UCF biomedical sciences graduate students and postdoctoral researchers recently shared their innovative research on improving health — including ways to create better flu shots, treatments for Lyme disease and diagnostics for colorectal cancer.

This year’s Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences Graduate Research Symposium featured more than 50 research projects. Students shared their findings with faculty and competed for cash prizes for the top research.

The symposium provides young researchers with the opportunity to analyze their data and create compelling presentations that can ultimately get support from research funding organizations, says Jackie Zhao, a Burnett School professor and symposium chair.

“It takes a lot of effort and hard work to … get the data for these presentations. Without that, you cannot have a presentation,” he says. “Students also need to … pull that together into a good story that they can continue to work on — from the bench, into clinical trials and potentially into a new drug.”

Second-year doctoral student Aaron Beaird joined the Burnett School with a passion for understanding infectious diseases. He discovered a mentor in Tara Strutt, associate professor and College of Medicine immunology researcher.

Beaird’s research focuses on better understanding influenza so medicine can develop one complete vaccine, rather than changing the flu vaccine every year based on the disease’s newest strain.

Current vaccines are designed to attack influenza’s surface proteins, which change constantly. Beaird is looking at ways to attack the virus’ internal, more stable proteins to create a superpowered vaccine patients might only have to take once.

Generally, vaccines work by introducing a weak or inactive version of a virus to the body. This allows the immune system to recognize the virus as a threat and remember how to fight it when you’re exposed to the flu.

However, not all of the body’s memory cells are created equal. Beaird’s research is examining the makeup of the strongest memory cells to see how future vaccines can be developed that program these cells to help the body create superpowered defenses against the flu.

Beaird says that the conference gave him experience on the best ways to present his scientific discoveries.

“Having the opportunity to talk with my peers and faculty who understand this research and are contributing to the advancement of science is super exciting,” he says. “When we go to conferences, we are going to have to present posters, and you don’t want that to be your first time doing it, so you need practice presenting.”

The event also allows undergraduates and new graduate students to experience the variety of research happening at the Burnet School of Biomedical Sciences. Its faculty researchers are focused on finding cures and treatments for the diseases that plague humanity — including infectious, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.

“The Burnett research symposium is a great opportunity for our students and postdocs to showcase their research work to their peers and faculty,” says Saleh Naser, the Burnett School’s associate director of graduate studies. “It also allows our new students to be introduced to the ongoing research at the Burnett labs.”

Congratulations to this year’s winners in each of the categories:

Best Ph.D. poster

Anamaria Morales-Alvarez from Hung Nguyen’s lab

Poster: Metabolic Reprogramming of T Cells via GPR84 Inhibition Improves Cancer Immunotherapy

Best Postdoc poster

Jichao Ma from Zixi Jack Cheng’s lab

Poster: Identification of Spinal Afferent Innervation in the Rat Heart: Atria and Ventricles: Anterograde Tracing

Best M.S. poster

Erika A. Serravalle from William Self’s lab

Poster: Evaluating the Antimicrobial Properties of Fungus-Derived Xanthoquinodins against Clostridioides difficile