By Patience Moseley, Ph.D. 

FSU College of Medicine

Xiaofei Jia, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, received a $3.8 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study how to prevent HIV from evading the body’s immune system. 

HIV infects human immune cells. If untreated, it will damage the immune system, leading to AIDS. 

Current antiretrovirals stop viral replication and prevent the onset of AIDS, but the viral infection remains present, requiring patients to remain on antiretrovirals for life. Discontinuing them can lead to the rapid return of HIV within a few weeks.

Applying his expertise in HIV research, Jia aims to address the viral reservoir and how it evades immune detection with the hope that a treatment strategy will one day be able to eradicate HIV from the body. 

“What's unique about HIV is that it integrates its own genome into the host cell's genome,” Jia said. “This is a big part of why getting rid of the infection is so difficult.”

Curing HIV would require immune cells to find HIV-infected cells and kill them. However, HIV has acquired the ability to put on an “invisibility cloak” – a viral protein called Negative Factor (Nef) – enables infected cells to evade detection by immune cells. This is driven by Nef lowering the expression of two host proteins, MHC-I and CD4, on the cell’s surface. 

“Infection is detected when the proteins of the pathogen are produced in the cell and the immune system displays these protein fragments on the surface,” Jia said. “With these fragments presented in this manner, the immune system can then recognize that there is something foreign and that the cell is infected. MHC-I plays an essential role in this process. And preventing MHC-I from doing its job here is one way HIV hides itself from the immune system. 

“These invisibility tricks are another reason why HIV infection is so hard to cure.” 

Patients with HIV-1 infected cells lacking functional Nef do not develop AIDS. Instead, the infected cells should continue to express MHC-I and CD4, allowing the immune system to effectively identify and destroy them. Naturally, the viral concentrations remain low, delaying disease progression for decades, even without medication.

With this grant, Jia plans to screen and identify molecules that inhibit Nef’s functions. Identifying and characterizing the most potent Nef inhibitors provide hope and progress toward more specific, perhaps more effective, antiretroviral treatments for HIV patients. 

“Nef is one protein with many jobs, and almost all of them are for evading the immune system,” Jia said. “If you look at the structure of how this is accomplished, it's really very fascinating. Every time I think, ‘it's a small protein, it has limited ability,’ I am always surprised how things are made to happen.”

Jia has spent his academic career studying HIV. Since joining the FSU College of Medicine in January 2025, Jia has built a team of researchers who share a similar interest. 

“Dr. Jia’s cutting-edge research to unravel the precise cellular mechanisms is not only important for understanding how this virus evades the human immune system, but it also directly advances the FSU College of Medicine’s mission to drive transformative scientific discovery that transforms human health,” said Cathy Levenson, interim chair of Biomedical Sciences. 

Jia’s extensive background in HIV research, along with this funding support from a division of the National Institutes of Health, positions him to tackle the virus’s complex structural biology, bringing medicine one step closer to a cure. 

The Foundation of the Collier County Medical Society awarded a prestigious $15,000 scholarship to a third-year medical student at the Florida State University College of Medicine.

Kaitlyn Barnes of Naples (M.D. Class of 2028) is the recipient of the 2026 Dr. William and Nancy Lascheid Memorial Scholarship, which was created to help medical students who are legal residents of Florida and have demonstrated exceptional community service. It honors the memory of the Lascheids, visionary founders of the charitable Neighborhood Health Clinic in Naples, which uses a professional volunteer staff and funding by private philanthropy to  deliver quality medical care to low-income, working  but uninsured Collier County adults. Dr. Lascheid was a past president of the Collier County Medical Society; his wife was a past president of the Medical Society Alliance. 

“The 12th annual Memorial Scholarship recognizes future physicians who exemplify not only academic excellence but also a lasting commitment to serving those in need,” said Dr. Rolando Rivera, board chair of the Foundation. “Ms. Barnes represents the compassion, dedication and commitment this award was created to honor. We are proud to recognize her accomplishments and support her future in medicine.”

Barnes is a graduate of Barron Collier High School in Naples. After completing her first two years of medical school at the college’s central campus in Tallahassee, Barnes is now based at the Pensacola Regional Campus for her clinical training rotations. 

Keith Maples, CEO of Neighborhood Health Clinic in Naples, said the Foundation is able to award the scholarship because of the generous support of many people.

“This scholarship is a reflection of Bill and Nancy and their dedication to helping others,” he said. “Kaitlyn Barnes is a shining example of this similar understanding of sharing your talents to help others. We at Neighborhood Health Clinic are proud to be a part of her journey and the impact she will make.”

