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Gore, Andrea C., Ph.D. |
Esther Chang: 2006-2008esther.y.c@mail.utexas.eduPharmacy School student, University of Texas College of Pharmacy As a pharmacy school student, I worked in Dr. Gore's lab on my Honors Thesis. In pharmacy school I am President of Kappa Epsilon (a professional pharmacy fraternity) and an active member in Rho Chi (pharmacy honors society), Student Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists, and Academy of Student Pharmacists. Outside of school, I work at Walgreens as a pharmacy intern. I also spent my undergraduate years at UT in the Dean's Scholars Honors Program. My research focused on the effects of prenatal exposure to contraceptive hormones on hormone receptors in the brain. Hormonal oral contraceptives are among the most popular and effective forms of contraception in the US, and the large majority of formulations contain 17-a ethinyl estradiol (EE). Because of human error there is a 5% chance of unintended pregnancy during the first year of use, which can result in oral contraceptive use continuing through the first trimester. My project investigated the effects of exogenously administered EE during pregnancy on estrogen receptor a (ERa in the brains of exposed newborn offspring. Specifically, I focused on effects on ERa expression in the hypothalamus using immunohistochemistry. Honors:
Tina Chang: 2003-2005tinachang@mail.utexas.eduPharmacy School student, University of Texas College of Pharmacy
Background: I was an undergraduate pre-pharmacy student who is now attending the UT-Austin pharmacy school. As an undergraduate, I participated in many school organizations such as Texas Medical Missionaries, CantO, Longhorn PrePharmacy Association, EPIC, and intramural sports. In my spare time I like to run, work crossword puzzles, and bake cookies. My future dreams are to graduate from Pharmacy school, study Eastern medicine in a Taiwanese pharmaceutical company, and perform medical missionary work in third world countries. I worked as a research assistant in Dr. Gore's lab under the supervision of a graduate student, Rebecca Steinberg. My project involved optimizing conditions for enzymatic DAB and fluorescent immunocytochemistry protocols in rodent brain, specifically GnRH, estrogen receptor beta, and aryl hydrocarbon receptor. I followed up by performing microscopic analyses of the expression of these molecules in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain controlling reproductive function. My immunocytochemistry experiments contributed to projects seeking to understand the distribution of these molecules in the rat brain, and their regulation by endocrine-disrupting chemicals. 
Nygerma Dangleben: 2003-2006ndangleben@yahoo.comPh.D. Student, University of California-Berkeley I graduated from UT-Austin as a Human Biology major. My interests in research led me to become part of the Science Undergraduate Research Group (SURGe), a very active registered student organization here on campus whose mission is to foster undergraduate student participation in UT's cutting edge research. Since then I served as SURGe secretary for the 2003-2004 academic year. I began working in the Gore lab as a work-study student in 2003 and stayed on to perform independent research in the Gore lab until I graduated in 2006. During my years in the Gore lab I worked on two projects. The first looked at how gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons, the principal regulators of vertebrate reproductive function, may undergo cell loss during embryonic development, and whether environmental toxicants may accelerate this process. The second project, which was performed as my undergraduate thesis, investigated transgenerational, epigenetic effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on mate choice behaviors. Published Abstracts:
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Esperanza Guevara : 2005-2008EG3655@mail.utexas.eduPharmacy School student, Texas A&M Health Science Center Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy I initiated my undergraduate studies at UT-Pan American. I was admitted to UT Austin's Short Term Research Training for Undergraduate Minority Students in the summer of 2005, and Dr. Gore invited me to continue working in her lab as part of this program. After commuting from Edinburg to Austin every other weekend I transferred to UT-Austin in the Spring of 2006 and have been a part of the lab since then until my graduation as a Neurobiology major in 2008. I am currently a member of Voices for Choice, and enjoy kickboxing and self-defense. I begin Pharmacy School in fall, 2008. I first started working with the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) GT1-7 cell line in in vitro experiments. At that time, I worked on optimizing the growing conditions for the GT1-7 cell line and then tested effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on the release of GnRH, cell morphology, and cell population with fluorescence microscopy. Since then, I have also been trained on microsurgery, immunohistochemistry, brain sectioning, and new undergraduate training, and assisted in managing the Gore lab. Published Abstracts:
