Brandon Umber
Education
- California State University, Chico B.S. in Biochemistry May 20, 2001
Current Research:
The identification and quantification of gases emitted by white blood cells when stimulated to attack by various bacterial cell wall components.
Research Experience:
Independent research project under the supervision of Dr. Tal Nahir of CSU, Chico assessing the feasibility of standardizing the relative retention index of essential oils on GC-MS.
Summer research quantifying the sugar content of Sunsweet Prunes, using GC-MS, at various stages of production. Paid for by the Chico Research Foundation and supervised by Dr. James Postma, Summer 2002.
Independent research project under the supervision of Dr. Larry Kirk of CSU, Chico involving the investigation of Pycnogenol® . The compound was examined for its efficiency as an antioxidant via HPLC monitored, timed decomposition trials, Summer 2000-Spring 2001. The research was presented at the American Chemical Society’s 2001 spring meeting.
Six month independent research project in conjunction with Dr. Don Alger of CSU Chico, in which the Crossed Cannizzaro reaction was performed then analyzed with GC and HPLC, Fall 1999-Spring 2000. The research was used in the development of an integrated lab and led to a poster presentation of the material at the American Chemical Society’s year 2000 spring meeting.
Publications:
- Shin, H.-W.; B. J. Umber*, S. Meinardi, S.-Y. Leu,
F. Zaldivar, D. R. Blake, D and M. Cooper: Acetaldehyde and hexanaldehyde from cultured white cells,
Journal of Translational Medicine, 7:31, 2009 (doi:10.1186/1479-5876-7-31) [PDF]