Reconstruction work has begun at the Art League of Long Island.
Reconstruction work has begun at the Art League of Long Island.
Reconstruction work has begun at the Art League of Long Island.
Reconstruction work has begun at the Art League of Long Island.
Reconstruction, reopening, and calls for donations to ensure future sustainability
The Art League of Long Island (ALLI) in Dix Hills has announced the successful beginning of the reconstruction efforts following the devastating damage caused by heavy rainfall on September 29, 2023. The catastrophe led to substantial damage to all nine studios, the Jeanie Tengelsen Gallery, office space, and the library.
Despite the challenges faced, the Art League community remained resilient. Temporary accommodations were arranged for classes and exhibitions, hosted by supportive partners such as Spirit of Huntington, Nassau Community College’s Art Department, Nassau County Museum of Art, and the Half Hollow Hills and Northport School Districts. Exhibitions, including one hosted by Empire Mazda of Huntington, continued to thrive. The Art League of Long Island stood firm, ensuring the continuity of its programs and events.
Reconstruction efforts, managed by Anthony Lauto of Camber Strategies, are comprehensive, including renovations to the building and grounds. Critical infrastructure enhancements, such as the installation of six catch basins, a new concrete walkway, updated curbing to the foundation, a water dam, and additional drywells. Essential repairs to the parking lot and internal spaces are also being executed, including patching of sheetrock and drywall, improved insulation, repainting of the Strolling & Jeanie Tengelsen Gallery, installation of new flooring, and enhancements to studios for better lighting and storage.
The total cost of these efforts amounts to approximately $500,000, entirely funded through internal resources. However, the Art League of Long Island continues to seek support from the community through donations to match its programs with the renewed space and to establish an endowment for future sustainability.
Executive Director, Marianne Della Croce highlighted, “Our mission, dating back to 1955, has been to provide broad-based visual arts education and serve as a platform for artists of all ages and abilities. Our vision remains steadfast in creating an art-centric community that fosters creativity and support. We are seeking continued backing from our community to ensure the Art League continues its impactful journey.”
The Art League of Long Island invites individuals and businesses to contribute through memberships, donations, and employer matching programs. Every contribution will help sustain the Art League’s mission, supporting artists’ development, outreach programs to underserved communities, and maintaining high-quality fine arts exhibitions.
For more information on how to donate and support the Art League of Long Island, please visit www.artleagueli.org.
The cast of 'Frosty', from left, Caroline Meyers, Terrence Bryce Sheldon, Natalie Seus, Patrick McCowen and Jae Hughes in a scene from the show. Photo courtesy of The John W. Engeman Theater
A scene from 'Frosty'. Photo courtesy of The John W. Engeman Theater
A scene from 'Frosty'. Photo courtesy of The John W. Engeman Theater
A scene from 'Frosty'. Photo courtesy of The John W. Engeman Theater
The cast of 'Frosty'. Photo courtesy of The John W. Engeman Theater
The popular holiday show has been extended to Jan. 7.
By Julianne Mosher
Frosty the snowman is a fairytale, they say. He was made of snow but the children know how he came to life one day. This long-time holiday favorite is now playing at the Engeman Theater in Northport and it’s certainly one you need to bring the kids to.
This modern take on the classic tale brings the holiday musical to life with catchy sing-a-longs and plenty of audience participation. Directed by Andrew McCluskey with stage manager and choreographer Jillian Sharpe, Frosty is not only wholesome, but shares important messages of friendship.
The show starts off with narrator Candy Kane Carolyn (Caroline Meyers) who gives the lay of the land in Chillsville — a little town with a population of about 500 that’s always covered in snow. It’s the townspeople’s favorite thing. She introduces us to Jenny (Natalie Seus), the mayor’s daughter, who loves to play outside, but usually by herself. She doesn’t have many friends.
With the help of her father (Terrence Bryce Sheldon), they build a snowman in the park and name him Frosty. The mayor gives Jenny his scarf that she eventually puts onto the snowman, and because there was so much love in that piece of fabric, Frosty (played by Patrick McCowen) comes to life.
