Bram Lutton
Profile
Dr. Lutton joined Endicott College in 2009 following a Visiting Professorship at Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering and a postdoctoral fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. The Lutton Comparative and Integrative Physiology Lab conducts histological, cellular, molecular and bioinformatic research on evolutionary mechanisms of reproductive neuroendocrine-immune interactions. Dr. Lutton has supervised many high school and undergraduate students and laboratory technicians pursuing Ph.D. and M.D. programs, and feels strongly about fostering interdisciplinary collaborations among colleagues. To these ends, he serves as the Chair of the Education Council for the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB.org), where he coordinates symposia, workshops, awards and lectures focused on dismantling barriers in the sciences and fostering excellence and innovation in science education.
Research
Student Research Projects
Students in my laboratory are using several methods in order to better understand the mechanisms of stem cell activity and angiogenesis (blood vessel growth) in a wonderful cartilaginous fish model, the little skate (Leucoraja erinacea).
Cartilaginous fishes have been evolving for hundreds of millions of years longer than the period when dinosaurs first walked on Earth; because of this, these animals have evolved fascinating and unusual physiological structures, with corresponding functions. Understanding how an organism with complex systems (but importantly simplified compared to that of humans) has survived for over 400 million years, may shed light on how human physiology and pathophysiology can be manipulated to protect both humans and other species.
In studying the evolutionary mechanisms by which hematopoietic stem cells are produced, activated, and are mobilized for immune functions, we hope to provide insight for studies involving bone marrow transplantation and angiogenesis. By gaining a better comprehension of how natural and synthetic endocrine and paracrine factors regulate these physiological processes, we aim to elucidate potential therapeutics for human and veterinary medicine.
Students involved with these ongoing studies have the opportunity to work hands-on with the little skate in vivo, and to generate data using gene expression, histology, and cell culture methods.
Courses
BIO 102/BIO 103: Principles of Biology with lab
BIO 115: Biosphere (Open to Education Majors)
BIO 225: Introduction to Biotechnology
BIO 226: Marine Biology (Open to all Majors)
BIO 240: Science and Society (Open to all Majors)
BIO 326: Immunology with lab
BIO 311: Genes and Genomes
PHL 310: Bioethics (Open to all Majors)
PHY 116: Nature of the Universe (Open to Education Majors)
Accomplishments
Awards
Chair, Education Council, Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
Visiting Scientist, Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory
Residence Life Director, Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory
Appearances
- Advisor: Outdoor Adventure Club
Co-Advisor: Biotech Society - Sigma Xi, North Shore Chapter
Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
The American Elasmobranch Society
International Society for Developmental and Comparative Immunology
American Society for Reproductive Immunology
Publications
- Hersh T., Dimond A., Ruth B., Lupica N., Takemon Y., Buttner J., King B., & B. Lutton. (In preparation). Chemokine activity in the skate, Leucoraja erinacea: A role for CXCR4-CXCL12 interactions in hematopoiesis. Target journal: Developmental and Comparative Immunology.
- Hersh, T, King, B, Lutton, BV. 2014. Novel bioinformatics tools for analysis of gene expression in the skate, Leucoraja erinacea. The Bulletin. Volume 53: 16-18.
- Lupica, J, and Lutton, BV. 2014. Novel Immune Processing Mechanism in the Leydig Organ of the Skate, Leucoraja erinacea. The Bulletin. 53: 14-15.
- Lutton, BV and Duran-Struuck, R. 2013. Immunogenicity and immunomodulatory activities of perinatal stem cells In: Perinatal stem cells by CL Cetrulo, KJ Cetrulo, and CL Cetrulo, Jr. (eds.). John Wiley and Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ.
- Lupica, NV, Cacciatore, C, and Lutton, BV. 2012. Chemokine receptor 4 expression in the little skate, Leucoraja erinacea. The Bulletin. Volume 51: 47-48.
- Lutton, BV, Cho, PS, Hirsh, EL, Ferguson, KK, Teague, AGS, Chi, N, Goldman, SN, Messina, DJ, Yeap, B, Popma, SH, Sachs, DH, Huang, CA. 2010. Approaches to avoiding immune responses to repeated injections of allogeneic umbilical cord tissue-derived cells. Transplantation, 86:320-330.
- Lutton, BV and Callard, IP. 2008. Morphological relationships and leukocyte influence on steroid production in the epigonal organ-ovary complex of the skate, Leucoraja erinacea. Journal of Morphology, 269:620-629.
- Lutton, BV and Callard, IP. 2007. Influence of reproductive activity, sex steroids, and seasonality on epigonal organ cellular proliferation in the skate (Leucoraja erinacea). General and Comparative Endocrinology, 155(1):116-25.
- Lutton, BV and Callard, IP. 2007. Effects of reproductive activity and sex hormones on apoptosis in the epigonal organ of the skate (Leucoraja erinacea). General and Comparative Endocrinology, 154(1-3):75-84.
- Lutton, BV. Characterization of the epigonal organ-ovary complex of the little skate, Leucoraja erinacea: a model for reproductive-immune interactions [dissertation]. Boston (MA): Boston University; 2007.
- Lutton, BV and Callard, IP. 2006. Evolution of reproductive-immune interactions. Integrative and Comparative Biology 46(6): 1060-1069.
- Lutton, BV, St. George, JP, Murrin, CA, Callard, IP. 2005. The Elasmobranch Ovary In: Reproductive Biology and Phylogeny of Chondrichthyes: Sharks, Skates, Rays, and Chimaeras by W. Hamlett (ed.). Science Publishers, Inc., Enfield, NH. Pp. 237-281.