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Sixto Leal, Jr., M.D., Ph.D. (photo courtesy CAP Today)by Christina Crowe

Sixto Leal, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Laboratory Medicine, Director, clinical microbiology and Fungal Reference Lab and the SEBLAB biocontainment laboratory, is featured on the cover of the June 2023 issue of CAP Today, the monthly publication of the College of American Pathologists (CAP). CAP is the leading organization of board-certified pathologists, serving patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine worldwide. 

The article discusses candida auris, a relatively new, multidrug-resistant yeast first identified in 2009 in an ear specimen, and reported in the United States in 2016.

"Like certain other pathogens, C. auris’ domestic presence appeared to be linked to travel-related cases, then quickly spread, first to the metropolitan regions of Chicago and New York City and now to more than half the states," the article explains

by Christina Crowe

The gastrointestinal tract is home to trillions of microorganisms where they exist peacefully in a healthy individual, performing important functions in metabolism, nutrition and protection from disease-causing organisms.  Our immune system senses the microbiota but doesn't respond to it in an inflammatory manner, though in immune-mediated diseases of the GI system such as Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, CD4⁺ T cells over-react to components of the gut microflora and can induce inflammation and tissue damage.  However, a subset of CD4⁺ T cells known as regulatory T cells or Tregs, can prevent autoreactive immune responses and a secreted protein, IL-10, is the principal restraining factor. 

Robin Hatton, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Anatomic Pathology, along with Casey Weaver, M.D., Wyatt and Susan Haskell Endowed Chair for Medical Excellence, recently received a dual-primary investigator R01 grant to study mechanisms controlling the development and function of intestinal eTreg cells.  The grant, funded by the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), totals $3.6 million over five years.  Studies proposed in this award aim to define the cellular and molecular cues that direct the development of these IL-10–producing cells, with a long-term goal of identifying interventions to curb pathogenic immunity to the microbiota in human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

by Hannah Buckelew

Shannon Bailey, Ph.D., Professor, Molecular and Cellular Pathology, Chair, UAB Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), has been awarded an R01 grant funding her research on circadian and mitochondrial dysfunction in alcohol-related liver disease. The grant, from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the NIH, is funded at $2.35 million over five years, through 2028.

Alcohol use is among the top 10 causes of preventable death in the United States, with alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) being the number one cause of death from alcohol use.

By Christina Crowe

Adam Wende, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, has received a R01 grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the NIH to study new roles of specific proteins called pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases, or PDKs, in heart failure. The $2.3 million grant runs through 2028.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of mortality in the United States. Wende’s research examines the heart’s metabolism and fuel utilization. One of the key functions of a cell is the entry of nutrients into the mitochondria, which is highly regulated. That regulation, by a family of kinases called pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases, or PDKs, is induced by exercise, but suppressed in heart failure, mimicking a “switch.”

by Jane Longshore

Gene Siegal, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed as the interim chair of the Department of Pathology in the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine effective June 1, 2023.

By Christina Crowe

Shu Chen, Ph.D., Ona Faye-Petersen Endowed Professor, Neuropathology, has been awarded an R01 grant funding his research on biomarkers for early diagnosis of mixed pathologies in Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias. The grant, from the National Institute on Aging, is funded at $3.68 million over five years, through 2028.

The goal of the project is to develop and validate diagnostic biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, such as tauopathies, Lewy body dementia and their comorbidities, using easily accessible peripheral tissues, such as skin.

“Currently we don’t have a definitive diagnosis for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in living patients—it requires an autopsy,” Chen says. “The brain is most inaccessible. We have devised an assay to measure misfolded protein—including in colon biopsy and the skin—and hope to develop a noninvasive biomarker that can be used for routine diagnosis during a clinic visit.”

On June 1, UAB Pathology hosted the sixth annual C. Bruce Alexander Lecture in Pathology Education featuring Amy Treece, M.D., Chief of Pediatric Pathology, Children's of Alabama. 