We’re introduced to Ebenezer Pierpot (played last weekend by swing actor Christina Cotignola, but typically Jae Hughes), the president of Pierpot Enterprises — a manufacturer of snow shovels, snowblowers, and ice scrapers — who want to build a bigger factory in the park but can’t do that with all the snow. During a meeting at town hall, Pierpot tricks the mayor into signing a contract to build a machine that will melt all the snow in the town, putting Frosty’s life in jeopardy. They describe it as a giant outdoor dehumidifier.
As the weather gets warmer, Jenny must come up with a plan to save the town and make sure her new friend Frosty doesn’t melt away.
Frosty is full of fun surprises, but the best part of all is seeing the enthusiasm on the children in the audience’s faces. What is so special is that as soon as you sit down, the actors on stage start to interact with the kids, asking them questions, making them sing along and even asking for advice. They call on them to tell the rest of the audience what ideas they have throughout the show which could help Frosty and his friend.
Being included in the conversations on stage definitely make the children sitting in the seats below feel validated and important, like they are part of the show as well.
Meet the cast in the lobby after the show for pictures and autographs. An autograph page is conveniently located at the back of the program.
The John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport presents Frosty, which has been extended through Jan. 7. Running time is 90 minutes with a 15-minute intermission.
Children’s theater continues with Disney’s Frozen Jr. from Jan. 27 to March 3, and Alice in Wonderland will follow on March 26 to April 28. All seats are $20. For more information or to order, call 631-261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.
Shohei Ohtani. Photo by Mogami Kariya/Wikimedia Commons
By Daniel Dunaief
Daniel Dunaief
You know when you were younger and your parents, grandparents, teachers and adults in general urged you to “make every second count.”
“A second,” you’d scoff incredulously. “How much could I do in a second? It took me longer than a second just to say those words, and those, and those, and they don’t seem to count for much.”
While that may be true most of the time for most of us, it’s certainly not the case for sport’s best paid athlete, the baseball sensation Shohei Ohtani, who signed a $700 million contract to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers over the next decade.
To borrow from the Tom Cruise movie “Jerry Maguire,” the Dodgers showed him the money!
Wait, don’t go if you’re not a sports fan. This isn’t about baseball. It’s about money!
Just for fun, let’s take a closer look at the approximately $33.5 million Sports Insider Andrew Petcash estimates Ohtani will earn per year after taxes and fees.
Assuming he’s paid for every second of each year, that means, he earns $1.06 each second. That’s what he’ll earn each second he sleeps, eats, sits in traffic, brushes his teeth or waits for an announcer to say his name so he can run on the field.
Assuming he has a healthy 60 beats per minute heart rate, that means each time his heart goes “lub-dub,” he earns about a dollar.
According to a website called covers.com, the average time to sing “The National Anthem” is 115.4 seconds, which means Ohtani makes $122.32 each time he listens to the national anthem of a country where he’s earning much more than a living.
Extending the math a bit, Ohtani clears $3,824.74 per hour.
As for each day, he’ll make $91,780.82. At that rate, it will take the star pitcher and home run hitter (yes, he can do both) 11 days to make a million dollars.
Each month, his after tax take home pay will be $2.79 million. Assuming Ohtani, who is single, follows the General Rule for engagement rings, namely, that he should spend at least two months of salary on the ring, some lucky future partner may be in line for a ring that costs $5.58 million. That assumes the value of the ring comes from what he’s taking home and not his overall salary. If he chose a ring based on his gross pay, he’d spend a whopping $11.7 million, which is the equivalent of 16 average priced homes in Setauket.
So, speaking of cash, what does $33.5 million look like? If you stacked dollar bills, which are 0.0043 inches wide, one on top of the other without any extra space between the bills, the pile of money would reach 12,004 feet. That would stretch 2.3 miles into the sky.
Now, if he were to try to hold that money — and no one uses cash anymore, so why would he – he would need more than a few teammates. There are $454 dollar bills in a pound, which means that $33.5 million weighs 73,788 pounds.
