UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1358

Submission information
Submission Number: 1358
Submission ID: 21386
Submission UUID: 1d3d27ba-1592-464a-a70c-83504b30379e

Created: Thu, 09/04/2025 - 02:42 PM
Completed: Thu, 09/04/2025 - 03:58 PM
Changed: Fri, 09/05/2025 - 10:43 AM

Remote IP address: 144.174.212.123
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No
Primary Research Mentor Name Jacob Brown
Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns
When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific?
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) jb25bw@fsu.edu
Position Title Faculty
FSU College (if applicable) Education, Health, and Human Sciences
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation Health, Nutrition, and Food Sciences
Headshot (optional) Jacob Brown Headshot.jpg
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above)
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Pronouns
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific?
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated)
Name of Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) (if applicable)
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Pronouns
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Honorific?
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated)
Title of the Project The role of oxylipins in skeletal muscle atrophy
Project Keywords Skeletal Muscle, Cancer, Diabetes, Metabolism
Are you currently looking for research assistants? Yes
Number of Research Assistants Needed 6
Relevant Research Assistant Major(s) Open to all majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation? Yes
Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s): In-person
Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work? 10
Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work? Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Overall Research Project Description Cancer cachexia is a muscle wasting syndrome that occurs in ~80% of cancer patients and is the primary cause of death for 22%-30% of cancer patients. Cancer cachexia patients are unlikely to benefit from physical therapies designed to increase muscle mass and function. The primary challenge associated with cancer cachexia is that effective therapies to treat the associated muscle loss and dysfunction are lacking. Research exploring whether reactive oxygen species (ROS i.e. superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide) contributes to cancer cachexia has had mixed results. Lipid peroxidation is an underexplored component of oxidative stress that may contribute to cancer cachexia as markers of lipid
peroxidation such as 4-hydroxyneoneal (4-HNE) and MDA (Malondialdehyde) are higher in muscle from tumor-bearing mice when compared to controls. Phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (GPx4) is an antioxidant enzyme that reduces lipid hydroperoxides. We hypothesized that reducing lipid peroxidation via GPx4 overexpression would mitigate cancer cachexia in tumor-bearing mice.
Research Tasks -Literature review
-Data analysis
-Data collection
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required: Excellent communication skills and the ability to work as a team.
Recommended: Pipetting
Mentoring Philosophy The best experience that I have had when I was a mentee was when I sat down with my mentor, and we both discussed different directions to take a project during my first year of graduate school. My mentor listened to my ideas, and we ended up creating a plan to finish the project. This mentoring approach helped me publish a first author manuscript. My graduate school mentor focused on listening to me, helping me critically think about topics, and planning to achieve my goals. I have applied a similar approach when mentoring students and technicians. Each student/technician I have mentored, I have applied a mix of hands-on approaches as well as teaching the information in a casual manner. I believe the mentoring skills I have acquired are applicable to the classroom setting. I will make scheduled times to mentor and advise my students that I teach in the classroom. I will focus on communication and building relationships with the individual.
Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable): https://annescollege.fsu.edu/faculty-staff/dr-jacob-brown
Please add any additional information here (if applicable):
Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable? No
Roundtable times and Zoom links
Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication Yes
UROP Performance Evaluation Yes
Materials Grant Yes
UROP Poster Presentation Yes
Year 2025
update url https://cre.fsu.edu/urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?element_parents=elements/research_mentor_information/headshot_optional_&ajax_form=1&_wrapper_format=drupal_ajax&token=-2xPxwIPFBTpdkgoCzgchafMrLVUKWBAdASaCpUG26M