Andrew Vila, Postdoctoral Student

I received a B.S. at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in Cell biology and Physiology.   My Graduate work was done in the department of biochemistry at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.   Currently, I am investigating the metabolism of endocannabinoids, i.e. 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG) and arachidonylethanolamide (AEA), in neuronal tissue.   Endocannabinoids may be substrates for COX-2 in vivo , producing prostaglandin-glycerol ester (PG-G) and -ethanolamide (PG-EA) species.   I plan to use a mouse model system where COX-2 expression is enhanced during neuroinflammatory conditions induced via carrageenan injection.   The model chosen will be a mouse strain where the gene for the AEA degrading enzyme, fatty-acyl amide hydrolase (FAAH), is deleted.   Using this model I will investigate the formation of PG-EA species during COX-2 induction and the regulation of endocannabinoid tone under neuroinflammatory conditions.