Realistically, dollar bills aren’t the most likely currency for someone who earns over $1 for every second. Maybe you’d prefer to stack $1,000 bills? That would still present a pile of money that’s about 12 feet tall. Imagine how much money you’d make if you were standing downwind of that pile during a sudden gust? That sounds like the winner’s circle for a future game show.
Of course, you say, the first player since Babe Ruth to demonstrate proficiency as a pitcher and a home run hitter is not getting paid for every second, but, rather, for the magic he works on the field.
If we want to break it down just to the time he’s paid during games, the average time for a baseball game in 2023 was two hours and 42 minutes. The season has 162 games. Let’s throw in 19 additional games, assuming his Dodgers win each series in the maximum number of games and become World Series champions. That means, he’s a part of 29,322 minutes of baseball or 1.8 million seconds. Assuming his paycheck covers games and not all the practice time and spring training, he clears $38.88 per second. So, depending on how you look at it, he earns somewhere between $1.06 for every second of each year and $38.88 for each second he plays.
Yeah, and you thought your lawyer was charging you a pretty penny!
Tuesday we went to the funeral of another longtime friend. The chapel was overflowing with well wishers and mourners, and he deserved nothing less. He was a good man in every sense of the word: a good husband, a good father, a good grandfather, an inquisitive and caring person and a fun companion. He was a highly ethical man, never speaking against anyone who was not a government official, and it seems he enjoyed his life.
He will be deeply missed.
Funny how life has a stark clarity during a funeral that then fades away when we are dealing with the chores of daily living. As the eulogies were read by his family, some stories making us laugh, others making us tear, we could see the tapestry of his life unfold. As we listened, we could not help but think of the unfinished paths of our own lives. How precious is each day with our loved ones, for they give the deepest meaning to our existence. What a miracle life is, and not to be wasted on some petty grievance or unnecessary anger. In fact, not to be wasted at all but to be lived to the fullest, with purpose and kindness: to be enjoyed even as we try to make our small world better regularly by doing the laundry.
Some day, each of us in that crowded room will die. What will be said of us, what amusing stories will be told, what terrible flaws did we have? How did we spend our so short lives on earth?
A poem was read at the funeral that spoke to this message, and as it was being read, almost every mourner’s head nodded in agreement. I share it with you here. It was called, “Dash,” by Linda Ellis.
I read of a man who stood to speak at a funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning…to the end.
He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears but said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not how much we own, the cars…the house…the cash. What matters is how we lived and loved and how we spend our dash.
So, think about this long and hard; are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left that still can be rearranged.
To be less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile…
Remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.
So when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you lived your dash?
As I sat listening to the eulogies, I recalled that I first learned of death shortly after I learned to read. I loved reading fairy tales, about princes and princesses and dragons and castles, and one of the stories ended with the death of a hero. I remember rushing into the kitchen in great distress and asking my mother and father, who, poor souls, were just eating what they expected to be a peaceful dinner, if there was such a thing as death? Further to the point, would they die? And why? They tried to calm me down, telling me soothing words, but clearly it was such an anguishing moment that I recall it to this day.
I’m supposed to be grown up now, and I accept the loss of loved ones with a broken heart. While death is a mystery, life remains a miracle.
Harborfields High School student Olivia Eusanio was recently selected as an All-Region player by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. Photo courtesy HCSD
Harborfields High School student Olivia Eusanio was recently selected as an All-Region player by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association, recognizing her as one of only 171 players selected from over 500 spanning 20 states who were nominated this year.
NFHCA High School All-Region teams are made up of student-athletes that represent the highest level of field hockey players in their region.
“This is the very first time Harborfields has had an All-Region selection,” coach Lauren Desiderio said. “We are very, very proud of Olivia and the accolades she has worked so hard to achieve this past season. She truly represents the best of Harborfields through her athleticism, academic achievement and sportsmanship.”
Elwood-John H. Glenn High School student leaders and role models attend the annual Compassion Without Borders Student Leadership Conference. Photo courtesy ESD
Elwood-John H. Glenn High School student leaders and role models recently attended the annual Compassion Without Borders Student Leadership Conference, sponsored by the Suffolk County Principals Association and hosted this year by Half Hollow Hills East High School.
