March 17, 2015 • Eleven faculty research scientists at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) in Kannapolis currently have externally funded grants to support their work exploring individualized nutrition. These awards are significant not only for providing the means by which the NRI can advance its scientific discoveries but also for their economic impact in the Charlotte region.
March 8, 2015 • The following has been reprinted from The Salisbury Post, an article by Josh Bergeron.
The N.C. Research Campus still lags behind initial employment projections, but, as the nation and state recover from an economic recession, growth is beginning to pick up.
Following billionaire businessman David Murdock’s $15 million annual endowment last year, the research campus aims to expand and the David H. Murdock Research Institution is looking to refocus on its initial intent — becoming a world class research institution. The catchphrase being used to define the future of the facility is “putting the RI back in DHMRI.”
Transcription factor Olig2 defines subpopulations of retinal progenitor cells biased toward specific cell fates
Brian P. Hafler, Natalia Surzenko, Kevin T. Beier, Claudio Punzo, Jeffrey M. Trimarchi, Jennifer H. Kong, Constance L. Cepko
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 May 15; 109(20): 7882–7887. Published online 2012 April 27. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1203138109
PMCID: PMC3356608
SOX2 maintains the quiescent progenitor cell state of postnatal retinal Müller glia
Natalia Surzenko, Tessa Crowl, Amelia Bachleda, Lee Langer, Larysa Pevny
Development. 2013 April 1; 140(7): 1445–1456. doi: 10.1242/dev.071878
PMCID: PMC3596988
Otx2 and Onecut1 Promote the Fates of Cone Photoreceptors and Horizontal Cells and Repress Rod Photoreceptors
Mark M. Emerson, Natalia Surzenko, Jillian J. Goetz, Jeffrey Trimarchi, Constance L. Cepko
Dev Cell. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2014 July 15.
Published in final edited form as: Dev Cell. 2013 July 15; 26(1): 10.1016/j.devcel.2013.06.005. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2013.06.005
PMCID: PMC3819454
March 2, 2015 • Why “good” and “bad” are irrelevant when talking about genes and nutrition
From the desk of: Mihai Niculescu, M.D., Ph.D.
…“How to override your bad genes with food.” “Can Exercise Override Bad Genes?” “Good Nutrition Can Overcome Bad Genes”…
woman drawing dnaWe are bombarded by media with these kinds of messages. The main theme, of course, is that many of us may have “bad” genes that would put us at risk of a certain poor health outcome unless we eat less of “this” and more of “that.” Knowing myself as a bearer of several such genetic variations, I almost feel, at times, guilty that I am harboring such “bad” genes, albeit without my consent.
March 2, 2015 • Natalia Surzenko, Ph.D., studies the connections between nutrients and brain and eye development. Her work in this area has been as Research Scientist in the Zeisel lab since joining the NRI in 2013. In recognition of the excellence she brings to her research, Dr. Surzenko has been promoted to Research Assistant Professor.