Posted on June 23: Second-year student wins research excellence award

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Rullo_Jacob_opt.jpg” caption=”Jacob Rullo”]A second-year McMaster University student has presented a major research paper and received an award from the American Physiological Society.

Jacob Rullo of Hamilton, 20, has won a David S. Bruce Award for undergraduate research. This is the first year for the awards, which are given annually to up to four undergraduate students at North American universities.

Rullo, who has just finished his second year of the Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) program, has been working in the laboratory of Alison Fox-Robichaud since his last year of high school.

His current project involves developing and characterizing a model of liver injury associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The
model involves giving mice a compound called dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) in the drinking water. In five to seven days the mice develop
inflammation that has features of ulcerative colitis, one form of inflammatory bowel disease.

Rullo found these mice also had inflammation developing in the liver. Using a technique called intravital microscopy he was able to directly observe the white blood cells moving into the small blood vessel of the liver. He found that with repeated cycles of the DSS water there was a marked increase in white blood cells sticking in the liver. It is hoped that this model will improve the understanding of the mechanisms of liver inflammation experienced by up to 15 per cent of patients with IBD.

He presented his research titled “The Hepatic Microcirculation in a model of Recurrent Colitis,” at a special session of the FASEB
Experimental Biology meeting in Washington D.C., on April 18, 2004.
More than 13,000 delegates attended the meeting.

“Dr. Fox-Robichaud has been such a great mentor and it was especially rewarding for me to be able to bring recognition to her research and McMaster through receipt of this award,” said Rullo.

Rullo's future career path includes becoming a clinician scientist and pursuing an MD/PhD degree in the areas of gastroenterology,
immunology and cardiology.

Fox-Robichaud, professor of medicine, says the honours Bachelor of Health Sciences program is highly sought-after and leads to multi-disciplinary careers in the health field.

“Until this program was created, the Faculty of Health Sciences did not have its own pool of undergraduate students with an interest in
research. These students are often the top high school science students and now we have an opportunity to recruit these students directly into health sciences research,” she said.

“The award is significant because it highlights the fact that bright Canadian undergraduate students like Jacob are doing physiology
research that is outstanding. Students like Jacob have an enthusiasm for learning and for science that needs to be encouraged.”

Rullo, a graduate of St. Mary's Catholic Secondary School, received a certificate of recognition and a $500 award.