The event provides young leaders a chance to network with their peers from across Suffolk County and learn from other students through leadership activities.
“John Glenn Student Council members were able to share experiences and ideas with other student leaders from throughout Suffolk County,” teacher Jon Maccarello said. “Our student leaders were able to discover their ‘why’ and find more motivation for bettering their community.”
Last week, tech giant Google reached an agreement with the Canadian government that will allow the search engine to continue publishing links to local news outlets under select conditions. As part of the bargain, Google will pay out roughly U.S. $73.5 million annually to Canadian news companies.
We regard this development as a significant victory for local journalism, setting a powerful precedent we can follow here in the United States.
The local press is a vital institution for sustaining democracy. We know that in news deserts — or places not served by a local newspaper — communities generally have less civic engagement and more governmental mismanagement.
Without local news, we become alienated from the democratic process. Distant bureaucracies in Washington and Albany — over which we have little influence as private citizens — dominate our mental space and shape our worldviews.
Without local news, we can consume only the most polarizing, partisan content from mainstream media outlets that prosper and profit from a national culture of division.
At TBR, we are committed to a ground-up style of democracy. A stable federalist system requires a solid foundation. Like the food chain, community journalism is the primary producer, giving life to all other levels of democracy. Without the local press, our entire democratic ecosystem could collapse.
Local journalists reporting on civic matters and informed citizens engaging in the political process are the pillars of a thriving democracy. But how our industry is changing.
Today, local outlets fight just to survive — much less thrive and expand. Local newspapers have simply struggled to adapt in this digital age. Meanwhile, tech conglomerates are cannibalizing the local media landscape, circulating and monetizing our content without equitable compensation while siphoning away precious advertising dollars from small businesses — the lifeblood of the local press.
We find this dynamic deeply problematic. Fortunately, we have recourse.
Right now, the state Legislature is considering the Local Journalism Sustainability Act. This measure would create tax credits for local journalists and monetarily reward local news subscribers.
We regard this legislation as a positive first step toward attracting and retaining talent in our industry while counteracting the declines faced by many of our shuttering peers. We ask each of our state legislators to support this measure and invite readers to lobby them on our behalf.
But the work doesn’t end in Albany. Local news outlets in the U.S. deserve compensation from Big Tech, similar to our Canadian counterparts. If Canada can defend its local press, our federal government can, too.
The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, introduced in the U.S. Senate earlier this year by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) with broad bipartisan support, would allow local outlets to jointly negotiate fair compensation for access to our content by Google, Facebook and other large corporations.
We urge our U.S. Congressman Nick LaLota (R-NY1) to pick up the measure, guiding the slim House majority toward enactment.
As local press members, we are staring down an extinction-level event. The monopolistic, plagiaristic, predatory tactics of Big Tech must end. We ask for a level playing field.
To our readers and public officials alike, we urge you to do what you can to stand up for local news.
Picture Stony Brook University Hospital. It’s over a million square feet of facilities provide a wide range of medical services. The people who run the operations in this complex have created policies and procedures that make the entire hospital much greener than the distinctive two-tone building that’s visible from a distance along Nicolls Road.
For the hospital’s plethora of policies that protect the planet, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently recognized Stony Brook, among others, for a commitment to decarbonize its operations and improve its resilience amid climate change.
Barbara Boyle is the director of Healthcare Safety at Stony Brook University Hospital. Photo from Stony Brook Medicine/ Jeanne Neville
During the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference, called COP28 in Dubai, HHS recognized Stony Brook as one of more than 130 organizations that joined the White House-HHS Health Sector climate pledge, which committed to reduce emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and have net zero emissions by 2050.
The recognition is “validating” and “wonderful” and provides the kind of excitement that “pushes you along a little further,” said Barbara Boyle, Director of Healthcare Safety at Stony Brook University Hospital.
Carol Gomes, chief executive officer and chief operating officer at Stony Brook University Hospital, added that green practices were not only good for the university, but were also supportive of the bottom line.