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Tim Hsu: 2004-2006timshsu@gmail.comMedical School Student, UTMB As an undergraduate I was a pre-medical student studying psychology as part of the Plan II program. I was also an active member of Alpha Epsilon Delta, a pre-medical honors society, and in the Asian American Campus Ministry organization. In addition to my academics and clubs, my hobbies include swimming and biking, playing basketball, and learning classical/jazz guitar. My career goal is to graduate from medical school and practice internal medicine. In Dr. Gore's lab, I participated in a research study investigating transgenerational, epigenetic effects of an endocrine-disrupting chemical, vinclozolin, on mate choice behaviors. I developed the behavioral assays and analyses, and wrote an honor's thesis based on this project. Publication:
Sonya Hughes: 2003-2007sonya.hughes@alumni.utexas.netPublic Health Apprentice for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dallas, TX Background: I was a Pre-Med/African-American studies major at UT-Austin. On the UT campus I was involved in Black Health Professions, Longhorn Scholars and Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society. I came to Dr. Gore's lab in 2003, when she had first moved to Austin and was setting up her lab. I was the first work-study student that she hired, and I stayed in her lab until my graduation in 2007. For the summer 2004 I received an Endocrine Society fellowship, which provided me a stipend and allowed me to perform research full time. I began my research projects by investigating the circadian (24 hour day/night cycle) regulation of the timing of puberty, taking a pharmacological approach. I also developed an interest in how puberty is regulated in humans, and wrote a paper with Dr. Gore on this subject. Currently, I am working for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Dallas, and attending UNTHSC in the Masters in Public Health program. Publication:
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Sharon Kim: 2007-2008kimshalon@mail.utexas.eduPre-medical student, University of Texas at Austin
Background: I am a pre-medical student at UT-Austin. I love studying science but I also have an interest in medical ethics. Thus, I am in the Bridging Disciplines Program to get a certificate in Ethics and Leadership, concentrating in Ethics of Health care. Currently, I serve as the president of Women in Science. I am also active in Hunger in North Korea, Nutritional Peer Educator Program, Acts college fellowship, and the FIG program. Off campus, I teach Sunday school at my church. I love playing with kids! In the future, I want to practice medicine and do research as well. I was recently admitted to Baylor College of Medicine for my medical school studies. In the lab, my work focused on the neurons in the brain that secrete the GnRH peptide from terminals at the base of the brain, and how their interrelationships with glial cells undergo age-related alterations. I used the method of immunocytochemistry for GnRH, and analyzing their expression using the confocal microscope. I hope that my project will contribute to an understanding of how the neuroendocrine GnRH terminals, and their interactions with glial cells, change with age. Published Abstract:
Jackie Maffuccimaffucci@mail.utexas.eduPh.D. 2008, Institute for Neuroscience Background: Jacqueline Maffucci graduated from Cornell University in 2000 with a B.S. in Animal Science. During her undergraduate career, she spent a semester abroad at the University of Melbourne studying the flora and fauna of Australia, where she was introduced to the wonderful world of fieldwork. Upon returning to the States, she was fortunate enough to work in the laboratory of Dr. Elizabeth Adkins-Regan examining the neural basis of maternal behavior in Japanese quail. It was this experience that turned her focus from a career in veterinary medicine to scientific research. After graduating, she spent two years as a research technician in the laboratory of Dr. Monica Justice in the Molecular and Human Genetics Department at Baylor College of Medicine. During this time, she also tutored high school students in a variety of natural science courses, volunteered at the Houston Zoo as a K-12 natural science educator, and worked as a marine life rehabilitator with the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network. She began her graduate career at The University of Texas at Austin in August 2002 and was awarded an Institute for Neuroscience Graduate Student Fellowship. During her tenure at UT Austin, Jackie was active