At this year’s American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting, Feb. 14–17 in Washington, D.C., Patricia Berg, PhD, professor of biochemistry and molecular medicine at the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), will deliver a flash talk on cancer biomarkers.
Berg, whose team discovered Beta Protein 1 (BP1) and cloned it, found BP1 activity in 80 percent of women with breast cancer, 70 percent of men with prostate cancer, and 63 percent of patients with acute myeloid leukemia. A review of these findings, resulting from 17 years of research, was recently published in Biomarkers in Medicine. Berg and her team have established that the protein is a promising target for early detection and therapy and are developing a blood test for BP1. They also also exploring the involvement of BP1 in additional cancer types.
Berg’s flash talk session will take place on Saturday, Feb. 16 from 3:30 to 3:40 p.m. at the Marriott Wardman Park Flash Talk Stage.
In addition to Berg’s session, GW COMPASS will host an interactive presentation to teach audience members about networking and setting up similar student groups. GW COMPASS provides a community of professional support to facilitate the advancement of STEM graduate students by hosting networking engagements, fostering mentee and mentor relationships, and highlighting career opportunities for post-graduate life. The presentation will take place Feb. 16 from 1 to 1:30 p.m.
Paul Marvar, PhD, assistant professor of pharmacology and physiology at SMHS, will judge brain and behavior posters on Feb. 16 from 2 to 4 p.m. and Marc Spencer, PhD, assistant professor of anatomy and cell biology at SMHS, will judge environment and ecology posters on Feb. 17 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