“When you reduce bio hazardous waste from the waste stream, it reduces expenses related to carting away” the more dangerous refuse, Gomes said. Such actions are part of the school’s fiscal responsibility.
Numerous measures
Stony Brook University Hospital has taken a wide range of steps to reduce its carbon footprint, to minimize toxins, and to reuse and recycle materials to encourage sustainability.
One of the first initiatives was to install motion and LED lighting. While the cost of a bulb might be higher initially, the lights last much longer.
“You have to think longer term, not shorter term in terms of savings,” said Gomes. “I was so proud of that project” which included retrofitting every light in the hospital, parking garage and on the roadway on the campus.
Carol Gomes is the chief executive officer and chief operating officer at Stony Brook University Hospital. File photo
Hospital efforts include using cleaning materials that are better for the environment. In 2022, 76% of the housekeeping chemicals were green, well up from 18% in 2021.
Additionally, electricity use at the hospital declined by 13 percent from 2020 to 2022.
In the operating room, anesthesiologists use considerably less desflurane, which is damaging to the atmosphere, with an extended lifetime in the atmosphere that has 20 times the environmental impact of other gases. The use of desflurane declined by 80 percent from 2017 to 2022.
The hospital also recycled 1,635 tons of paper. Each ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 4,000 kilowatts of energy and 7,000 gallons of water. That means, among other benefits, the hospital saved about 28,000 trees and 11.5 million gallons of water. That is 10,000 more trees than are in all of Central Park.
Coordinating emergency care
Stony Brook has also worked on a climate resilience plan to ensure that it can remain operational in case of a major climate event, such as a hurricane, an extended heat wave, or a nor’easter, among others.
“We need to make sure the hospital can continue to remain operational,” said Boyle, which includes anticipating the needs of communities that are at a disproportionate risk of climate harm.
The hospital also has extensive plans in case Stony Brook needs to provide shelter for staff who can’t return home and return to work.
Hospital staff recently joined a discussion with community members, the Suffolk County Department of Health, emergency services such as the Red Cross, and volunteer organizations to discuss how to ensure efficient and effective communication pathways and resource allocation.
Boyle explained that she learned the specifics of Red Cross shelters and cooling centers in Municipal Buildings.
Changes in personal habits
Such professional efforts are consistent with the lessons Gomes learned from her grandmother, who herself grew up during the Great Depression. Gomes recalled how her grandmother encouraged her to turn off lights when she left a room and to shut off the faucet in the kitchen sink in between cleaning dishes.
Boyle explained that her mother-in-law Beryl Ellwood Smith, who grew up in England during World War II and had lived with Boyle’s family for the last two years, didn’t believe in throwing things out. She believed everything had a second or third use, repairing and mending items to keep them longer.
“In my family, we’ve really taken this to heart, recycling and eliminating waste,” Boyle said.
The hospital encourages staff to take similar approaches to saving and recycling in their own lives.
Staff recently received a note about ways to think about sustainable holiday decorations.
People who work in the hospital can offer their friends and family experiences rather than adding to the collection of material goods often packaged in styrofoam or plastic for holiday gifts.
The hospital is encouraging its staff to “make the connection between the workplace and the home and the importance of protecting the Earth in general,” Gomes said.
Thanking community for solidarity around farm animals
Dear Community,
I want to thank you, the community, for coming together to keep the animals at the historic Sherwood-Jayne Farm on Old Post Road in East Setauket.
A special thank you to those who stopped by on Nov, 8, while Preservation Long Island [the farm owner] was trying to take away the animals. There was no notice that they were coming that day. Your presence was deeply appreciated.
Even though the farm animals — the four sheep and Snowball the pony — will be removed at some time soon, your commitment to try to keep them at the farm brought our community together in a beautiful way. It was a deep disappointment that the director of Preservation Long Island hardened her heart to not let the animals live out their lives at the Sherwood-Jayne Farm.
No one knows when the director is planning to remove the animals. You may want to take some “Grandma Moses”-style photos before the animals are taken away.
