Intership Projects
The JIFSAN internship program allows undergraduate students at the University of Maryland, College Park to participate in research at FDA facilities, including the Harvey Wiley Building in College Park and the MOD1 & MOD11 facilities on Muirkirk Road in Laurel, MD. Internships require a time commitment of 8-10 hours/week during the semester and 30 hours/week during winterterm and summer. After 100 hours as an unpaid intern, JIFSAN interns become eligible to compete for a paid internship for subsequent semesters.
Internship applications are available online or from the College of CMNS Internship Office (1313 Symons Hall). Internships generally begin in the summer and continue through the subsequent academic year. At the current time, projects seeking interns are posted in February and for best consideration applications should be submitted by March 15.
Concentrations
Animal Health
Animal Health
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Biological Sciences
Biology
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JIP-218
Status: Internship not available
Project Title: To identify allergenic proteins of the major food allergens and to determine their digestibility and IgE immunoreactivity.
Principal Investigators: Foye-Jackson, Ondulla
Project Description: Food allergies are an emerging health problem in the US with more than 30,000 anaphylactic reactions annually due to food allergens. Anaphylaxis is a multi-system allergic reaction that may be deadly if not treated promptly, with food allergies accounting for 35- 50% of anaphylaxis annually. Additionally, the prevalence of food allergy among children under the age of 18 has increased 18% from 1997 to 2007, which may be consequential to the lack of breastfeeding and intensive sterilization practices preventing early colonization of the gut with commensal, “healthy” microorganisms that elicit health benefits by enhancing immunity, reducing the likelihood of illness from food borne pathogens and food allergies. The health issue of food allergy is compounded by inaccurate labeling of food allergens. Often packaged foods claiming “may contain food allergens” actually do not contain food allergens, while 2% of food products without these claims actually do contain food allergens. This presents an extreme challenge to the consumer with food allergies, who must exercise dietary avoidance. Therefore, the development and validation of accurate and precise detection methods to be used and implemented universally within the food industry for the detection of food allergens is critically necessary to ensure label accuracy. Additionally, due to the advancements of biotechnology a vast array of genetically modified food crops containing nouvelle proteins which may have allergenic potential have been introduced into the production of packaged foods, presenting new challenges to the sensitive consumer.
Project Objective: With the introduction of new proteins into the food industry from genetically modified grains and tree nuts, our goal is to elucidate the allergenicity of these novel proteins by using the tools of molecular biology and immunobiogy within the laboratory. The applicant will standardize gastric and intestinal luminal digestion procedures on crude extracts from the eight major food allergens, identify temporal stability of food allergen proteins to gastric and luminal digestion by western blot analysis and 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and determine the immunoreactivity of digestion stable food allergens to specific IgE from the sera of mice and human subjects with food allergens using immunoblotting techniques. Further, the intern will use a mouse model to parallel human food allergy response to better understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for mediating type I hypersensitivity reactions to food allergens within the immune system and to better identify new methodologies of treatment and/or prevention of food allergy-related events.
Project Needs and Duration: The applicant should have basic laboratory skills, including in the production of stock solutions and dilutions along with wet bench chemistry techniques, basic pipetting techniques, and familiarity with gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting (western blots), and the area of immunology. A second year student is preferred. The estimated duration of the internship project is two years. Time requirements include 10 h/week during the school year, preferably in consecutive time blocks, and 30 h/week during break sessions.
Location: CFSAN MOD-1, 8301 Muirkirk Road, Laurel, MD
JIP-228
Status: Actively seeking interns
Project Title: Use and Applicability of Human Clinical Studies in the Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) Program
Principal Investigators: Twaroski, Timothy
Project Description: Any substance that is intentionally added to food is a food additive and is the subject to premarket safety review and approval unless the substance is generally recognized as safe (GRAS), meaning the substance has been adequately shown to be safe under the conditions of its intended use as reviewed by a panel of qualified experts. Human clinical studies were submitted in support of applications for various substances proposed for GRAS status. This project would include updating, populating, and analysis of a clinical studies database of the information contained within these applications. This is an important existing project to which various resources were allocated over the years. Analysis is expected to yield valuable information including data and trend analysis regarding what types of scientific information is currently being provided in these applications as compared to the types of information that may be necessary and pertinent to GRAS determination.
Project Objective: The objectives of this project is the review, updating, and populating of a database with information from human clinical studies that have been submitted in support of recognition of food additives as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) and its analysis for use in future guidance development. The number of studies to be evaluated is estimated at ~1000 clinical studies. Information to be extracted includes the notified test substance, study title, amount of study information, study objective and duration, treatment groups, number of subjects, population details, end points assessed, supporting animal data, and publication details.
