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Texas REU: BME CUReS Cancer

cancer

, Filed Under: 2018, cancer, reflections, research

Reflecting on Research

Hi, I’m Josh, a rising sophomore at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Biomedical Engineering and a part of the UT Austin BME CURes Cancer REU.

Although our lab is currently in the “set up phase” of my project, much progress has been made. Our experiment itself is two-fold: part wet lab, part dry lab, and I have learned to enjoy the breaks that each one gives the other.

Screenshot of student's work in MATLAB
This is the type of analysis our lab performs where we take the percentage of cells that are alive after a certain dose of treatment and fit them to a curve using Matlab.

My project involves using the process of EMT (Epithelial to Mesenchymal transition) to predict the effect of matrix stiffness on chemotherapy resistance in mammalian cancer cells. Like I mentioned, we are currently in the setup phase: seeding, lasing, dosing, and performing live/dead assays in order to test the effect of a wider range of matrix stiffnesses on chemotherapy resistance using Dose/Response curves.

photos of lab work with cells
In these pictures, we are seeding 5 mM gels in preparation to dose and eventually perform a live/dead assay on them.

Our lab hopes to develop a mechanistic model that predicts the effect matrix stiffness has on drug resistance due to a change in the proportion of mesenchymal cells. This can be detected through confocal imaging by marking certain transcription factors like YAP.

This lab has taught me much more than to follow protocols. It has given me the ability to be independent and understand that I enjoy exploring new topics I am not caught up on in the scientific community.

I am suddenly gaining critical skills like reading published papers, and without the great flexibility of my mentors and PI, I would never be able to gain these tools that I will definitely need down the road. Excited to see what results the month of July holds!

-Joshua Krachman, Johns Hopkins University

, Filed Under: 2018, cancer, texas4000

Letter to Texas4000 Rider McKenzie Clayton

Dear Mackenzie,

My name is Isaac Gándara. I am a rising Junior from the University of Texas at El Paso and I wanted to thank you for your dedication and efforts in the fight against cancer. Along with the funds you have raised in support of research, your long ride raises awareness for the need for research, and that in and of itself is invaluable. Because of what you and what the other riders do, I and other people engaging in cancer research experiences are able to work.

Furthermore, I wanted to congratulate you on your progress thus far. As I write this, you are nearly halfway to 4000 miles! I also wanted to say I’m sorry for your loss of your grandmother. I also lost a grandparent to cancer and understand how hard it is to lose someone.

But because of your journey, you will help other people in their own fight with cancer.

Be proud of what you have accomplished and what you will complete in the coming month, you have earned it!

Thank you for everything and keep working hard!

Sincerely,
Isaac Gándara, The University of Texas at El Paso

Isaac Gandara in front of Austin mural
Isaac in front of the mural at the 23rd Street Artist’s Market in Austin, Texas. Photo by Fawaz Mohsin.

, Filed Under: 2017, cancer, texas4000

Letter to 2017 Texas 4000 Riders

Gabby at her research poster on August 3, 2017. Photo by Jill Ortner.

Hello,

My name is Gabby. I wanted to start off this letter first by saying thank you for your support and your dedication toward fighting cancer. The Texas 4000 program is a big part of what makes research experiences like mine and my coworkers’ possible, and the number of lives you touch through your efforts is incredible. So, for that I’d like to say thank you.

Secondly, I wanted to say congratulations on making it this far. You’re almost there! Even though I’ve never been on a biking expedition like yours, I know that it’s easy to fall into the routine of things and not realize how much you’ve accomplished. So, I invite you to take a moment to look back on this summer’s experiences and reflect on what you’ve learned and achieved. (I learned how to culture macrophages in gels for experiments.)

I hope you are all doing well, and I wish you luck during these last few days to Anchorage. Thank you for all you do!

Sincerely,

Gabby Pérez-Lozano, Carnegie Mellon University