Again, my sincere thanks.
Bonnie Dunbar
Setauket
Three Village school board’s regressive decision on Regents exams
At the Nov. 29 meeting of the Three Village Central School District Board of Education, a decision was made to regress to the pre-COVID era in terms of how Regents exams will figure into our students’ grade point averages.
Instead of permanently instating the “do no harm” policy that has been in place since the pandemic, a slim majority voted to do away with it altogether. The “grading committee” apparently felt it was far more important to simply lower the percentage that the exams will count in a final course GPA from 12% to 10% rather than take into consideration the considerable damage these flawed exams can do to one’s final course grade.
The simple truth is that most students who will be taking Regents exams this year are either first timers or those who have not been tainted by the tests because of the policy that has been in place. I applaud the one board member, Karen Roughley, who delivered an extremely comprehensive argument for why the “do no harm” policy was the most advantageous opportunity for our students to be successful.
Students who excel all year and achieve mastery in their quarter grades should not have the average destroyed by one test. There are innumerable factors that can alter how students perform on their Regents, including test anxiety and/or other mental health issues, illness, outside distractions and so forth. Yet the board ignored the opportunity to ensure that our students do not suffer if they are unable to regurgitate information during a three-hour state exam.
New York State neither requires nor recommends that Regents exams be counted in a student’s final course grade. Several districts, including Jericho — that Three Village chooses to compare themselves to — do not count Regents exams in their final GPA.
Why then, with this information, does this district insist on continuing down this archaic rabbit hole? Is it not enough that the Chemistry Regents includes a downward curve or that the ELA and United States history exams have formats now that even the strongest students struggle with?
The grading committee’s claim that our students wouldn’t put forth the same effort if they knew the scores wouldn’t count was completely disproven by the data presentation at the meeting. The mere suggestion is insulting to our kids and those responsible for preparing them for the exams.
The board’s decision was one of cowardice and a disregard for our children’s success. To say I am disappointed, as a great many parents are, would be a huge understatement.
Stefanie Werner
East Setauket
Miller Place fire commissioner bid
Dear Residents of the Miller Place Fire District,
My name is Kyle Markott and I’m writing to ask for your support as I run for Miller Place Fire District commissioner. I believe my skills, knowledge and experience of fire district operations make me an ideal candidate for the position of fire commissioner.
I joined the Miller Place Fire Department as a .junior member in 1994 at the age of 14. After serving four years in the juniors, I was honored to be sworn in as an active member. As years went by, I rose through the ranks serving as chief driver, lieutenant and then captain of the Engine Company. In 2007 I was elected as 3rd assistant chief. I went on to serve eight years in the chief’s office attaining the rank of chief of department in 2013-14.
I believe what sets me apart is my experience with fire district operations. For the past four years I have served as a fire district manager. I handle all aspects of the fire district on a day-to-day basis including the management of a 20-person staff, creation of the annual budget, truck and building maintenance, overseeing a 24/7 dispatch and EMS operation, and daily interaction with all our vendors.
Having knowledge of what is happening in other fire districts and the county is also an important trait of an effective commissioner. For the past nine years I have served on the Suffolk County Fire Rescue & Emergency Services Commission, and I currently serve as chairman. This commission makes recommendations to the county executive and Legislature regarding fire and EMS services in the county.
I hope my over-26 years of experience in the fire and EMS service makes me the best candidate for the commissioner position.
The commissioner election is on Tuesday, Dec. 12, from 4-9 p.m. at the Miller Place Fire Department headquarters located at 12 Miller Place Road.
Addition and subtraction aren’t just important during elementary school math class or to help prepare tax returns.
As it turns out, they are also important in the molecular biological world of healthy or diseased cells.
Some diseases add or subtract methyl groups, with a chemical formula of CH3, or phosphate groups, which has a phosphorous molecule attached to four oxygen molecules.
Nicholas Tonks. Photo courtesy of CSHL
Adding or taking away these groups can contribute to the progression of a disease that can mean the difference between sitting comfortably and watching a child’s performance of The Wizard of Oz or sitting in a hospital oncology unit, waiting for treatment for cancer.