in the Neuroscience Graduate Student Association (NGSA), for which she served and headed the committee to organize the annual INS Neuroscience Symposium, and was heavily involved in organizing the INS student recruitment. She also volunteered as a Women in Natural Sciences mentor. She is a member of the Society for Neuroscience, Society for Endocrinology, Women in Endocrinology, and the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. She has also received a number of awards in recognition of her research, including a Glen/American Federation for Aging Research Grant, an American Psychological Association Dissertation Research Award, the David Bruton Fellowship, and a Butch DuBois/Brand Source National Scholarship. Outside of the lab, she is an avid animal lover and continues to foster her interest in animal behavior. She volunteers her time at the Austin Humane Society, assists in finding foster and permanent homes for South Central Bloodhound Rescue, is a trained United Animal Nations Emergency Response Volunteer, and has recently become involved in trialing her dog in agility competitions. Research: My PhD research examined the neuroendocrine mechanisms influencing the onset of reproductive senescence in female rats. Although rats do not have menstrual cycles and do not undergo menopause, they have a reproductive aging process characterized by a loss of reproductive cycles at middle age. Additionally, the reproductive system is controlled by a neural network, of which many components experience age-related changes. The rat provides an excellent model for studying how these changes affect the onset of reproductive aging. Specifically, my research focused on the action of NMDA receptors on the reproductive axis. I studied how changes in NMDAR subunit composition over time may influence alterations in reproductive function of aging female rats and the contribution of estrogen to these actions. Through administration of an NMDAR selective antagonist, I have documented changing reproductive hormone status and gene transcription of GnRH in young and middle-aged female rats. My techniques included tracking changes in luteinizing hormone pulses through serial blood drawing, and quantifying GnRH mRNA expression using real-time PCR. Additionally, I examined the NR1 and NR2b subunit population in the AVPV, and changes with age and steroid hormone treatment. Currently, the mechanisms by which reproductive failure occurs, and the relative role of each level of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, remain largely unknown. While the reproductive system is very complicated and involves a large number of processes, my goal is to obtain clearer understanding of the contributions of a receptor that appears to play an important role in the onset of reproductive senescence. Publications: Maffucci JA, Gore AC (2009) Hypothalamic neural systems controlling the female reproductive life cycle: gonadotropin-releasing hormone, GABA, and glutamate. International Review of Cytology: A Survey of Cell Biology, Academic Press, In Press. Maffucci JA, Gore AC (2006) Age-related changes in hormones and their receptors in animal models of female reproductive senescence. In: Handbook of Models for the Study of Human Aging. ed. PM Conn, Academic Press/Elsevier, 533-552. Maffucci, JA. (Dec. 2007) Menopause: What every woman (and man) should know. Nside MD San Antonio. Abstracts: Maffucci JA, Walker DM, Makos B, Woller MJ, Gore AC (2006) Neural regulation of reproductive aging in female rats: The role of the NMDA receptor. American Federation of Aging Research Grantee's Conference, Santa Barbara, CA. Maffucci JA, Walker DM, Makos B, Woller MJ, Gore AC (2006) The NMDA receptor subunit NR2b affects GnRH gene expression and LH release in female rats, with modulation by estrogen, but not aging. Endocrine Society, Boston, MA. Gore AC, Maffucci JA, Reynolds K, Wu D, Yin W (2005) Rat models of reproductive aging (and what does the NMDA receptor have to do with menopause?). Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories Symposium on Rat Models & Genomics, Cold Spring Harbor, NY. Walker DM, LaPlant Q, Maffucci JA, Gore AC (2005) Hypothalamic GnRH gene expression profile in developing male rats, assayed by two quantitative methods. Endocrine Society, San Diego, CA.. Gore AC, Feduccia A, Choudhury L, Yin W, Steinberg RM, Maffucci JA, Hughes SH (2004) Blockade of the nocturnal increase in GnRH release delays the onset of puberty in female rats. Endocrine Society, New Orleans, LA. Hillsman KD, Hughes SM, Maffucci J, Gore AC (2004) Circadian regulation of the timing of puberty in rats. Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, CA. Maffucci JA, Ikegami A, Hillsman KD, Woller MJ, Gore AC (2004) NR2b selective antagonists of the NMDA receptor decrease luteinizing hormone levels in young and middle-aged rats. Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, CA. 
