Poster.jpg.jpegJanuary 18, 2023

Mayville State student researcher Brooke Roeges and faculty research mentor Dr. Michael Kjelland, Assistant Professor of Biology at Mayville State, presented research results at the 12th American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and Japanese Career Association (JCA) Joint Conference in Maui, Hawaii Dec. 10-14, 2022. “Breakthroughs in Cancer Research - Translating Knowledge into Practice” was the conference theme.

This meeting series has a long tradition of bringing outstanding researchers from the United States, Japan, and around the world together to share their findings and present the latest advances in basic, translational, and clinical cancer research. Formal and informal interactions, as well as international collaborations, are fostered through this unique forum.

At the conference, Roeges and Dr. Kjelland gave a poster presentation, “Effect of Wheat Bran Bioactive Compounds in Pancreatic Cancer Intervention.” The poster summarized the findings of the work conducted by Mayville State student researchers Brooke Roeges, Hayle Boechler, Taylor Exploring.jpgStegman, and Sean Pollack, along with their faculty research mentors Dr. Khwaja Hossain, Mayville State Professor of Biology, and Dr. Michael Kjelland.

“These high throughput research opportunities equip our students for careers in the health science area,” said Dr. Khwaja Hossain, who also serves as chair of the Mayville State Division of Science and Mathematics. “Wheat bran, an agricultural byproduct, is mostly unused, thus farmers do not get a financial benefit from 15% of their wheat production. This research, along with other research projects, allows our students to identify profitable alternative uses of wheat bran and extend its application in managing climate and human health.”

Summing up the experience, Brooke Roeges said, “After four years of working diligently on our research project, presenting the findings at this conference was such a rewarding experience. Not only were we able to listen in on some of the cutting-edge cancer research presentations, but we also had the chance to network with research executives from the AACR, the National Cancer Institute, and more. We even had spare time to see the beauty of Maui, Hawaii, including the black and red sand beaches, the waterfalls of the ‘Road to Hana,’ and the colorful wildlife of the Pacific Ocean.”

The Mayville State University research team is currently conducting research to determine if arabinoxylan derived from wheat bran can be used successfully as a 3D bioprinting bio-ink that can be used in cancer and human mesenchymal stem cell research.

“We are grateful to North Dakota EPSCoR for making these research opportunities possible,” said Dr. Michael Kjelland. “We appreciate their help in establishing the Mayville State University Integrated Cell Culture & Bioimaging Laboratory.”

Photo captions:

Top: Mayville State student research Brooke Roeges presented her Mayville State research team’s poster at the 12th AAACR-JCA Joint Conference in Maui, Hawaii in December.

Bottom: Mayville State student Brooke Roeges was able to explore the “Road to Hana” while in Maui to present her research team’s findings related to cancer research.