Private School Teacher Joins HIV/AIDS Research At Morehouse School of Medicine

Neal Beeman, Ph.D., the Chemistry and Biology teacher at Eastminster School, a private school in Conyers, Georgia, joined a research study on the HIV/AIDS virus this past summer.

Conyers, Georgia (I-Newswire) September 13, 2012 - Neal Beeman, Ph.D., the Chemistry and Biology teacher at Eastminster School, a private school in Conyers, Georgia, joined a research study on the HIV/AIDS virus this past summer. The project is led by Vincent C. Bond, Ph.D., who heads a group that has been awarded an NIH Institutional Support Grant to combat HIV/AIDS at Morehouse School of Medicine. The research seeks to further understand the HIV/AIDS virus’ interactions with host systems.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Dr. Neal Beeman on our staff,” says Roy Alexander, Headmaster of Eastminster School. “His expertise and continued research will help our students gain opportunities not offered at other schools.”

Last year, students from Eastminster School were invited to Morehouse School of Medicine to assist in a gene therapy lab. This project involved introducing recombinant DNA into HeLa cells, a group of cervical cancer cells that were taken from Henrietta Lacks in 1951. The introduced DNA caused the HeLa cells to produce an experimental protein that affects chromosomal rearrangements that take place during cell division. The experimental protein is fluorescent and can be seen in living cells with advanced microscopic techniques.

The students were led in the lab by Dr. Tarsha Wood, a graduate of Morehouse and a scientist trained in performing advanced live-cell imaging techniques.

“My students are looking forward to more exciting research opportunities this year. This partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine is an opportunity that most students don’t see at the Middle and High School levels,” says Neal Beeman, Ph.D.

Eastminster School provides the highest quality academic education to motivated and disciplined students of any race or religious affiliation from the East Metro Atlanta area, emphasizing every student’s social, physical, and spiritual well-being. To find out more information about this topic, or to schedule a tour at Eastminster School, please call Sarah Christopher at 770/785-6780 or email Sarah at sarah@eastminsterschool.org.

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