In Treece's talk, titled,"What I Wish I Knew in Residency: Lessons in Life and Career Development," she addressed leadership, mentoring, and networking, including some of the tougher topics of imposter syndrome and learning how to say no.

A mentor himself of many residents during his time at UAB Pathology, Dr. C. Bruce Alexander was present for the lecture and posed for photos with several of his former resident trainees who are now on faculty in the department. 

    Dr. C. Bruce Alexander (seated) poses with current and former residents, including Dr. Amy Treece in center (in blue dress).

Dr. Marisa Marques, Professor, Laboratory Medicine and a fellow former resident of UAB Pathology whose career was celebrated at a symposium in May, introduced Dr. Treece.

Watch the full lecture recording here on our UAB Pathology YouTube channel.

by Hannah Buckelew

Selvarangan Ponnazhagan, Ph.D., Endowed Professor in Experimental Cancer Therapeutics in the UAB Department of Pathology’s Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, has recently been awarded a $1.7 million R01 grant from the National Cancer Institute based on his project submission, titled, “Mechanisms and therapeutic targeting of osteoimmune functions of RANKL in breast cancer.” The award will run through March 31, 2027.

Dr. Brandi McCleskey, UAB Pathology Residency Program Director, with 2023 Boyd Medal Awardee Karan Goel, M.D.by Christina Crowe

UAB medical student Karan Goel is the 2023 recipient of the William Boyd Medal, distributed at the 2023 University of Alabama School of Medicine Dean's Awards ceremony, held on May 20, 2023. The Boyd Medal is given each year to the UAB medical student whose performance in all aspects of their pathology education has been most outstanding.

by Christina Crowe

Steve Lim, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Molecular Cellular Pathology, has been appointed as a standing member to serve on the Atherosclerosis and Vascular Inflammation (AVI) Study Section of the National Institute of Health, under the Vascular and Hematology Integrated Review Group (VH), the Center for Scientific Review.

AVI reviews applications involving inflammation of the vascular system with a focus on the pathobiology of the blood vessels leading to atherogenesis, its reversal and prevention. There is an emphasis on macrophage biology and hyperlipidemia, involving transport and metabolism of cholesterol, lipoproteins and their oxidation derivatives. The effects of major risk factors such as diabetes, liver disease, aging, and smoking on the vasculature are considered. Most studies use cell cultures and animal systems with some human subject approaches.

Dr. Lim's appointment on the study section as a chartered member is for a four -year term starting July 1, 2023.

by Christina Crowe

On Wednesday, May 24, the UAB Department of Pathology honored Marisa Marques, M.D., with a symposium featuring colleagues, guest speakers and mentees of this longtime faculty member. Marques, a native of Brazil, has been with UAB Pathology since 1993 when she joined the department as a resident. She is director of the Blood Bank and Transfusion Services. 

The Marisa B. Marques Transfusion Medicine Symposium featured opening remarks by George Netto, M.D. Robert and Ruth Anderson Endowed Chair, UAB Pathology, followed by comments from Gene Siegal, M.D., Executive Vice Chair, and Vishnu Reddy, M.D., Professor and Division Director, Laboratory Medicine.

by Hannah Buckelew

Erin Eun-Young Ahn, Ph.D., an associate professor in the UAB Department of Pathology’s Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, was recently awarded an R01 from the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for the project titled, “Genetic and molecular basis of hematopoietic abnormalities in ZTTK syndrome.” The grant, funded for $2 million, began March 15, 2023, and will run through December 31, 2026.

by Christina Crowe

Four UAB Pathology faculty members have been elected to the College of American Pathologists (CAP) House of Delegates for the term starting May 1, 2023, for three years, through April 30, 2026. They are:

• Gene Siegal, M.D., Ph.D., FCAP, Executive Vice Chair, UAB Pathology
• Walter Bell, M.D., FCAP (Current delegation chair), Professor, Community Practice Program - Montgomery
• Goo Lee, M.D., Ph.D., FCAP, Associate Professor, Anatomic Pathology
• Frida Rosenblum, M.D., FCAP, Associate Professor, Anatomic Pathology