The Graduate Research Fellowship in Toxicology from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. supports
students involved in non-clinical and in vivo toxicology research. Fourth year Ph.D.
student Veronia Basaly was chosen to be the 2023-2024 recipient of this competitive
fellowship. Her research focuses on studying the regulation of the nuclear receptor
pregnane x receptor (PXR) functions in maintaining lipid, glucose, and bile acid
homeostasis through post translational modification such as phosphorylation. The overall
goal of this research is to investigate the effects of blocking PXR phosphorylation motif
Ser347 on PXR transcription regulation and hepatic functions including induction of PXR
target genes, as well as modulating bile acid, lipid, and glucose homeostasis during the
development of the metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) in mice.
Understating the molecular pathway related to PXR regulation and function on MASH
development can provide new strategies for effective drug design for diseases such as
MASH. The Fellowship will support Veronia’s research costs, stipend, and allow for
personalized mentoring from expert scientists at Bristol-Myers Squibb.