Project Needs and Duration: The applicant should have a toxicological and/or biological sciences background and working knowledge of Microsoft Excel. The applicant would also preferably have training in trend analysis. The project has enough work to fulfill the required time commitment of 8-10 hours/week during the semester and 30 hours/week during winter term and summer. Work hours are flexible. The estimated duration of the internship project is one year.
Location: CFSAN University Station Building, 4300 River Road, College Park, MD
Botany
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Entomology
Microbiology
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JIP-227
Status: Actively seeking interns
Project Title: Isolation and identification of yeasts with antagonistic activities against Penicillium expansum, the main cause of postharvest spoilage and patulin production in apples
Principal Investigators: Tournas, Valerie
Project Description: Apples and apple products are widely consumed due to their favorable nutritive, sensory and possibly health-promoting properties. A persisting problem with apples after harvest is the spoilage and patulin (PAT) accumulation by the mould, Penicillium expansum. Patulin is a highly toxic and mutagenic mycotoxin that is often found in spoiled apples and apple products (e.g. apple juice, apple cider, apple purees, etc.) at levels above the 50 ppb level set by FDA. Several methods have been employed to reduce PAT in apple products with varying degrees of success. The best way of producing patulin-free apple products is by controlling postharvest spoilage of apples by P. expansum. Currently, synthetic fungicides have been utilized to inhibit the growth of this mould in stored apples. Some strains of P. expansum, however, have acquired resistance to commonly-used fungicides and they can no longer be controlled by these chemicals. Additionally, there is a trend in recent years to limit the use of synthetic fungicides in order to reduce contamination of the environment and avoid certain adverse effects of these chemicals on human health. Therefore, a tremendous need for alternative methods for postharvest fungal control exists. The use of biocontrol agents is an attractive option. A few yeast strains have been tested and exhibited varying degrees of inhibitory capabilities against P. expansum. Their performance, however, was not consistent. Better strains must be identified. The purpose of this study is to test additional ATCC yeast strains and isolate new, wild ones (from apples) that exhibit high efficiencies in inhibiting the growth of P. expansum and the production of PAT in apples. Identification of yeasts with dynamic inhibitory properties against P. expansum will help resolve the patulin problem in apple products.
Project Objective: The applicant will obtain yeast cultures (Saccharomyces, Pichia, Candida, Cryptococcus, and Rhodotorula) from ATCC and isolate wild yeast strains from apples (Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Fuji and Gala varieties), screen wild yeast isolates and ATCC cultures for their inhibitory effects against P. expansum in vitro, select the strains exhibiting high antagonistic capabilities against P. expansum and identify them to species level using conventional and PCR-based methods. Further, the applicant will test the yeasts strains with the highest antagonistic potential in vivo under various storage temperatures.
Project Needs and Duration: The applicant should have a background (coursework and/or lab experience) in mycology, microbiology, botany, biology or food science is required. Additionally, knowledge of aseptic techniques and lab safety rules, and experience in isolating and culturing moulds and yeasts will be a plus. This project requires 4-5 hour blocks, 2 days/week during the spring and fall semesters and 30 hours/week during summer and winter breaks. The student can work for one semester or longer (up to 3 years) depending on his/her performance. The estimated duration of the internship project is three years. Time requirements include 10 h/week during the school year, preferably in consecutive time blocks, and 30 h/week during break sessions.
Location: CFSAN Wiley Building, 5100 Paintbranch Parkway, College Park, MD
JIP-222
Status: Internship not available
Project Title: Fungal and aflatoxin contamination of milk thistle supplements
Project Description: Milk thistle (MT) supplements are very popular in the U.S. today. They are used to promote liver health due to their high content of silymarin (a complex of flavonolignans and polyphenols). Very little is known about the mycological quality of these commodities. Preliminary tests conducted in our laboratory have shown the presence of moulds from the Aspergillus flavus group in such products. These fungi are capable of producing highly toxic and carcinogenic secondary metabolites, aflatoxins, in a variety of agricultural commodities; therefore, it is possible that herbal supplements such as milk thistle also contain aflatoxins. Other mould-related toxins could also be present in milk thistle supplements if respective organisms are present and able to grow on these products. Additionally, certain fungi (moulds and yeasts) are opportunistic pathogens causing infections in certain human populations. Therefore, it is essential that fungal contamination profiles for these supplements be established. Developing fungal profiles and detecting the presence of toxigenic moulds in these products will enable FDA to determine if certain mould-related toxic metabolites are likely to be present in the same products. Since there is no universal method available for mycotoxin detection, it would be very time-consuming and costly to analyze a product (e.g. a milk thistle supplement) for each possible mycotoxin separately; knowing which moulds are present in a specific supplement will enable us to look for the right toxin(s) and save the Agency time, effort and funds. Further testing for suspect mycotoxins can lead to regulation of these metabolites. This research will benefit the Agency and the consumer by revealing the mycological quality of milk thistle supplements and any associated potential health hazards due to aflatoxin. The results of this study will also serve as a guide for the analysis of these commodities for mycotoxins other than aflatoxin. Mould profiles and mycotoxin analysis data can serve as a basis for regulation of these supplements. Revealing trends of fungal contamination in milk thistle supplements could also help the industry adopt better handling and storage practices in order to control such contamination and spoilage of these commodities. Control of fungal contamination and regulation of milk thistle supplements will benefit the consumer by making these products safer for consumption.
