James Messing Email & Phone Number

Memphis, Tn, Us

Memphis, Tn, Us

Memphis, Tennessee, United States

Imaging specialist in the Cell & Molecular Biology/ Center for Pediatric Neurological Disease Research's Microscopy Core led by Alex Carisey. Maintain 13 Light Microscopy Instruments and train/assist users in sample prep, acquisition, and analysis of imaging based data. Techniques covered include Confocal microscopy, Live-cell imaging, FRAP, FRET, Lifetime imaging, TIRF, Super-resolution Microscopy (SIM, Lattice SIM, STED, tauSTED, STORM).

Lead researcher specialist working in Dr. J Paul Taylor's lab in the department of Cell and Molecular Biology. Focus on live-cell imaging to investigate dynamics of RNA granules and their disturbance in Neurodegenerative disease.•Interim Manager of the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology's Microscopy Core (October 2021-June 2022). Perform maintenance and upkeep on all departmental instruments, provide training and technical support to users, and assist users with experimental design and data analysis.• Developed a system to reconstitute membrane-less organelles (stress granules and the granular component of Nucleoli) ex-vivo using a mammalian cell lysate. The reconstituted organelles were faithful to in-vivo organelles in terms of composition (assayed by immunofluorescence and mass spectrometry), and mobility (assayed by FRAP). Co-primary author, published in Journal of Cell Biology January 2021.• Designed multiple stress based live-cell assays that the Taylor lab has used in their publications to induce and monitor stress granule dynamics and assay mobility via FRAP, FLIP, or photoactivation.• Manage Taylor lab microscopes, and support lab members in their design, execution, and analysis of microscope based assays including FRAP, FRET and super-resolution (SIM, STED, and STORM).

Memphis Tn

HHMI research specialist working in Dr. J Paul Taylor's lab in the department of Cell and Molecular Biology. Focus on live-cell imaging to investigate dynamics of RNA granules and their disturbance in Neurodegenerative disease.•Interim Manager of the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology's Microscopy Core (October 2021-Present). Perform maintenance and upkeep on all departmental instruments, provide training and technical support to users, and assist users with experimental design and data analysis.• Developed a system to reconstitute membrane-less organelles (stress granules and the granular component of Nucleoli) ex-vivo using a mammalian cell lysate. The reconstituted organelles were faithful to in-vivo organelles in terms of composition (assayed by immunofluorescence and mass spectrometry), and mobility (assayed by FRAP). Co-primary author, published in Journal of Cell Biology January 2021.• Designed multiple stress based live-cell assays that the Taylor lab has used in their publications to induce and monitor stress granule dynamics and assay mobility via FRAP, FLIP, or photoactivation.• Manage Taylor lab microscopes, and support lab members in their design, execution, and analysis of microscope based assays including FRAP, FRET and super-resolution (SIM, STED, and STORM).

Memphis, Tn

Research Technologist in the lab of Dr. J Paul Taylor in the department of Cell & Molecular Biology. My lab work involved looking at stress granule dynamics and their disturbance in disease.• Using live-cell imaging, found that pathological mutations in TIA-1 caused a delay in the clearance of stress granules in cells recovering from heatshock.• Using structured illumination microscopy, was able to determine in the super resolved images that presence of pathological dipeptide repeats (DPRs) GR50 and PR50 led to reorganization of the nucleolus in mammalian cells where the FC and DFC were substantially increased in size.

Ithaca Ny

I had been a part of the King Lab since the sophomore year of my undergraduate degree at Cornell. My lab work primarily involved discovery and development of novel cancer therapeutics using cutting-edge biotechnology to facilitate the delivery process:• I initiated and led a project which developed a method to use nanoparticles to genetically modify the circulating white blood cells to express an anti-cancer protein. Previously this was only possible in vivo through viral transfection.• In a separate project designed to improve delivery of a combination therapy for cancer, I used liposomes to extend the short half-life of these proteins to improve their therapeutic value. • I worked on a project which investigated the molecular mechanisms behind TRAIL-induced cellular migration, which often diminishes the benefits of TRAIL’s anti-cancer properties. I have developed a combinational therapy to overcome TRAIL induced migration in-vitro.

Rochester, Ny

I worked in Dr. Yi-fen Lee's lab in the Pathology labs in the Department of Urology at the University of Rochester. I learned a large a variety of technical lab skills which has greatly helped me in my current research. My projects involved examining the preventive and therapeutic effects of Vitamin D on prostate cancer. We found that microRNAs (a small RNA fragment which can inhibit the translation of RNA) were key in Vitamin D's anti-cancer effect, in particular we found that microRNA-98 could inhibit prostate cancer growth and that it was a biomarker induced by Vitamin D.

Rochester, Ny

We examined cancer distribution in the US based on racial composition, gender and age. Data analysis indicated that there were multiple discrepancies between the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data source compiled by the National Cancer Institute, and the tumor registries of each state.

Master'S Degree, Biomedical/Medical Engineering

Master's of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering. Working in the King lab focusing on therapeutics for metastatic cancer, In particular.

Bachelor'S Degree, Biology, General

• Bachelors of Science in Biology: Biology major, Applied Economics Management Business minor • Graduated with honors and a distinction.