Department recognizes work in microbiology, human health and bioengineering

In 2025, University of Delaware graduate students contributed more than 30 publications in internationally recognized biological journals, covering topics including microbiology, worm biology, eye diseases, cancer biology, bioengineering and many more. Alicia Kreiman, Malek Elsayyid and Malak Alradi were awarded the Carson's Best Graduate Student Publication Awards.

Mapping heme transport in bacterial cells

UD Biological Sciences graduate researcher Alicia Kreiman helped uncover how bacteria safely transport heme—an essential but potentially toxic molecule required for life. Using biochemical mapping and structural analysis, the team identified a conserved channel in the CcmCD protein complex that moves heme across cell membranes during cytochrome c assembly. Because heme is vital for energy production and cellular respiration across organisms, understanding its transport clarifies a fundamental biological process and may inform future antimicrobial strategies targeting bacterial energy systems.

Kreiman is a doctoral student who works in the lab of biology professor Molly Sutherland. She was the first author of the article in mBio, "Biochemical mapping reveals a conserved heme transport mechanism via CcmCD in System I bacterial cytochrome c biogenesis." During the research project, Kreiman mentored senior Sarah Garner, who became the second author of the article. Garner is now a medical student at Thomas Jefferson University’s Sidney Kimmel School of Medicine.

Expanding tools for biomedical research

Doctoral student Malek Elsayyid developed a streamlined method to analyze proteins in Caenorhabditis elegans, a key model organism in biomedical research. Her on-filter in-cell (OFIC) approach enables deep proteome analysis from as few as 50–200 worms—dramatically reducing sample loss and processing time. The team identified more than 9,400 proteins, the largest unfractionated C. elegans proteome reported to date. This advance allows scientists to study how disease-related genes, including the ALS-linked SOD1 ortholog, reshape cellular protein networks, accelerating discoveries in neurodegeneration and human health. While working on her Ph.D., Elsayyid became the first UD student to complete the Generative AI for Business graduate certificate at Lerner College. She later used AI technology to identify and label the proteins in a complex data set of worm cell images. 

Elsayyid works in the lab of biology professor Jessica Tanis. She was the first author of "Simple In-Cell Processing Enables Deep Proteome Analysis of Low-Input Caenorhabditis elegans," published in Analytical Chemistry.

Decoding fat tissue

In a study featured in UDaily's Decoding Fat Tissue, doctoral student Malak Alradi examined how long-term high-fat diets alter gene activity in different fat depots. Using RNA sequencing in mice, Alradi found that visceral adipose tissue (VAT)—linked to diabetes and cardiovascular disease—showed increased inflammatory signaling and widespread gene disruption, while subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) displayed more protective metabolic activity. Alradi's team identified four genes oppositely regulated in VAT and SAT that may drive harmful fat dysfunction. This work advances understanding of obesity-related disease and highlights potential therapeutic targets to reduce cardiometabolic risk. 

Alradi works in the lab of Ibra Fancher, assistant professor of kinesiology and applied physiology in UD’s College of Health Sciences. Alradi was the first author of "A long-term high-fat diet induces differential gene expression changes in spatially distinct adipose tissue of male mice," published in Physiological Genomics.

Cell-based therapies for joint health

Another outstanding doctoral student, Thomas Manzoni, investigated ways to improve cell-based therapies in a study published in Cartilage. Current approaches often lose key zone-specific properties needed for healthy joint function. Manzoni found that expanding superficial zone chondrocytes on chondrocyte-derived decellularized matrices enhanced cell growth while preserving expression of Proteoglycan-4 (PRG4), a molecule critical for joint lubrication. By improving the quality and quantity of therapeutic cells, this work advances strategies to engineer more functional, native-like cartilage—an important step toward better treatments for osteoarthritis and joint injuries.

Manzoni was the first author on the article, "Enhanced Superficial Zone Chondrocyte Expansion and Redifferentiation by Culture on Chondrocyte-Derived Decellularized Matrices." He wrote the article in collaboration with fellow students Anh Ho, Lilly Smull and Jeffrey Waters. The article was based on their research in the Parreno Lab, led by Justin Parreno, assistant professor in Biological Sciences and Biomedical Engineering.