JIP-211
Status: Internship not available
Project Title: Cyclospora cayetanensis and Cryptosporidium parvum: Methods Development
Project Description: There has been a tremendous increase in the year-round demand for fresh produce. Improvements in storage and transportation have resulted in distributions chains bringing fresh fruits and vegetables from all over the world to neighborhood grocery stores. While there are obvious economic and nutritional benefits there is also an increased risk of foodborne outbreaks caused by pathogens such as Cyclospora cayetanensis, Cryptosporidium parvum and C. hominis. Cyclospora cayetanensis has proven to be a particularly challenging pathogen. Little is known about its environmental biology thus it has been difficult to determine its means of transmission through foods and water. In order for the FDA to fulfill its mission to safeguard the nation's food supply, it is imperative we conduct research to better understand parasitic pathogens such as C. cayetanensis so that lessons learned may be applied to other emerging pathogens.
JIP-194
Status: Internship not available
Project Title: Characterization of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Newport isolates Associated with the Outbreak of 2010.
Project Description: Several strains of Salmonella enterica have been recently identified for food-borne outbreaks in the United States. Determining a rapid method to sub-type these organisms is important for a rapid response to future outbreaks and is important for inclusivity/exclusivity of future Salmonella strains associated with food-borne outbreaks. This study will provide a rapid identification mechanisms associated with this unusual serovar of Salmonella, Saint paul. Understanding the genetic variation that defines the Saint Paul serovar will provide knowledge for future assay design when developing detection methods for Salmonella in foods. In particular we will focus our methods for LC/MS mass spectroscopy using base composition as the diagnostic criteria for identification.
JIP-213
Status: Actively seeking interns
Project Title: Assessment of pathology and immunological biomarker expression in mice following exposure to STEC-associated Shiga Toxin 2.
Principal Investigators: Plemons, Lisa H.
Project Description: Foodborne illness caused by the enteric STEC are an important public health problem in the U.S. It is estimated that 73,480 illnesses occur in the U.S. each year, with approximately 2,186 hospitalization and 61 deaths. Due to the cytotoxic effects of Shiga Toxin 2, STEC infections may result in further life-threatening conditions including hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and central nervous system complications. Recently, a useful mouse model of HUS has been developed, which would allow for further examination of immune responses to Shiga toxin 2 and correlate this with the spectrum of responses to non-0157 STEC. In this study, we would like to use the HUS mouse model to examine the differences in immune responses between STEC isolates, including differences in macrophage cytokine responses and cellular activity and receptor expression. The results of this study will help to identify the pathobiological responses to STEC and to determine whether different responses can be used to assess virulence of these strains.
Project Objective: Illnesses reported due to STEC serotypes other than 0157 are on the rise in the US and worldwide, making these organisms important emerging foodborne pathogens. It is important to understand the risks of consuming foods that become contaminated with STEC, and identify factors leading to chronic effects (HUS). In examining the effects of Shiga Toxin 2 on disease outcome and immune responses, we can determine toxic effects of Shiga Toxin 2 following an infection with STEC. These results may help to minimize public health risk of foodborne pathogens in susceptible populations through improved program policies and regulatory practices and identify factors involved in non-0157 STEC pathogenesis. The project objectives are to determine the cytokine expression in kidneys of mice treated with Shiga Toxin 2, examine the morphological changes in the kidneys of mice treated with Shiga Toxin 2, and the evaluation of cytokine levels and kidney disease markers in sera mice treated with Shiga Toxin 2.
Project Needs and Duration: The applicant should have knowledge in biological sciences including microbiology and immunology and have basic laboratory experience including pipetting and ability to make calculations for reagent and solution preparation. Preferably, the applicant will also have experience in RNA isolation and performing ELISA assays. The estimated duration of the internship project is two years. Preferably, the applicant will also be a third or fourth year student. Time requirements include 10 h/week during the school year and 30 h/week during break sessions.
Location: CFSAN MOD-1, 8301 Muirkirk Road, Laurel, MD
JIP-219
Status: Internship not available
Project Title: Adaptation of Listeria monocytogenes in high osmolarity and refridgeration temperature.
