The goals of the Fisk University MBRS program are to strengthen biomedical research among science faculty and to train undergraduate (11) and graduate (9) students in techniques and concepts of biomedical research through participation in seven projects that address basic health problems. These projects are: (1) synthesis of analogs and derivatives of an anti-AIDS 2,3-diaryl-3-chloropropenal for biological testing; (2) study of effects of interferons on normal and keloid fibroblasts as revealed by growth, collagen synthesis, collagen mRNA levels and 2'-5' oligoadenylate synthetase activity; (3) development of DNA probes based on gene(s) encoding nocardial antigen(s) for the early detection of nocardial infection; (4) investigation of the influence of cultural conditions on lipids of Nocardia asteroides including isolation and characterization of enzymes of lipid metabolism and quantitative measurements of lipids and enzymes in different organs of mice with systemic nocardiosis; (5) use of FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy to study nucleation of solutes from supersaturated aqueous solutions in which solutes will range from small molecules initially to biologically significant amino acids, peptides and proteins; (6) study of inorganic carbon uptake in the marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp.; and (7) the isolation and purification of cyano- bacterial toxins for screening cancer inhibiting properties.
