Undergraduate Library Research Award (ULRA): 2023 ULRA Winners

Ishani Ray

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Spencer Pitre

Project Title: Anti-cancer Activity and Mechanisms or Coumarin Derivatives

Project Abstract: Coumarin derivatives have been identified as potential chemotherapeutic agents due to their diverse biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and anti-cancer effects. This review investigates the anti-cancer activity/mechanisms of four novel coumarin derivatives against a panel of human cancer cell lines. It is demonstrated that all four coumarin derivatives exhibit promising anti-tumor activity through mechanisms such as inhibition of carbonic anhydrase, PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, and angiogenesis. They significantly inhibit cancer cell growth in a dose-dependent manner, with IC50 values ranging from 0.1 to 5 μM. Additionally, the findings indicate that these compounds induce cancer cell apoptosis, as evidenced by increased caspase-3 activity and DNA fragmentation.

Taken together, these findings highlight the potential of coumarin derivatives as effective anti-cancer agents and provide insight into the mechanisms by which they exert their anti-cancer effects. However, further in vivo studies are required to assess their potential as anti-cancer drugs. Coumarins being fat-soluble require modification to improve their bioavailability, which may affect their antitumor activity and safety. Nevertheless, certain coumarin hybrids have demonstrated broad-spectrum antitumor properties with high potency against drug-resistant and drug-susceptible cancer cell lines. Continued research on coumarins' anti-cancer mechanisms, specificity, and safety is needed to
elucidate their pharmacokinetic and toxicological profiles and to evaluate their efficacy in preclinical models for the development of novel therapies for the treatment of cancer.

Cade Pearson

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kaladi Babu

Project Title: Neutrino Oschillation

Project Abstract: My project focuses on the mechanisms, implications, and further questions involving neutrino oscillation. One of particle physics's most obscure phenomena, it is process by which three neutrinos disseminate throughout space and change flavors in time. More specifically, my proposal discusses the possible symmetries created by the mixing angles of oscillation. Mixing angles are measurements that
depend on which of the three neutrinos are interacting with one another, and their measurements are crucial to contextualizing oscillation among all of particle physics.