Principal Investigators: Datta, Atin R.
Project Description: Listeria monocytogenes is the causative agent of human listeriosis, which accounts for at least 2500 infections and 500 deaths per year in the USA. The disease affects immuno-compromised individuals and pregnant women causing septicemia, meningitis, still and premature births. The organism has also caused several gastroenteritis outbreaks in healthy populations. The overall societal burden due to foodborne listeriosis is staggering. The vast majority of human listeriosis cases, sporadic and outbreak, are associated with the consumption of contaminated foods. L. monocytogenes has been isolated from nearly all kinds of foods including ready-to-eat foods (RTE), foods containing high amounts of salt and foods with an extended shelf life. The ability of Listeria to survive and grow at refrigeration temperature and high salt environment, the two main hurdles for controlling bacterial load in food industry, makes it extremely challenging to control Listeria in foods.
Project Objective: Analysis of L. monocytogenes mutants in a variety of conditions, commonly used in food preservation, will be analyzed to determine possible methods to further deter L. monocytogenes growth in foods. The analysis of these mutants will improve our understanding of Listeria risk assessment. The applicant will generate Listeria deletion mutant based on a previously identified gene of interest and evaluate the growth of the mutant in cold, high salt, and combined stress conditions to determine the role of the gene in stress survival.
Project Needs and Duration: The applicant should have basic science coursework and lab instruction along with prior working experience in a research environment, preferably with Listeria monocytogenes. The estimated duration of the internship project is one year. Time requirements include 10 h/week during the school year, preferably in consecutive time blocks, and 30 h/week during break sessions.
Location: CFSAN MOD-1, 8301 Muirkirk Road, Laurel, MD
JIP-226
Status: Actively seeking interns
Project Title: Identification of virulence factors that contribute to the enterotoxicity of Vibrio parahaemolyticus.
Principal Investigators: Franco-Mora , Augusto
Project Description: While the estimated incidence of infection with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (STEC O157) and species of Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, Listeria, Salmonella, and Yersinia significantly decreased from 1998 to 2010, the incidence of Vibrio infections during this period during this period increased 115% (95% confience interval ([CI], 63%-187%). Increased water temperature caused by global warming is thought to contribute to these increased contamination rates of shellfish with Vibrio species. Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the most common non-cholera Vibrio species reported to cause infections. The CDC estimates that there will be about 45,000 cases (90% CI, 23,000-75,000) of V. parahaemolyticus yearly in the US. These reports indicate that contamination of shellfish with V. parahaemolyticus is a safety concern in the US. Although most V. parahaemolyticus strains are nonpathogenic for humans, a limited population of these organisms causes human diseases. Identification of virulence markers that can distinguish pathogenic from nonpathogenic strains will improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of V. parahaemolyticus, and eventually this information will help in decresing the risk of contamination with this food-borne pathogen. The gastroenteritis produced by pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus is attributed to the production of a thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH) and/or the TDH-related hemolysin (TRH) as well as to the inflammatory response produced by a number of effector proteins secreted by a type III secretion system (TTSS-2). However, so far very few TTSS-2 effector proteins have been identified.
Project Objective: The goal of this project is to identify effector proteins involved in the enterotoxicigenicity of V. parahaemolyticus. By in silico analysis of the 80-kb pathogenicity island containing the TTSS-2, 27 ORFs were selected as candidate effector proteins. The applicant will use an already developed PCR method to identify candidates of effector proteins in V. parahaemolyticus isolated from clinical and environmental samples. It has been published that one of the few TTSS-2 effector genes identified was found in all tdh+/trh- clinical strains, but not in any of the 130 environmental strains. Based on these results, we expect to find some TTSS-2 effector genes exclusively in clinical strains. The putative effector proteins will be screened for their ability to inhibit growth when expressed in yeast, which will then be used with a ß-lactamase fusion receptor system to demonstrate that the yeast inhibitor proteins translocate into HeLa cells in vitro in a TTSS2-dependent manner. The role of these newly identified TTSS-2 effector candidates to induce fluid accumulation will then be determined using the suckling mouse animal model.
Project Needs and Duration: The applicant should have knowledge in biological sciences, preferably molecular biology, microbiology, and biochemistry, and have a real passion for scientific research. The estimated duration of the internship project is two years. Time requirements include 10 h/week during the school year and 30 h/week during break sessions.
Location: CFSAN MOD-1, 8301 Muirkirk Road, Laurel, MD
JIP-210
Status: Internship not available
Project Title: Establish methodology for assessing inflammatory cytokine expression (mRNA and protein) in infectious and inflammatory models of foodborne pathogens.
