User:Sarah.Minucci

Research Topic

Mentor: Dr. Stephen Merrill

I will be researching the influence of leptin in the body, especially regarding fat, inflammation and immunity. Leptin, a hormone secreted by fat and fatty tissue which has pro-inflammatory effects in the body, provides a link between nutritional intake and the immune system. Much is still unknown about these connections, and my goal is to create a mathematical model of some aspect of leptin's influence in the body.

Milestones & Goals

Week 1

Verification of leptin production and relation to amount of fat

3-5 pages of research paper
Key research topics:
- What is the relationship between fat and leptin?
- Is it linear or exponential or something else?
- What are the units involved?

Weeks 2-5

How are leptin levels related to amount of inflammation?

3-4 pages of research paper
Key research topics:
- - Look for inflammatory molecules that are measured regularly that will help to gauge inflammation levels
  - A biomarker to quantify inflammation levels

Weeks 5-10

Choose one of the following directions and develop its relationship with leptin, inflammation & autoimmunity

Diabetes
Heart Disease
Drug-induced autoimmunity
Thyroid
Sexual dimorphism of leptin levels

Research Log

Week 1 / / 6.1-5

Introduction to differential equations
Compiled research focus & milestones with Dr. Merrill
Became familiar with RefWorks & library resources
Became familiar with MatLab
Read literature about my topic and found answers to the following questions via databases such as Medline and Web of Science
- What is the rate of release of adipokines from fat?
- When leptin is released, where does it go and what is its rate of metabolism?
- What are the units involved in the metabolism rate?
- How does leptin relate to fat?
- Is the leptin-fat model linear?
- How is leptin measured?
- Is the leptin-fat relationship related to gender?
Investigated free leptin vs. bound leptin

Week 2 / / 6.8-12

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday