Mária Bahawdory
Fifth Year Student, 2012 - 2013
E-mail: mbahawdo@wakehealth.edu
Education:
BS in Biochemistry, University of NC at Greensboro
WFU Babcock School of Management (Aug '12), MBA Candidate
Advisor: Mark Van Dyke, PhD; Institute of Regenerative Medicine
CurrentResearch:
Traumatic injury leads to more productive years lost than heart disease, cancer and stroke combined. Trauma is often accompanied and complicated by uncontrolled bleeding. Human hair keratin biomaterials have demonstrated efficacy in controlling hemorrhage in both small and large animal models; however little is known about the mechanism by which these proteins aid in blood clotting. Inspection of the amino acid sequence of known keratins shows the presence of several cellular binding motifs, presenting the possibility of specific cellular adhesion as a mechanism of action. It is our hypothesis that keratin hydrogels contain biochemical and structural characteristics that facilitate rapid clotting by binding and activating platelets. Like other structural proteins, keratin hydrogels’ polymerization and gelation state may also contribute to efficacy of its biological activity. Preliminary data has demonstrated that keratin hydrogels are capable of adhering isolated platelets; therefore aim 1 will further investigate platelet adhesion to polymerized keratin and the mechanisms involved, aim 2 will investigate the polymerization of keratin and resulting gelation while aim 3 will explore the involvement of keratin polymerization to blood clotting and coagulation.
Honors and Awards:
Wake Forest University Schools of Business Ambassador Recognition Award 2011
Molecular Medicine & Translational Science Graduate Student Assoc. Representative 2009
1st Place at the 8th Annual Charlotte Biotechnology Conference Poster Competition 2009
Nancy P. Mapes Scholarship for Women in Science 2007
Golden Chain Honor Society 2007
Forrestor Award for Service to the Department of Chemistry/Biochemistry 2007
Excellence in Life, Mathematical and Physical Sciences M. Russell Harter Award 2007
Presentations:
Bahawdory,M; Hantgan,RR,Van Dyke M. Mechanistic Investigation of a Hemostatic Keratin Biomaterial. International Proceedings of TERMIS. 2010. Oral Presentation
Bahawdory,M; Burnett,L; Hantgan,RR; Van Dyke,M. Integrin Mediated Platelet Adhesion to a novel Keratin Biomaterial as a Hemostatic Agent. Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine Retreat. 2010.Poster
Bahawdory,M; Burnett,L; Hantgan,RR; Van Dyke,M. Integrin Mediated Platelet Adhesion to a novel Keratin Biomaterial as a Hemostatic Agent. Society for Biomaterials Annual Conference. 2010.Poster
Burnett,L; Rouse,J; Bahawdory,M; Ward,C; Steen,J; Orlando,G; Hantgan,RR; Van Dyke,M. Keratin Biomaterial is Hemostatic in a Procine Parenchymal Liver Bleeding Model. KeraNetics Poster Presentation. 2009
Bahawdory,M; Burnett,L; Rouse,J; Hantgan,RR; Van Dyke,M. Novel Keratin Biomaterial as a Hemostatic Agent. Charlotte Biotechnology Conference. 2009.