Bethel Sharma, PhD

• B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1997
• Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Kentucky in 2006
• Between 2005-2007 worked at Analytical Biological Services in the Philadelphia, PA area
• Came to Western Kentucky University in November of 2007 for a combined research and teaching post-doctoral fellowship. Taught Biol 120 and Honors Biol 120, 150, 151 modules bioinformatics and metabolism, and Biol 199 introduction to research.
• In the Fall of 2009 will begin as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at The University of the South in Sewanee, TN

My research has centered on developing a method of evaluating nitric oxide (NO) production from cultured pulmonary myofibroblasts. We are interested in studying this cell type because it is involved in the progression of a disease known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis which is a destructive disease that stems from collagen buildup in the lungs due to the presence of excess, and/or overactive, myofibroblasts. Nitric oxide has been implicated as a key modulator of myofibroblast growth and proliferation. In order to better understand the mechanism by which NO contributes to myofibroblast pathogenesis, we developed a functional assay to monitor NO production from cultured lung cells. The myofibroblasts are isolated from rat lungs and grown under normal and pseudo-pathological conditions for 24 h prior to treatment (photo of handling cells in hood). Nitric oxide levels are then measured in solution using a NO-specific electrode (photo of computer showing readout). We presented this work at the 2009 American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Meeting in New Orleans in April.