Barnes earned her B.S. in Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences from the College of Medicine in 2024. Her community service activities as an undergraduate student and as a medical student have included volunteering at the Leon County Humane Society, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, Big Bend Hospice, Cross Point Church, Big Bend Buddies and City Church, as well as mentoring pre-medical and medical students.

She has also served in a variety of leadership roles at FSU, including as an Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences program ambassador as an undergraduate and as FSU College of Medicine Dance Marathon co-chair, Christian Medical Association treasurer, Research Interest Group vice president, and Women in Surgery chair as a medical student.

"I am deeply honored to be selected as the Dr. William and Nancy Lascheid Memorial Scholarship recipient. This award represents far more than financial support;  it is an investment in my calling to serve others through medicine,” Barnes said.

“The inspiration of the Lascheid family and the generosity of the Foundation of CCMS will help me continue pursuing my dream of becoming a physician dedicated to compassionate, patient-centered care. I look forward to one day returning to Collier County to serve the community that has given me so much, and I am grateful beyond words for this honor."

The Foundation is a 501(c)3 charitable organization launched by the Collier County Medical Society in 2012, with the mission to provide support and leadership to programs that address access to healthcare and promote health education. It supports several scholarships in addition to the Lascheid one and has awarded almost $300,000 in scholarships since its inception.

The Foundation’s 13th Annual signature fundraiser, the Docs & Duffers Golf Tournament on Sept. 26, 2026, will help raise funds for scholarships and local healthcare initiatives. Further details can be found at ccmsonline.org/foundation/#golf and fb.com/ccmsfoundation.

Weight stigma, or perceived unfair treatment based on body weight or size, has been linked to a range of health concerns, but less is known about how these experiences may affect cardiometabolic health in populations underrepresented in research.

A study by Associate Professor Mary A. Gerend, Ph.D. and student Anna W. Lu (M.D. Class of 2028) examined the association between perceived weight stigma and cardiometabolic health in a demographically varied sample of 2,632 U.S. adults who identify as racial and ethnic minorities. The research team also examined whether smoking, alcohol use and sleep disturbance may help explain the relationship between weight stigma and cardiometabolic health.

The findings showed that more frequent exposure to weight stigma was associated with higher cardiometabolic risk (for example, diagnosis with heart disease or type 2 diabetes), even after accounting for body mass index and demographic characteristics. Participants who reported more frequent weight stigma were also more likely to report smoking, problematic alcohol use and disrupted sleep, which were each associated with higher cardiometabolic risk.

The association between weight stigma and cardiometabolic risk was observed across demographic groups, although the relationship was stronger among men than women.

The findings add to growing evidence that weight stigma may represent an independent health risk; they also highlight the importance of considering the health consequences of weight-based stigma in efforts to prevent cardiometabolic disease.

Read the full article. 

By Patience Moseley, Ph.D.

FSU College of Medicine

Jerome Irianto, Ph.D., assistant professor at the FSU College of Medicine, has secured $2.8 million from the National Cancer Institute to support his lab’s efforts to understand how physical changes in cells contribute to pancreatic cancer progression. 

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most common type of pancreatic cancer, is the third-leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The five-year survival rate at detection is 44%, and the prognosis worsens when the cancer spreads beyond the pancreas.

Irianto is channeling his bioengineering and cell biology background to understand how the shape and organization of pancreatic cells change as cancer develops, and whether these physical changes help tumors grow and spread to other parts of the body. 

Changes in cell structure and organization are a hallmark of pancreatic cancer progression and are routinely used by pathologists to assess disease stage and progression. Using human-derived pancreatic organoids — miniature 3D models of pancreatic tissue grown in the lab — the Irianto Lab recreated key structural features seen in real patient tumors, from normal pancreatic tissue to advanced cancer.

“When we cultured organoids from normal pancreatic tissue, primary tumors, and metastatic tumors, we immediately noticed that they looked very different,” Irianto said. “Normal organoids have a central hollow space, called a lumen, surrounded by a thin layer of cells, similar to the structure of a normal pancreatic duct in the body. Primary tumor organoids still have a lumen, but the surrounding cell layer becomes much thicker. In metastatic organoids, the central lumen collapses and is replaced by multiple small lumen-like structures, resembling the disorganized architecture seen in advanced pancreatic tumors.”

“This led us to ask two important questions: What drives these structural changes, and what are the consequences for cancer progression?”

Their biggest question centers on the lumen, the fluid-filled space surrounded by pancreatic epithelial cells. Through years of experimentation, the Irianto Lab has identified ion and water channels as potential drivers of changes in lumen structure. In pancreatic tumor organoids, genes responsible for these channels are expressed at lower levels than in normal pancreatic cells. Their expression decreases even further as tumors progress and spread, suggesting a connection between these channels, changes in lumen structure, and cancer progression.