Principal Investigators: Alam, S. Mohammad
Project Description: Foodborne diseases cause an estimated 76 million illnesses and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year. Facultative intracellular foodborne pathogens like Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes both pose difficult health problems in susceptible human populations. Animals with defined or targeted defects in their immune system are useful surrogates for evaluating human susceptibility to infection and studying immune-related risk factors. This project will identify and evaluate the participation of innate cellular immunity and antigen specific immunity (T-cell and B-cell-mediated) in host immune response to foodborne pathogens and evaluate the use of animal models as surrogates for human pathogenic mechanisms to specifically determine if animals having one or more immune defects are feasible for examining disease outcomes as it relates to the immunocompromised host. The goal is the acquisition of quantitative data that is applicable to probabilistic risk assessment modeling for use in program policy and regulatory practice improvements to miminize public health risk.
Project Objective: The current goals of this project include the knock-out mouse colony expansion and the establishment of oral infection models using Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in these mice. The applicant will standardize the procedure for in vitro cell culture experiments, establish the method to assess various cytokines and cell-surface/intracellular biomarkers using flow cytometry from in vivo experiments, and evaluate inflammatory responses at the tissue site (e.g., liver, intestine) in histological slides using scanning microscopy.
Project Needs and Duration: The applicant should have basic laboratory skills in solution preparation, general microbiology, biology and immunology, and experience in DNA and RNA extraction from tissues as well as experience in RT-PCR. The work duration for this internship is estimated at one year.
Location: CFSAN MOD-1, 8301 Muirkirk Road, Laurel, MD
JIP-217
Status: Actively seeking interns
Project Title: Development of a multiplex real-time PCR method for simultaneous detection of Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes in soft cheese and spinach
Principal Investigators: Sathyamoorthy, Venugopal
Project Description: Illnesses due to the ingestion of bacterial pathogens in contaminated food cause enormous cost to our nation both medically and economically. Hence, it is important to identify the specific pathogens in contaminated foods that cause various diseases such as gastroenteritis, listeriosis, hemolytic uremic syndrome etc. Some times, these diseases can even lead to death. Availability of a rapid and accurate method to identity these pathogens will immensely help FDA to carry out the regulatory action in a time sensitive fashion and thereby protecting the health of the public swiftly. In this context, there is a great need for the rapid detection of Salmonella spp, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes; these are the most significant pathogens with respect to FDA-regulated products. The current FDA methods to identify these pathogens are laborious, time consuming and can take up to 5 days to get a result. On the other hand, nucleic acid based methods are rapid, mostly cost effective and highly sensitive for detecting these pathogens. However, selectively as well as simultaneously enriching and isolating the pathogens from various food sources pose challenges; sometimes, false negative results create major problems too. Recently, a real-time PCR (RT-PCR) method to identify these three pathogens has been developed for meats by USDA. It appears that this method could be useful also for FDA regulated foods. This project is aimed towards the evaluation, modification and adaptation of the USDA method for FDA regulated foods such as cheese and spinach; both of these foods have been found to be contaminated by these organisms. Hence, we are developing a method to selectively enrich these three pathogens from artificially contaminated soft cheese and spinach, using a universal enrichment broth and simultaneously identifying these organisms using multiplex RT-PCR assay in Smart Cycler format.
Project Objective: The development of a rapid and sensitive method that can simultaneously detect and identify Salmonella spp, Escherichia coli O157, and Listeria monocytogenes in suspect food samples will assist in food safety. This project would deliver a method that could detect the presence or absence of these three important pathogens in less than 36 hours. By using the internal amplification control (IAC), this method would also eliminate a false negative result, which is a problem in other methods. In addition, it is anticipated that this method may be able to detect the pathogens in foods at levels as low as 2 CFU/10g of samples. Thus, the development of this method would provide FDA a regulatory tool for the detection of these three food borne pathogens in a relatively rapid, accurate and sensitive way. The two project objectives are the evaluation of the real-time PCR method with artificially-contaminanted soft cheese and spinach and the evaluation of the method with retail samples. In the first objective, soft cheese (Brie) and spinach artificially contaminated with Salmonella spp, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes will be selectively enriched and the genomic DNA isolated for the enriched organisms followed by real-time PCR analysis for detection as compared with an internal amplification control. Detection limits of these organisms will be quantified by the USDA culture method and by the qPCR method. Also, this method will establish that there are no false negative results. Lastly, the qPCR and culture based method will be used in analysis of retail samples of spinach and cheeses to determine the presence of these three pathogens.
Project Needs and Duration: The applicant should have a knowledge of biological sciences, preferably molecular biology, microbiology, and biochemistry. The student should have a real passion for scientific research. The project requires a time commitment of 10 hours/week during the semester, preferably 2 or 3 days/week, and 30 hours/week during winter term and summer. The estimated duration of the internship project is one year.
