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

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Week 3 / / 6.15-19

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Week 4 / / 6.22-26

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Week 5 / / 6.29-7.3

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Week 6 / / 7.6-10

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Week 7 / / 7.13-17

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Week 8 / / 7.20-24

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Week 9 / / 7.27-31

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Week 10 / / 8.3-7

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