Jody Kohut, BS in Biochemistry and Graduate of the Honors Program, May 1998
After working in a medical research lab for two years following graduation, Jody is currently attending a school of osteopathic medicine in New Jersey, her home state. Jody writes, "I want to continue with my research as well and they have a wonderful program. I have to thank you for helping me realize my love and excitment for research. I have published two book chapters and an abstract which I presented at the American society of bone and mineral research."

As an undergraduate, Jody studied the effect of blood content on light dose for photodynamic therapy. She determined the effective light dose for dye-sensitized K562 leukemia cells with clonal assays. Dyes that were tested included Photofrin (Reg. TM) and Lutetium Texaphyrin. (Photofrin supplied by QLT, Lu-Tex by Pharmacyclics) The project was funded by a grant from the Oak Ridge Associated Universities. This project won a prize in the Medicine Division of the 1998 South Carolina Academy of Science.

Jody's Spring 1997 project also won a prize in the Medicine Division at the South Carolina Academy of Science. Jody showed that merocyanine 540 localizes in the lysosomes of KB fibroblast cells, as seen by co-localization with lysotracker green. Merocyanine 540 is a dye that used experimentally for photodynamic purging of bone marrow.

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