Location: CFSAN University Station Building, 4300 River Road, College Park, MD
Toxicology
Chemistry
Chemistry
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JIP-225
Status: Actively seeking interns
Project Title: Method Validation for Seafood Toxin Biosensors
Principal Investigators: Yakes , Betsy
Project Description: The development of rapid, accurate, sensitive, and field-worthy methods for improved detection of food pathogens and contaminants is critical to the mission of food safety. Seafood consumption in the US has increased in recent years, and paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) continue to be a risk to humans upon consumption of contaminated shellfish, as highlighted in the May 2011 PST event in Southeast Alaska that sickened over 20 people. When the toxins bind to site 1 of voltage-gated sodium channels, numbness, tingling, and respiratory paralysis can occur. Currently, closures of shellfish beds are made when toxin levels exceed established action levels. There are at least 24 known PST congeners with a wide range of toxicity. In order to adequately protect consumers yet reduce unnecessary closures of non-contaminated harvesting areas, a rapid method that allows for screening of contaminated seafood and analysis of sample toxicity is needed. Through collaboration, a surface Plasmon resonance (SPR) immunoassay for PSTs has been developed. This project seeks to transfer the developed PST method to an instrument platform that can be easily used in routine monitoring laboratories and validate the method on this platform according to the National Shellfish Sanitation Program guidelines. Thus, this project will lead to real-time detection of seafood toxins in monitoring and regulatory laboratories, improving upon the speed, throughput, reliability, efficiency, and sensitivity of current techniques.
Project Objective: The project will develop and validate methods for improved detection of food pathogens and contaminants. The wide range of analytes detected by using SPR sensors (e.g., low molecular weight toxins to whole bacteria) could make SPR a more universal technique than some comparable technology. Most importantly, SPR biosensors offer similar or better sensitivity and reliability as current immunoassay techniques but with improved throughput, safety, and multiplexing. During this educational opportunity, the student will gain hands-on knowledge of how to perform surface modification, immunoassays, and maintenance on fluidics/spectroscopy instrumentation. The student will learn to modify substrates that serve as assay platforms, assist in sample and reagent preparation, analyze samples via the SPR sensors system, process data generated by the SPR bioassay, determine the next steps in the research, and assist in manuscript and method validation packet preparation. Further, the experiments will include the establishment of reagents for a rapid seafood toxin assay, comparison of the SPR assay with other detection techniques, and single-laboratory validation studies in accordance with the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) guidelines. It is anticipated that these results will produce a manuscript, method submission to the NSSP Laboratory Method Review Committee, and a technique that can be used by Federal and state laboratories for the improved shellfish safety. Additionally, the student can participate in biweekly Seafood Research Area meetings in which she/he will gain a better understanding of the challenges in protecting our nation’s seafood supply and the opportunities for research to address such challenges.
Project Needs and Duration: The student should have a basic knowledge of spectroscopy and assays through general chemistry and biology courses and lab work. Coursework in analytical/instrumental chemistry is preferred. Knowledge of word-processing (i.e., MS Word) and data-processing (e.g., MS Excel, Origin, or SigmaPlot) programs is an additional plus. The student should be able to commit 8-10 hours per week during the semester and 30 hours per week during the summer to this project. One 4-hour time-block per week is required in order to allow sufficient time for preparation of reagents/samples and running the SPR instrument. The estimated duration of the internship project is one year with the potential for an additional year.
Location: CFSAN Wiley Building, 5100 Paintbranch Parkway, College Park, MD
JIP-223
Status: Actively seeking interns
Project Title: : Food Irradiation: Chemical Changes in Food and Food Contact Substances due to the Absorption of Ionizing Radiation
Principal Investigators: Morehouse, Kim
Project Description: The research project will investigate the chemical changes (radiolysis derived products) in foods and food contact materials which have been treated with ionizing radiation. As such, the project will develop new and improved analytical approaches to determine if foods have been treated with ionizing radiation. Furan, a volatile cyclic compound found in a number of heat-treated foods and also found in certain irradiated foods, is a potential concern since it is both carcinogenic and cytotoxic in rodents. The FDA has a long standing project to identify levels of furan that may be formed in various foods as a result of being treated with ionizing radiation. This project will analyze additional foods for which no data currently exists in an effort to review the safety of radiation treatment of food products. Since food is prepackaged prior to irradiation treatment, there is a concern that radiolysis-derived products formed in the packaging materials as a result of the ionizing radiation could migrate into the food. The effects of ionizing radiation on food contact materials have been studied as part of the safety evaluation of irradiated foods for human consumption. This research will study the effects of ionizing radiation on a variety of food contact materials and identify chemical changes in the food contact materials using GC/MS.