Brittany Makos: 2004-2005brittanymakos@mail.utexas.eduPharmacy School student, University of Texas College of Pharmacy Background: I was a pre-pharmacy student at UT-Austin. During this time, I worked at Randall's Pharmacy as a Certified Pharmacy Technician. Also, I was a Residential Peer Mentor at Whitis Court Residence Halls where I conducted weekly seminars for a group of 20 freshman students addressing academic, social, and skill development topics. I was an active member in the Longhorn Pre-Pharmacy Association, Alpha Lambda and Phi Eta Sigma national academic excellence honor societies. I enjoy watching movies, reading, ceramics and baking. In Dr. Gore's lab, I worked with a neuroscience graduate student, Jackie Maffucci, who is researching the action of NMDA receptors (NMDAR) on GnRH neurons in young and aging female rats. Over the summer, I provided technical assistance with the rats doing implant surgeries and interval blood drawing. I also analyzed the 120+ brain tissue samples for RNA content. Published Abstracts:
Foad Meshkinian: 2007 - 2008foad_mat@yahoo.comUndergraduate chemistry major
Background: In my spare time I like to work out, play basketball, and listen to music.
Research: 
Lorenzo Perez: 2006-2008lperez1064@gmail.comMedical School Student, University of Texas at Houston Background: I graduated from UT-Austin as a biochemistry/pre-medical student. I began working in Dr. Gore's laboratory in fall 2006 as a work-study student, but as of summer 2007 I began working on my own independent research project. I began attending medical school in fall, 2008. My research focused on the mechanisms for the control of the onset of puberty, which involve the activation of hypothalamic GnRH neurons. In rats, gonadal steroid hormone feedback regulation of GnRH cells is dramatically increased during the pubertal process. In order to ascertain whether this increased sensitivity to hormones is due to changes in expression of their nuclear receptors in the hypothalamus, I worked together with a Neuroscience graduate student, Deena Walker, to determine the postnatal developmental changes in progesterone receptor (PR), androgen receptor (AR), and the estrogen receptors (ERa and ERb) mRNA levels, using quantitative real-time PCR. In addition, I compared the gene expression profiles of male and female rats in order to investigate potential sex differences in the neural changes responsible for the onset of puberty. Published Abstracts:
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Kristen Reynoldskristenreynolds@mail.utexas.eduResearch Technician Background: I graduated from the University of Iowa in 1998 with a B.S. in Biology. As an undergraduate I worked in the Medical Research Center at the university studying the metabolic effects of leptin on rats. After graduation I was employed as an engineering technologist for Medtronic. This work involved testing and analysis of medical devices. Following that position, I began work at QualTek Molecular Laboratories. At QualTek, I performed immunohistochemistry testing for pharmaceutical companies and universities throughout the country. During this time I earned my histotechnologist certification. I am a member of the National Society of Histotechnology and ASCP.
Research: 
Rebecca Steinbergrmsteinberg@mail.utexas.edu
I graduated from the University of Chicago in 2000 with degrees in Neurobiology and Ecology and Evolution. Upon coming to the Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Texas, I was awarded a University Preemptive Fellowship. I completed the Neural Systems and Behavior Course at Woods Hole, Massachussetts in 2002. As a graduate student, I was president of the Neuroscience Graduate Students' Association, and organized of the Annual Neuroscience Symposium. My graduate research was funded by a two-year predoctoral grant offered by PhRMA, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers' of America Foundation. My PhD dissertation investigated the long-term and multigenerational effects of prenatal exposure to a class of environmental toxicant known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). I used a model of prenatal exposure to low, environmental-relevant levels of PCBs on reproductive development, adult physiology and behavior, and effects on the next generation. Publications:
