels are formed as extensions from the existing vasculature. In this study we have used eight different ketohexoses, out of these eight keto-hexoses, two significantly inhibit angiogenesis. This inhibitory effect was also determined to be stereospecific as the D-isomer of the same sugar was significantly more effective than that of the L-isomer.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): HEM: Louisiana Biomedical Research Network NIH NIGMS; SM: RCMI grant
Faculty Advisor: Harris McFerrin, hmcferri@xula.edu
Role: I worked on a majority of the research project. This includes the step by step protocol. Procedural tasks that I completed include opening of chick eggs onto weigh boats, growing HUVEC cells, distributing sugars, and plating cells. Furthermore, I wrote and worked on the contents of the research poster. This includes writing the abstract, introduction, CAM assay, and conclusion.