| Faculty |
| Staff and Fellows |
| CB&A Graduate Program |
| Graduate Students |
| Graduate Studies Program |
| Anatomical Donations |
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Name: |
Heather Cathcart |
Email address: |
hcathcartgs@students.mcg.edu |
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Mentor: |
Sally S. Atherton, Ph.D. |
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Year of Entry: |
2002 |
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Education: |
B.S. Biology, Armstrong Atlantic State University |
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Research Description: |
Acute retinal necrosis (ARN) is a visually devastating disease caused by members of the neurotropic herpes simplex virus family (HSV-1, HSV-2 and VZV). ARN is characterized by circumferential and rapid progression of necrosis, vascular occlusion, and inflammation of the anterior segment and vitreous humor. Our laboratory studies a mouse model, of the human disease ARN and I am interested in why the disease in mice usually manifests in the retina of the uninjected eye, while the retina of the injected eye is spared following uniocular anterior chamber injection of HSV-1.Despite there being no anatomical barrier between the anterior and posterior segments
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Progress Toward Graduation: |
I have passed my 1st and 2nd exams. I have submitted my research proposal to and had it accepted by my committee and the School of Graduate Studies. I have given 2 departmental seminars and I plan to defend my thesis in the summer of 2009.
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Presentations: |
2007-2008 Brain and Behavior: TA: Lecture 1st year medical students: Cerebral Spinal Fluid and the Ventricular System Poster Presentations: 1. Cathcart HM, Fields M, Zheng M, Marshall B and Atherton SS: Interferon-gamma Production in the Injected Eye Following Anterior Chamber Inoculation of HSV-1. International Herpes Workshop. Seattle, Washington July 2006
2. Cathcart HM, Fields MA, Zheng M, and Atherton SS: Interferon Production in the Injected Eye Following Anterior Chamber (AC) Inoculation of HSV-1. Graduate Student Research Day. The Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia. March 23, 2007
3. Cathcart HM, Fields MA, Zheng M, and Atherton SS: Production of Interferon Gamma, Alpha and Beta in the Injected Eye Following Anterior Chamber Inoculation of HSV-1. International Herpes Workshop. Asheville, NC July 2007
4. Cathcart HM, Marshall B, Zheng M, and Atherton SS: Cellular Sources of Interferon Gamma in the Injected Eye Following Anterior Chamber Inoculation of HSV-1. International Herpes Workshop, Estoril, Portugal July 2008
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Publications: |
Cathcart H.M., Fields M.A., Zheng M., Marshall B., and Atherton S.S. 2008. Infiltrating cells and IFNγ production in the injected eye after uniocular anterior chamber inoculation of HSV-1. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science (in submission).
Zheng M, Fields M.A., Liu Y, Cathcart H.M., Richter E. and Atherton SS 2008. Neutrophils protect the retina of the injected eye from infection after anterior chamber inoculation of HSV-1 in BALB/c mice. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science 9: 4018-4025. Corder E.H., Huang R, Cathcart H.M., Lanham I.S., Parker G.R, Cheng D, Smith S and Poduslo S.E. 2006. Membership in genetic groups predicts Alzheimer’s Disease. Rejuvenation Research 9: 89-93. Parker G.R., Cathcart H.M., Huang R, Lanham I.S., Corder E.H., and Poduslo S.E. 2005 Apolipoprotein gene E4 allele promoter polymorphisms as risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. Psychiatric Genetics 15: 271-275. Cathcart H.M., Huang R, Lanham I.S., Corder E.H., and Poduslo S.E. 2005. Cystatin C as a Risk Factor for Alzheimer disease. Neurology. 64: 755-757.
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, virus does not spread directly from the anterior segment to the retina or optic nerve of the injected eye after anterior chamber injection of HSV-1 in euthymic BALB/c mice. I am interested in the cytokines and innate immune cells involved in preventing anterior to posterior spread of the virus in the inoculated eye of our acute retinal necrosis model.