UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1358 | Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement

Submission information

Submission Number: 1358

Submission ID: 21386

Submission UUID: 1d3d27ba-1592-464a-a70c-83504b30379e

Submission URI: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal

Submission Update: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?token=-2xPxwIPFBTpdkgoCzgchafMrLVUKWBAdASaCpUG26M

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

Webform: UROP Project Proposal Portal

Submitted to: UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal

Research Mentor Information

Primary Research Mentor Name Jacob Brown

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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

Additional Research Mentor(s)

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Overall Project Details

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

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Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable? No

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UROP Program Elements

Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication Yes

UROP Performance Evaluation Yes

Materials Grant Yes

UROP Poster Presentation Yes

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Year 2025

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