Showcase

Neurogenetic testing is a widespread used method in medical practice to diagnose patients with neurogenetic disorders. Testing allows for physicians to better treat patients, understand the causes of a disorder, and see what can be expected in the fu ... ture for a patient in terms of progression and symptoms. Different types of genetic testing are conducted based upon a patient's family history and symptoms present. I have collaborated with genetic counselors to create patient care handouts so patients can gain a better understanding on why they are receiving genetic testing, the different types of genetic testing, and what their results mean. Read more

Germ granules are membraneless organelles that regulate gene expression in the reproductive cells of multicellular animals. Despite their prevalence, we still know little about how germ granules assemble and how assembly affects their function. P gra ... nules are the germ granules of the Caenorhabditis elegans nematode worm that assemble just outside the nucleus. P granule assembly is driven by PGL-1, a structural protein that pairs up to form dimers. The mechanism of how PGL-1 dimers interact with each other to form higher ordered granule structures is unknown. I am analyzing what regions of the PGL-1 protein are required for P granule assembly and function. Using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, I am creating mutant C. elegans worms with deleted PGL-1 protein regions. This will allow me to determine which regions of the PGL-1 protein are necessary to form P granules through various experimental methods. Performing research in simpler model organisms will give broader insight into the assembly and function of germ granules in other, more complicated, multicellular animals, like humans. Read more

Sickle Cell disease is a condition that affects approximately 100,000 individuals in the United States. Of the individuals, many of them are Black and come from low-income neighborhoods where healthcare isn't easily accessible. This internship site i ... s researching how we can help further the education system for healthcare and mental healthcare. At our site, we are determining associations of pain-related injustice, sickle cell stigma, and perceptions of racism in Black youth with sickle cell disease. Read more

Depression occurs more commonly in adolescents with diabetes, and during the COVID-19 pandemic even more adolescents struggled with depressive symptoms. The objective of my project is to evaluate the difference in depressive symptoms in adolescents ... with type 1- or type 2 diabetes mellitus. The outcomes measures include depressive symptoms, as measured with the standardized Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) that is completed during diabetes clinic visits. Results of the PHQ-9 will be measured as a numerical value. Descriptive statistics (age, race, sex) will be performed for youth aged 14-17 years with either type 1- or type 2 diabetes. Comparisons for depression scores, body mass index (BMI), and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) will be performed using T-tests. I hypothesize that youth with type 1 diabetes are more inclined to report depression symptoms in comparison to those with type 2 diabetes due to its onset and treatment at an early age. Read more

Through this internship, I have participated in three research projects assessing patient reported outcomes in liver disease under the supervision of Dr. Archita Desai. I helped design and gain approval for a research project which aims to measure th ... e health related social needs in patients with liver disease and how they affect the healthcare they receive. Second, to become comfortable with enrolling patients for clinical research, I helped enroll patients in a study assessing quality of life, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress in individuals who received a liver transplant. Here, I strengthened my skills in patient communication while also helping them complete surveys and perform physical tasks for the study. Finally, I am completing a secondary analysis of another ongoing study of individuals hospitalized with end-stage liver disease. I am examining the accuracy of patient-reported medications and its impact on hospital outcomes. For this study, I am reviewing patients' medical records to see which medications they were prescribed and comparing them to survey results where patients reported which medications they believe they are taking. Taken together, I have learned a great deal about liver disease and measuring patient reported outcomes during my internship and am excited to continue clinical research. Read more

This project analyzed estrogen receptor (ER) breast cancer samples using digital analysis. Originally, any sample with at least one percent of cells displaying ER characteristics was considered positive. Following the release of new treatment methods ... there are now two kinds of positive estrogen receptor breast cancer, low-ER and high-ER. In low ER breast cancers, only 1-9% of cells display characteristics. In high ER cases, 10-100% of cells display characteristics. This percentage is quantified using digital analysis that looks for a brown stain pigment seen in ER active cells. Based on how much brown pigment appears in the sample as a percentage, the patient is then diagnosed with either negative, low or high ER. The patient is then be placed on a new hormone medication which gives patients a longer life and a better chance of remission. Read more

Current treatments for oral cancer are highly invasive and negatively impact patients' quality of life. Consequently, the lab aims to provide insights into a novel and less invasive treatment approach. Clinical observations suggest a connection betwe ... en the development of oral cancer and chronic mechanical irritation, such as improperly fitting dentures, misaligned teeth, or other types of prosthetics. My internship focuses on studying stem cells in wound healing and exploring their transformation in tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis. To observe stem cell behavior and track their activity in wound healing and tumor development, we used transgenic mouse models. We induced oral wounds in these models and then administered a carcinogen in the drinking water to induce oral cancer development. We record tumor incident and size and evaluate tumor development stages using histology methods. Our research is critical as it could provide a better understanding of the risk factors associated with oral cancer. Ultimately, the knowledge gained from our investigations will lead to the development of new, more targeted treatments that could improve the prognosis and quality of life for oral cancer patients. Read more

Bone fracture risk significantly increases as patients with Alzheimer's Disease continue to age. However, it is unknown to which degree a bone fracture can affect the inflammatory process and cognitive degeneration in patients. In other words, it is ... unknown how a patient with Alzheimer's Disease physically and mentally reacts as they continue to age with a broken bone. By using an animal model of Alzheimer's Disease, 5xFAD mice, and by subjecting them to a surgically created fracture, we can monitor fracture healing and progression of Alzheimer's to better understand how these 2 diseases/injuries impact one another. I will be assisting with the fracture surgeries and the fracture healing outcomes as well as the cognitive and behavioral testing and brain measurements to monitor fracture healing and Alzheimer's disease progression, respectively. Read more

This internship site offered many valuable experiences into different aspects of medical innovations. The core sites and start-up companies within the IU School of Medicine covers both scientific research and business development. This year I shadowe ... d supervisors in the Chemical Genomics Core and the Behavioral Core to learn their day to day processes and how they collaborate with other cores to accomplish their research goals. This experience taught me the importance of teamwork and how it is used daily in research jobs. The main part of my internship was hands-on work in a startup company called Anagin. This company is a part of the CTSI preclinical innovation program. Anagin receives and manages funding from outside programs to develop new medicinal drugs to treat problems with chronic pain. The start up company has given me understanding on what is needed to run a research business and secure necessary equipment. I have also taken on independent projects that have given me the chance to develop new laboratory techniques and gain confidence in my own work. Read more

As a part of Dr. Coven's research, I took a look into how public health factors could impact the patient experience as children go through treatments at Riley hospital within their oncology unit. Some of the public health factors being looked at incl ... ude household material hardships (HMH) and childhood literacy. The purpose of the household material hardship (HMH) study is to gain more knowledge in the stresses and challenges that may impact the homelife of the caregiver to a child who has been recently diagnosed or is undergoing treatment for a brain or spinal cord tumor. The purpose of the childhood literacy project is to gain more knowledge in the family's access to books and literacy to develop a program to promote engagement in learning to read. These topics were studied through surveys by using professional interviewing methods both in person and over the phone. By the end of the study, we hope to have a better understanding of how public health factors can impact the patient experience so future support can be offered to the families at Riley. Read more