Project Objective: The applicant will analyze various food contact materials that have been obtained from food manufacturers after treatment with ionizing radiation including the determination if any chemical changes occur as a result of the radiation and if the chemicals that are formed might be of toxicological significance. Further, the applicant will analyze radiolysis products using gas chromatography with mass selective detection to identify and quantitate the compounds.
Project Needs and Duration: Applicants should have a strong background in chemistry and preferably familiarity with gas chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography analytical instrumentation. ). The estimated duration of the internship project is one year. Time requirements include 8-10 h/week during the school year and 30 h/week during break sessions.
Location: CFSAN Wiley Building, 5100 Paintbranch Parkway, College Park, MD
JIP-215 (Old Project ID: JIP 175 & JIP 202)
Status: Internship not available
Project Title: Analysis of Chemical Contaminants in Foods
Principal Investigators: Wong, Jon
Project Description: In order for the safety and wholesomeness of the foods and agricultural products Americans eat and consume, chemicals such as pesticides are regulated and tolerances of allowable chemicals are enforced by screening and analysis. Effective and cost-efficient validated procedures for the analysis of chemical contaminants in foods and other agricultural commodities are currently be developed, including the validation of such methods for hundreds of compounds, a variety of different food and agricultural matrices and the use of modern instrumentation such as gas chromatography (GC), GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and liquid chromatography (LC-MS). The development and implementation of these validated and efficient procedures are time-consuming and require thorough evaluation but will protect the public health by assuring the safety and security of the nation’s food supply.
Project Objective: The research project will develop and implement validated and efficient procedures for screening and the detection of chemical contaminants in foods and agricultural products for the protection of the public health. The intern will validate the method for a specific food (i.e., beverage, vegetable product, or herbal supplement) and specific individual chemical contaminant, pesticide or class of pesticides, perform experimental work using the LC-MS technology, perform data analysis and interpret results and contribute to the writing of a manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed journal or FDA Laboratory Information Bulletin.
Project Needs and Duration: The applicant should have a strong background in chemistry, preferably with coursework in organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and quantitative analysis. The applicant should have qualities such as intelligence, self-motivation, assertiveness, creativity, good communication skills, enthusiasm, and the willingness to learn. The intern should expect to work a minimum time of twice a week with at 10 h/week during the school session and 4-5 times a week at a minimum of 6-8 h/week during the summer (30 h/week). The estimated duration of the internship project is one year.
Location: CFSAN Wiley Building, 5100 Paintbranch Parkway, College Park, MD
JIP-221
Status: Internship not available
Project Title: Rapid Methods for the Detection of Food Allergens and Toxins
Principal Investigators: Garber, Eric A.E.
Project Description: The detection of undeclared components in food necessitates highly specific, cost-effective analytical methods that are compatible with high-throughput development. To meet this need, immunodiagnostic assays are increasingly being relied upon by virtue of their simplicity to use (e.g., less sample preparation). ELISAs form the backbone of methods used to test for the presence of food allergens. Lateral flow devices and ELISAs are the primary methods relied upon for the detection of numerous proteins that may be associated with regulated products (e.g., latex in clinical products, melamine in human and pet food). Optimum performance of these immunodiagnostic assays is dependent on achieving steady-state binding and maximizing thermodynamic differences between the complexes formed by the target analytes and non-specific binding. This project seeks to explore methods whereby achieving steady-state binding is accelerated and in-turn the sensitivity, through-put and definitive detection/identification of analytes improved. Specifically, the current requirement of 6-7 hours to test for proteinaceous toxins like ricin (which has a history as an adulterant in food) will be reduced to approximately 1 hour.
Project Objective: The project will test methods to accelerate antibody-antigen binding and assay performance which may lead to new methods for FERN and Food Allergen detection by ORA laboratories. Ascertain the potential utility of commercial microwave ovens, specifically ability to generate uniform fields of different wattages and evaluate effects on the performance of ELISAs (e.g., LODs, dynamic range, and reproducibility in regards to absolute responses generated). The final goal is to generate a protocol that can be applied to ELISAs to reliably improve throughput (decrease assay time) and sensitivity (magnitude of response).
Project Needs and Duration: The applicant should have completed a minimum of 2 years college with completion of 1 year organic chemistry (lecture and lab). The estimated duration of the internship project is two years. Time requirements include 10 h/week during the school year, with at least 6 hours in the lab one day per week and 30 h/week during break sessions.
