{"id":2181,"date":"2021-01-13T08:27:42","date_gmt":"2021-01-13T13:27:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/?page_id=2181"},"modified":"2026-02-24T07:22:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T12:22:05","slug":"past-news","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/past-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Past News"},"content":{"rendered":"

December 2025, Iris Nakashima and Jeremy Egbert Publication in PNAS<\/h3>

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\"Intercellular<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Iris F Nakashima, Haining Zhong, Viacheslav O Nikolaev, Corie M Owen, Siu-Pok Yee, Laurinda A Jaffe, Jeremy R Egbert. Intercellular diffusion of cyclic nucleotides followed by gap junction closure restarts meiosis in mouse preovulatory follicles. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A . (2025) 122(49):e2524136122.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

July 2025, Lorri Goldsmith retires, Tracy Hintz takes over<\/h3>

After 32 years in the cell biology office, Lorri Goldsmith retires, and Tracy Hintz takes over. Happy retirement Lorri and welcome Tracy!<\/p>\n

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October 2024, Inaba Lab Publication in Developmental Biology<\/h3>

Congratulations to Emma Beard and Mayu Inaba for their publication in Developmental Biology<\/p>\n

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Emma Kristine Beard,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Rachael P Norris<\/sup>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Miki Furusho,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Mark Terasaki,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Mayu Inaba<\/span>. Soma-to-germline BMP signal is essential for Drosophila spermiogenesis<\/a>. Developmental Biology<\/em> (<\/span><\/span>2025) 517:140-147.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

DECEMBER 31, 2024, IN MEMORY OF DR. ACHILLES (OGGIE) PAPPANO<\/h3>

We are sorry to share the sad news that Dr. Achilles \u201cOggie\u201d Pappano, Professor Emeritus at UConn Health, passed away on December 31, 2024.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Dr. Pappano received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1966, and after a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Physiology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, joined the University of Connecticut faculty in the Department of Pharmacology in 1968 when he joined the inaugural faculty at the newly established UConn School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Graduate Medical Education, where he built his own research lab and taught thousands of students for 44 years.\u00a0 He moved to the Department of Cell Biology in 2007 and retired in 2009 but continued on for several years teaching medical students as a re-employeed retiree.<\/p>\n

He is internationally recognized for his discoveries about autonomic regulation of pacemaker activity and excitation-contraction in the heart. He is also recognized for his exceptional contributions to medical student education.<\/p>\n

During his tenure at UConn Health, he received the distinguished National Institutes of Health (NIH) Career Development Award for Young Scientists\/MERIT. He served on the National Board of Medical Examiners and on study sections of the NIH. Dr. Pappano received the Charles Loeser Award for outstanding teaching in the basic science curriculum from the University of Connecticut Health Center and the Alumni Association Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching at the graduate level from the University of Connecticut.<\/p>\n

Dr. Pappano is survived by his wife Mary Ann, their 4 children, 5 grandchildren, as well as his many friends at UConn Health. We will miss him.<\/p>\n

His obituary can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

Cell Biology students Brenna McAllister and Hayden DiMaio (both of the Caromile lab) and Iris Nakashima (Jaffe and Egbert lab) presented posters at the 2024 meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology.<\/h3>

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October 1, 2024. Cell Biology & Vascular Biology Retreat<\/h3>

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October 1, 2024. Cell Biology & Vascular Biology Retreat at the Hill-Stead Museum. We had a great turnout with 87 people in attendance. Everyone enjoyed the day and found it to be an enriching experience, possibly creating new connections for future collaborations. Special thanks to our keynote speaker, Dr. Elizabeth Chen (UT, Southwestern).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

April 2024, New Faculty: Sarvenaz Sarabipour<\/h3>

Sarvenaz Sarabipour joined CCAM and the Cell Biology Department as an assistant professor.\u00a0 Her research in computational systems biology focuses on developing experimental and computational methods to study mechanisms of signal transduction in cells and tissues. She is also active in initiatives to improve\u00a0 research\u00a0 culture.<\/p>\n

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Trafficking dynamics in human endothelial cells.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

March 2024, New Faculty: Abhijit Deb Roy<\/h3>
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March 2024. Abhijit Deb Roy<\/h5>\n

Abhijit Del Roy joined CCAM and the Cell Biology Department as an assistant professor. His research concerns molecular signaling pathways and cytoskeletal dynamics involved in mechanobiology and cell migration. Directional cell migration plays critical roles during physiological processes such as development, angiogenesis and immune response, whereas dysregulation of cell migration is observed in pathologies such as cancer metastasis and atherosclerosis.<\/span><\/p>\n

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HeLa cells immunostained for alpha-Tubulin (gray), acetylated alpha-Tubulin (orange) and DNA (blue).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<\/header>\n
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February 2024, Inaba lab publication in Nature Communications<\/h3>
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Congratulations to Mayu Inaba and her lab for their publication in<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Nature Communications<\/em>!<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/header>\n
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\"2024<\/p>\n

Ridwan,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>Twillie,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>Poursaeid,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>Beard,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>Bener,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>Antel,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>Cowan\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/sup>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>Matsuda\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/sup>, and\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>Inaba\u00a0<\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n

Diffusible fraction of niche BMP ligand safeguards stem-cell differentiation<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Nature Communications (2024) 15, 116<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

December 2023, Vos and Page Publication in Nature<\/h3>
Congratulations to cell biology department members Margaret Vos and Rebecca Page on their contributions to a publication in Nature<\/em>!<\/h5>\n

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Padi, Vos, Godik, Fuller, Kruse, Hein, Nilsson, Kelker, Page, and Peti.<\/p>\n

Cryo-EM structures of PP2A:B55-FAM122A and PP2A:B55-ARPP19.<\/a><\/p>\n

Nature<\/em> (2024) 625:195.<\/p>\n

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December 2023, Berlin Memorial Lecture<\/h3>
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July 2023, National Honor for Medical School’s Mark Terasaki<\/h3>
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Mark R. Terasaki, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Cell Biology on July 18, 2023. (Photo provided by Mark Terasaki\/UConn Health Center Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

Congratulations to associate professor Mark Teraski<\/strong>, now a fellow of the American Society for Cell Biology<\/strong><\/a>! Dr. Terasaki is among a cohort of 19 new fellows elected by their peers. They will be formally recognized at the ASCB's joint meeting with the European Molecular Biology Organization, in December in Boston.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

July 2023, Congratulations Corie!!<\/h3>

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May, 2023. In Memorial of Dr. Alan Fein<\/h3>

We are sorry to share the sad news that Dr. Alan Fein, Professor Emeritus at UConn Health, passed away on May 1, 2023 after a long and courageous battle with cancer.<\/p>\n

Dr. Fein joined the Health Center faculty in the Department of Physiology (now the Department of Cell Biology) in 1987 and retired in 2017. He is internationally recognized for his discoveries about the function of inositol trisphosphate in cellular signaling, and for his studies of the physiology of photoreceptors and blood cells.<\/p>\n

He also contributed importantly to medical student education at UConn Health. He served for 20 years as a facilitator for Problem Based Learning, and designed and taught a medical school elective on Pain. He is the author or editor of several books, including an introductory textbook on the neuroscience of pain, which he decided to make freely available online.<\/p>\n