August 6, 2021, Filed Under: fun, learning, researchWrapping up the summer! Sadly, we have come to an end to our summer REU program. Throughout this 10-week research intensive program we were able to take part and contribute to a cancer research lab using an engineering approach. I was part of the Functional Optical Imaging Lab with Dr. Dunn and was able to have a sense of how a real lab functions. I am very thankful to Samuel Mihelic, my mentor, for having the patience to help and guide me through my summer research project. My summer project was based on analyzing the morphology of the neurovascular network through two photon imaging over time. I was able to gather statistical analysis of the vascular changes and present these findings with the other REU scholars. Poster Session Zoom This past Wednesday, 08/04/2021, all the REU Scholars presented their posters that will soon be seen in the BMES conference in Orlando. This gave us a chance to understand each other’s project and the different research approaches that each scholar took. Poster Session Zoom – Hook ’em! All the scholars can agree that we are excited to go the BMES Conference in Orlando and finally meet everyone in person. We still have two months to prepare, but we all know time flies fast. So, for now we can just say “See ya later and Hook ’em Horns”! Final Professional Development Seminar Zoom Diana Lopez-Valdez | The University of Texas at El Paso
July 27, 2021, Filed Under: learning, reflections, researchReflection: What advice would you give past you about research? https://www.utexas.edu/research/overview Research had always felt something like an unattainable dream for me. Seeing all the immensely difficult and groundbreaking projects being conducted by renowned researchers, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of contribution I could possibly make to any of these projects. This REU, however, was able to propel me into the world of research and teach me the necessary skills to succeed. Now I can confidently move forward with an optimistic outlook for any of my future research endeavors. If I could give my past self some advice about research, they would come three-fold. First, it takes a high level of perseverance. There are many times in research where the tasks at hand may become menial and taxing but keeping the end goal and the potential impact in mind, it’s important to keep pushing on until arriving at results. Second, the areas of research that are being conducted is so broad that it’s highly likely you’ll be able to find people doing research in your niche of interest. If not, you can always be the first to pioneer that space! Third and lastly, research is hard – especially when you are just beginning to get into it. Therefore, it’s important to have great mentors and to ask for help. Research is a collaborative journey where intermingling ideas can lead to bigger and better discoveries. Don’t be scared to ask for help because no one is good at research right off the bat. Albert Lee | Johns Hopkins University
July 12, 2021, Filed Under: cancer, learning, reflections, researchReflection: Dell Medical Cancer Research Lecture As part of our scholars’ program, we are invited to join the Dell Medical School in their series of lectures about the pathology of different cancers, the current methods of screening and treatment, and various research areas from clinicians and researchers. This week we heard from Dr. Anna Capasso on Colorectal Cancer and from Dr. Yvette Brown on Cervical Cancer. While I would love to go into the details of each lecture, I will simply state something that stood out to me. Working as a medical oncologist and a cancer researcher, Dr. Capasso researches in the unique hybrid that is translational research, which combines both clinical and basic research to help bridge the gaps between the discoveries in basic research and the actual treatments in the clinical setting. With colorectal cancer, one such promising treatment method is immunotherapy, which trains the body’s immune system to attack cancer. One way to verify the effectiveness of these therapies is through Patient-derived xenografts or PDX models. PDX models take cells from a patient’s tumor and implant them into a humanized mouse in which immunotherapies can be tested (Figure 1). The advantage of PDX models is that it allows for co-clinical trials in which a patient’s response can be first be predicted in mouse models. I think this is really cool as simulating how the human body would respond to a treatment is often hard to recreate. Figure 1: Procedure Map for PDX ModelMurayama T, Gotoh N. Patient-Derived Xenograft Models of Breast Cancer and Their Application. Cells. 2019; 8(6):621. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells8060621 Looking back at all the cancer lectures we have had so far, I appreciate hearing directly from clinicians who are doing their screenings and treatments according to guidance from the latest research. It puts the work of our projects in perspective as something small we do could indirectly improve screening or treatment options for patients. That is exciting to think about. Abram Huang | University of Maryland at College Park