Location: CFSAN Wiley Building, 5100 Paintbranch Parkway, College Park, MD
Food Defense
Food Defense
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Nutritional Sciences
Nutritional Sciences
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Other
Public Health
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JIP-224
Status: Actively seeking interns
Project Title: Analyzing Food Safety Practices Related to Fresh Produce
Principal Investigators: Johanson, Joy
Project Description: Analysis of data on key areas related to the safety of fresh produce, in particular to imported produce and fresh sprouts, will be conducted to ensure the safety of imported produce, which is an ongoing challenge due to the wide variety of imported produce commodities and the diversity of conditions under which they are grown. This project entails updating and populating a database that captures surveillance data of produce-importing farm inspections regarding the conditions and practices by which produce is grown, harvested, and packed. This information will allow for informed resource allocation and prioritization as well as support on-going produce safety regulation efforts. Ensuring the safety of fresh sprouts is also a challenge, due to the humid, moist growth conditions and the lack of a “kill step” for pathogens. Between 1996 and 2010, 34 outbreaks associated with fresh sprouts were reported - more outbreaks than were associated with any other type of fresh produce. A plan for domestic surveillance inspections of sprout growers is expected to yield information regarding the conditions and practices with which fresh sprouts are grown and packed.
Project Objective: This project would include updating, populating, and analysis of a produce-importing farm inspection database that captures the information gathered during inspections of produce-importing farms and facilities, including those producing sprouts. Further, the project includes the coordination of the newly-created Sprout Safety Alliance, which will conduct outreach and education to the sprout industry regarding the best practices for safe sprout production and produce safety regulation compliance. Also, this project will include conducting literature reviews to inform the finalization of the sprouts subpart of the final Produce Safety Regulation (expected in early 2013) and related guidance documents. The intern would have co-authorship of the data analysis document.
Project Needs and Duration: Writing briefing materials summarizing the results of foreign produce farm inspections and the results of inspections of sprout firms, data entry and analysis, conducting literature reviews related to sprout safety, and support of FDA’s education and outreach efforts with the sprout industry regarding sprout safety. The intern applicant should have experience with data management and analysis, scientific literature reviews, and Microsoft Access. Further, the applicant should be attentive to detail and self-motivated. The estimated duration of the internship project is one year. The intern should expect to work a minimum time of twice a week with at 10 h/week during the school session and 4-5 times a week at a minimum of 6-8 h/week during the summer (30 h/week).
Location: CFSAN Wiley Building, 5100 Paintbranch Parkway, College Park, MD
JIP-147
Status: Actively seeking interns
Project Title: Food Safety Risk Analysis: Quantitative Risk Assessments
Principal Investigators: Dennis, Sherri
Project Description: Quantitative risk assessment is a dynamic and emerging tool used by regulatory agencies to evaluate and manage the impact of food hazards to public health. Quantitative microbial risk assessments on a variety of pathogens including Listeria monocytogenes, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus were conducted by this laboratory. Other risk assessments on a variety of foods (including shellfish, spices, cheese, produce, and ready-to-eat foods) and hazards (including Norovirus and Hepatitis A virus) are on-going. Previous assessments integrated various levels of complexity, based on need, for use in policy decision making (i.e., risk management). Risk assessment is also used in critical research needs identification for upcoming regulatory initiatives. Results of risk assessments are used to inform scientific policy, decision-making (risk management), and to prioritize focus areas and identify research needs. For example, the Interagency Listeria Retail Deli risk assessment characterizes the cross-contamination events in deli facilities and quantitatively provides the relative effectiveness of different interventions to reduce or prevent listeriosis from consumption of foods prepared in retail delis.
Project Objective: This project is primarily an opportunity for the student to assist in conducting food safety risk assessments. A critical phase in each quantitative risk assessment project is an understanding of the current state of the available science to address the food safety issue or problem. The intern will assist in the performance of the data collection and analysis to support the project objectives including: 1) identifying, collecting, summarizing and evaluating references for relevance to the particular risk assessment project; 2) collecting, organizing and evaluating data used in risk projects; and 3) preparing summary tables and graphs for reports and presentations about the risk project.
Project Needs and Duration: Previous students have conducted on-line and library searches for articles related to the risk projects, copied references for the project files, scanned the references so that there is also an electronic copy of all the references available for team members in e-room, and prepared a bibliography using reference software. Students have assisted with summarizing and evaluating references for relevance to the particular risk assessment project, collecting and evaluating data used in risk projects, and preparing summary tables and graphs for reports and presentations. The student must be able to work independently with minimal supervision. Student should have a background in a scientific field of study such as microbiology, food science, pre-med, pre-vet med, nutrition, or related fields such as statistics or informatics. The nature of the project allows for flexible scheduling; however, in order for the internship to be of mutual benefit to the project and applicant, 8-10 h/week are recommended during the school year and up to 30 h/week during break sessions. The project is on-going and the estimated duration of the internship project is one year.
Location: CFSAN Wiley Building, 5100 Paintbranch Parkway, College Park, MD
International Trade
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Marketing
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