The lumen depends on the movement of ions and water to maintain its shape and fluid balance. As ions are transported into the lumen, water follows to maintain the proper concentration. The surrounding layer of epithelial cells contains this fluid, creating physical forces that help shape the organoid.

When fewer ion and water channels are present, this delicate balance is disrupted. 

“A major factor driving the collapse of the lumen is the loss of ion transport that normally helps build pressure inside it, almost like filling a balloon,” said mechanobiologist Tristan Driscoll, Ph.D., assistant professor at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and a co-investigator on the grant. “When that pressure changes, it also changes the mechanical forces experienced by the surrounding cells and how those cells sense and respond to those forces.

“We have tools that allow us to measure forces between neighboring epithelial cells and forces transmitted to the nuclear envelope surrounding the cell’s DNA. This helps us understand how changes in lumen pressure may ultimately affect cell behavior.”

These physical changes may have important consequences for tumor progression. As ion and water transport decreases, the pressure inside the lumen changes, altering the forces experienced by the surrounding cells. 

Under normal cellular conditions, YAP remains outside of the nucleus in an inactive state. When physical forces change or the cell is compressed, YAP is triggered to move into the nucleus in its active state to turn on genes that control cell growth, survival and other behaviors important in cancer. As tumors grow, the tissue around the cells becomes more rigid, perpetuating the influx of YAP into the nucleus and contributing to cancer progression.

The Irianto Lab will investigate whether these changes affect a force-sensitive protein called Yes-associated protein (YAP).

Using gene-editing techniques, Irianto and his team will test how changes in ion and water transport, lumen structure and YAP activity work together to influence pancreatic cancer progression.

Irianto has assembled a multidisciplinary team that includes Driscoll; mathematical modeler Katarzyna Rejniak, Ph.D., of Moffitt Cancer Center; pancreatic cancer biologist Chang-il Hwang, Ph.D., of UC Davis; and pathologist Jose I. Diaz, M.D., of the FSU College of Medicine.

For Irianto, bringing together these different areas of expertise is essential. By combining engineering, cell biology, cancer biology, mathematical modeling, and pathology, the team hopes to uncover aspects of pancreatic cancer that cannot be fully understood by studying genes or biochemical pathways alone. Irianto hopes the NIH-supported work will ultimately reveal new vulnerabilities in pancreatic cancer that could shape future therapeutic strategies.

The Tallahassee Police Department launched its Approach with Care Autism Awareness Initiative on July 22, and the College of Medicine’s Catherine Zenko, director of the FSU Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD), joined Chief Lawrence Revell and his team for the announcement.

The initiative is a community partnership focused on increasing autism awareness and helping create safer interactions between law enforcement officers and individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

For many individuals with autism, emergency situations can be overwhelming. Delayed responses, sensory sensitivities, or difficulty processing verbal instructions may be characteristics of autism, rather than signs of noncompliance. 

"Every interaction between an officer and a member of the public is an opportunity to build trust," Revell said. "Initiatives like Approach with Care help us better understand the needs of the people we serve, so we can respond with greater awareness while continuing to keep our community safe. We are grateful to our community partners for helping make this initiative possible and for their continued commitment to the families of Tallahassee and Leon County."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately one in 31 children in the United States has been identified as having ASD, making it one of the most common developmental disabilities nationwide. As research continues to allow increased and earlier diagnoses, TPD continues to ensure its officers receive the training, resources and community partnerships needed to better serve every member of the community. 

As part of the initiative, families and adults with ASD can receive a free vehicle decal that discreetly alerts first responders that someone inside the vehicle may be on the autism spectrum. The decal serves as an additional communication tool, providing officers with important context before an interaction begins.

Zenko said FSU CARD is honored to partner with TPD on this important initiative. 

“By giving law enforcement officers a visual cue to alert them that the vehicle they are approaching may have a passenger with autism, it allows the officer to shift their mindset before initiating any interaction,” she said. “This decal, in combination with autism education for law enforcement officers, sets the officers and the community members up for success during potentially stressful situations.”

Approach With Care decals are available at no cost through TPD’s Community Relations Unit, FSU CARD, Leon County Schools through Exceptional Student Education teachers, and MidTown Print. Other community partners include Behavioral Management Consultants, Cayer Behavioral Group and Children’s Home Society Early Steps.

FSU CARD is one of seven regional, non-residential resource centers funded by the Florida Legislature through the Florida Department of Education. They provide free support, consultation and training across the lifespan for individuals with ASD and related disabilities. Led by Zenko and Executive Director David Ledbetter, FSU CARD has offices in Tallahassee, Panama City and Pensacola serving the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend.

In addition, the College of Medicine has been heavily involved in autism research for years, primarily through the team built by Professor Amy Wetherby, Ph.D., an internationally respected expert in the field.