Given the importance of these units, which can affect the function of cells, researchers have spent considerable time studying enzymes such as kinases, which add phosphates to proteins.
Protein tyrosine phosphatases, which Professor Nicholas Tonks at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory purified when he was a postdoctoral researcher, removes these phosphate groups.
Recent PhD graduate Zhe Qian, who conducted research for six years in Tonks’s lab while a student at Stony Brook University, published a paper in the journal Genes & Development demonstrating how an antibody that interferes with a specific type of protein tyrosine phosphatase called PTPRD alters the way breast cancer spreads in cell cultures.
“The PTPs are important regulators of the process of signal transduction — the mechanisms by which cells respond to changes in their environment,” explained Tonks. “Disruption of these signal transduction mechanisms frequently underlies human disease.”
To be sure, Tonks cautioned that the study, which provides a proof of concept for the use of antibodies to manipulate signaling output in a cancer cell, is a long way from providing another tool to combat the development or spread of breast cancer.
The research, which formed the basis for Qian’s PhD project, offers an encouraging start on which to add more information.
Blocking the receptor
Qian, who goes by the name “Changer,” suggested that developing a compound or small molecule to inhibit or target the receptor for this enzyme was difficult, which is “why we chose to use an antibody-based method,” he said.
By tying up a receptor on the outside of the cell membrane, the antibody also doesn’t need to enter the cell to reach its target.
The Antibody Shared Resource, led by Research Associate Professor Johannes Yeh, created antibodies to this particular receptor. Yeh created an antibody is shaped like a Y, with two arms with specific attachments for the PTPD receptor.
Once the antibody attaches, it grabs two of these receptors at the same time, causing a dimerization of the protein. Binding to these proteins causes them to lose their functionality and, ultimately, destroys them.
Cell cultures of breast cancer treated with this antibody became less invasive.
Limited presence
One of the potential complications of finding a new target for any treatment is the side effects from such an approach.
If, for example, these receptors also had normal metabolic functions in a healthy cell, inhibiting or killing those receptors could create problematic side effect.
In this case, however,the targeted receptor is expressed in the spine and the brain. Antibodies normally don’t cross the blood-brain barrier.
Qian and Tonks don’t know if the antibody would affect the normal function of the brain. Further research would help address this and other questions.
Additionally, as with any possible treatment, future research would also need to address whether cancer cells developed resistance to such an approach.
In the time frame Qian explored, the cells in culture didn’t become resistant.
If the potential therapeutic use of this antibody becomes viable, future researchers and clinicians might combine several treatments to develop ways to contain breast cancer.
Eureka moment
In his research, Qian studied the effect of these antibodies on fixed cell, which are dead but still have the biochemical features of a living cell He also studied living cells.
When the antibody attaches to the receptor, it becomes visible through a staining process. Most antibody candidates stain living cells. Only the successful one showed loss-of-signal in living staining.
The antibody Qian used not only limited the ability of the receptor to send a signal, but also killed the receptor. The important moment in his research occurred when he discovered the antibody suppressed cancer cell invasion in cell culture.
Outside of the lab, Qian enjoys swimming, which he does between four and five times per week. Indeed, he combined his athletic and professional pursuits when he recently raised funds for Swim Across America.
“I not only want to do research, but I also want to call more attention to cancer research in the public,” said Qian.
The Swim Across America slogan suggests that each stroke is for someone who “couldn’t be with us” because of cancer. In the lab, Qian thinks each time he pipettes liquids during one of his many experiments it is for someone who couldn’t make it as well.
Qian, who currently lives in Hicksville, grew up in Suchow City, which is a village west of Shanghai and where Cold Spring Harbor Asia is located.
Qian has been living on Long Island since he arrived in the United States. Qian graduated from Stony Brook University in October and is currently looking for a job in industry.
Looking back, Qian is pleased with the work he’s done and the contribution he’s made to breast cancer research. He believes the antibody approach offers a viable alternative or complement to searching for small molecules that could target or inhibit proteins or enzymes important in the development of cancer.
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