SUNY Downstate Student Irani Khatun Awarded Predoctoral Fellowship for Heart Research
Jun 16, 2010
Irani Khatun, a graduate student in the Molecular and Cellular Biology Program at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, has been selected to receive the coveted Predoctoral Research Fellowship by the American Heart Association. The award is given to help promising students pursue careers in cardiovascular and stroke research.
Ms. Khatun was selected on the strength of her research proposal, titled “MTP lipid transfer activities in apo B–lipoprotein biosynthesis.” The goal of her research is to better understand the mechanisms by which MTP (microsomal triglyceride transfer protein) facilitates the assembly of lipoproteins known to contribute to cardiovascular disease.
A graduate of the University of Calcutta, Ms. Khatun earned an MS degree from Texas Women’s University. For her thesis project, she sequenced and characterized a plasmid isolated from an Alaskan Indian strain of Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium associated with peptic ulcers. She is co-author of a review article on MTP and a paper published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, a publication of the American Heart Association.
As part of the fellowship selection process, the selection committee evaluates the student’s sponsor, training plan, and research environment. Ms. Khatun has the advantage of working in the laboratory of M. Mahmood Hussain, PhD, professor of cell biology and of pediatrics, internationally known for having characterized the role of MTP in the molecular assembly of lipoproteins. Dr. Hussain’s lab has long been at the forefront of research that is paving the way to find more effective treatments for heart disease.
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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.