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Weiling Yinweiling.yin@mail.utexas.eduPh.D. 2008, Pharmacology/Toxicology Graduate education and research: At the base of our brain, in a small, enigmatic, and powerful place called the median eminence, many "brain messengers" dock and depart, including our reproductive messenger - the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Changes at this messenger "harbor" may also affect our reproductive system, and sometimes elicit a large response from the body with dramatic, seemingly unpredictable physical changes. My research was to observe changes to GnRH nerve terminals and their surrounding microenvironment in normal and abnormal physical conditions in rats. Using immuno-fluorescence microscopy and post-embedding immuno-gold electron microscopy on rats of different ages and estradiol treatment, I have found ultrastructural evidence of changes in GnRH nerve terminals, their surrounding glial cells and the nearby capillary system. My goal is to understand the natural processes of the interaction of the brain with reproduction during aging. We do undergo inevitable changes both large and small as we age, but as our understanding of these processes grows, so does our ability to predict and manage them. Education & Professional Experience: Papers Yildirim M, Mapp OM, Janssen WG, Yin W, Morrison JH, Gore AC. Postpubertal decrease in hippocampal dendritic spines of female rats. Experimental Neurology 210: 339-348 (2008) Yin W, Mendenhall JM, Bratton SB, Oung T, Janssen WG, Morrison JH, Gore AC. Novel localization of NMDA receptors within neuroendocrine gonadotropin-releasing hormone terminals. Experimental Biology and Medicine 232: 662-673 (2007). Yin W, Gore AC. Neuroendocrine control of reproductive aging: Roles of GnRH neurons. Reproduction 131: 403-414 (2006). Yin W, Gao Z, Meng L. Survey on antibiotic in China-Japan friendship hospital from 1996 to 1999. Drug information of China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Vol. 16 No. 1, (2000). Abstracts and Proceedings in National and International Meetings Yin W, Monita MM, Kim S, Wu D, Gore AC. GnRH neuroterminal changes and interaction with glia in reproductive aging. The 90th Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society, San Francisco, Jun 2008. Yin W, Monita MM, Reynolds KK, Wu D, Maffucci JA, Gore AC. GnRH neuroterminal properties in reproductive aging. The 89th Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society, Toronto, Canada, Jun 2007. Yin W, Reynolds KK, Wu D, Maffucci JA, Monita MM, Gore AC. GnRH release in reproductive aging. The University of Texas College of Pharmacy Celebrating Research Achievements, Austin, TX, Apr 2007. Yin W, Mendenhall JM, Wu D, Reynolds KK, Gore AC. Three dimensional (3D) reconstruction of GnRH neuroterminals in the rat median eminence. The 88th Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society, Boston, MA, Jun 2006. Hughes SM, Yin W, Gore AC. The GnRH antagonist acyline delays puberty and suppresses the reproductive axis of male, but not female rats. The 88th Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society, Boston, MA, Jun 2006. Reynolds KK, Wu D, Yin W, Gore AC. Anatomical relationships between NMDA receptor subunits and GnRH neuroterminals. The 88th Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society, Boston, MA, Jun 2006. Gore AC, Maffucci JA, Reynolds KK, Wu D, Yin W. Rat models of reproductive aging (and what does the NMDA receptor have to do with menopause?). The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories Symposium on Rat Models & Genomics, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, NY, Dec. 2005. Gore AC, Feduccia A, Choudhury L, Yin W, Steinberg RM, Maffucci JA, Hughes S. Blockade of the nocturnal increase in GnRH release delays the onset of puberty in female rats. The 86th Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society, New Orleans, LA, Jun 2004. Yin W, Oung T, Ng CL, Janssen WGM, Morrison JH, Gore AC. Novel subcellular localization of NMDA receptors (NMDARs) within neuroendocrine GnRH terminals, The 32nd annual meeting of Neuroscience Society, Orlando, FL, Nov 2002. Yin W, Gao Z. Investigation of disinfectant effect of electrolyzed oxidizing water (EOW) on gastroscope used for hepatitis patients, The 1st International Congress of Asia Pacific Society of Infection Control (APSIC), Hongkong, China, Aug 1999. Yin W, Shen Y. Nosocomial Infection control in hospital management, China-USA Nosocomial Infection Control Symposium, Beijing, China, Mar 1999. More information about Dr. Gore > Gore CV (PDF File) > Books > Publications & PDFs > Gore Lab Members > In the News > Current Teaching > Grants > Links to Journals & Scientific Societies > Links to UT Departments & Programs > Return to Gore's Home Page |
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Division Information
Mailing Address:
Pharmacology & Toxicology
College of Pharmacy
The University of Texas
at Austin
1 University Station,
A1915
Austin, TX
78712-0125
USA
Email Address: pharmacy
@www.utexas.edu
Phone: 512-471-5158
The Center for Molecular and Cellular Toxicology (CMCT) at the College of
Pharmacy has received a $1.2 million training grant in support of its program in molecular toxicology and
environmental disease.
