Langer Lab (2023)
-In the summer of 2023, I worked at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute as a participant in the Cell, Developmental & Cancer Biology Summer Research Internship Program. I received valuable mentorship from Drs. Ellen Langer and Eric Carlson at the Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research Center to study fibroblast plasticity in pancreatic cancer, which has a mere 12% five-year survival rate. Given that pancreatic tumors are mostly non-malignant cells, I focused on crosstalk mechanisms between cancer cells and stromal cells, as well as environmental cues that trigger cancer cell differentiation. More specifically, I studied the influence of exogenous metabolites on TGFβ1-driven activation of human Pancreatic Stellate Cells towards a myofibroblast-like cancer-associated fibroblast (myCAF) state. Over this three-month internship I discovered a synergistic mechanism of myCAF differentiation involving TGFβ1 and glutamine. I presented these findings in a poster presentation for the OHSU community.Scanlan Lab (2019)
-My research career began during my third year of high school, when I joined the Scanlan lab at the OHSU Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry. I used a mouse model to study the pathology of a deadly human genetic disease called X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) that causes demyelination and axonopathy in the central nervous system (CNS). I investigated two pharmacological strategies that enhance the effects of Sobetirome, a drug that reduces the abundance of neurotoxic very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) in X-ALD patients. I discovered that the Sobetirome prodrug was more effective than Sobetirome at lowering VLCFAs, with improved CNS penetration and reduced peripheral exposure. I learned lab skills including karyotyping, microscopy, and data analysis of mouse neural activity. But, more importantly, my findings helped advance treatment options for X-ALD patients and inspired me to dissect molecular mechanisms through the lens of chemistry.Johnson Lab (2021)
-During the spring of my freshman year, I joined Dr. David Johnson’s materials chemistry lab at the UO Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. I helped innovate a strategy to synthesize extended solids, allowing for the creation of families of nanostructured and kinetically stable compounds. These compounds optimize device performance in transistors, solar cells, and light-emitting diodes, giving them direct practical implementations in the fields of technology, engineering, and renewable energy. In my work, I characterized ternary Fe-Pb-Se crystal lattice structures using X-ray fluorescence, reflectivity, and diffraction to quantitatively measure their composition and thickness.