Opportunity Details

Details about the opportunity you selected and the mentor are shown below. It is your responsibility to contact the mentor to discuss collaborating with them this summer. If your mentor invites you to submit an application, you can access that from the front page of this site. Upon completion of the application, it will be sent to the mentor for approval before being passed on to the Summer Scholar Selection Committee, which will make the decisions.

Faculty Information
	Jeffrey Blumberg
	jeffrey.blumberg@tufts.edu
	Professor
	P: (617) 556-3334
	F: (617) 556-3344
Address:
	Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging 711 Washington Street
	Boston, MA 02111

Opportunity:
	dietary antioxidants and aging
Summary:
	The generation of oxygen free radicals during cellular metabolism and by certain environmental factors, including lifestyle, appears to play a critical role in the aging process. High dietary intakes of antioxidant vitamins and phytochemicals are associated with better maintenance of physiologic function and a lower prevalence of many degenerative conditions in older adults. Understanding how antioxidants, especially the phytochemical flavonoids, reduce oxidative stress and impact the pathogenesis of chronic disease present opportunities for health promotion and alternative therapeutic modalities for an aging population. We are conducting studies to understand the role of dietary antioxidants, particularly the flavonoids in conjunction with vitamins C and E, on free radical reactions and changes in oxidative stress status during aging. Lipid, protein, nucleic acid and other cellular targets of oxidative damage are assessed in experimental models and in healthy and other human populations to elucidate antioxidant requirements for optimal health. These projects contribute to the description and prediction of the impact of antioxidants and oxyradicals on age-related changes in nutrient requirements and chronic degenerative conditions. Our efforts employ a variety of methods, particularly HPLC-ECD, ELISA, and LC-MS/MS to determine antioxidant defenses and biomarkers of oxidative stress in vitro and in vivo including antioxidant nutrients (ascorbate and tocopherols) and phytochemicals (carotenoids and flavonoids), measures of "total antioxidant capacity" (FRAP, ORAC) and products of DNA (8-OHdG), lipid (isoprostanes), and protein (carbonyls) oxidation. Some of our current projects involve characterizing the flavonoid composition of plant foods (particularly tree nuts, berry fruit, and herbal teas) and, after consumption, their absorption, distribution, metabolism, and bioactivity, including their impact on biomarkers of cancer and cardiovascular disease risk. We are exploring these topics using cell cultures, animal models, and human studies.
Contact Via:
	E-mail
What is the timeframe for this research opportunity?
	Summer 2009
Prerequisities for students?
	Some biology and/or chemistry laboratory experience
Responsibilities for students?
	Work in a research lab to design and conduct experiments in nutritional biochemistry