My Internship

Internship site: Dr. Marc Mendonca studying cancer research

Dr. Mendonca works with pancreatic and ovarian cancer cells and works with different methods to try and inhibit cancer cell growth. Based on the American cancer society, it is estimated that 21,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer and about 13,000 will die from ovarian cancer which is over half. It is also estimated that out of the 60,000 pancreatic cancer cases per year, about 48,000 will die which comes in around 80%. These two types of cancer are very deadly and their mortality rate is among the highest of all cancers. Which is why this work is so important. Learning the effects of radiation on cancer cells can lead to new discoveries or new methods in treating cancer that could both be less uncomfortable with the patient, and more effective. In the lab we work with cancer cells and run experiments with varying levels of radiation and time to determine which combination is the best for killing and fighting cancer.

Learning and skills

This internship is a blessing to me and my career goals as it will allow me to look into the world of cancer research and apply hands on work to this field. It will also allow me to build upon what I already know and my skills because this internship will help me to better understand my future and goals. Learning how to plate and pass cells is vital to any experiment dealing with cells, in vitro. I also would like to learn how to create cancer growth curves and how to extrapolate data from the lab into a document such as graphs and or data tables. This way I can accurately view my data. Learning basic sterile lab techniques and how to better use a hood as I am not that familiar with using the hood.

I would also like to see the bigger picture of this lab. I would like to see just how much radiation and different combinations of drug therapies can help cancer patients.

This internship fits in perfectly with what I am learning in my biology classes because both use sterile technique, although this is used in all labs. It has also taught me basic staining and passing cells techniques. Something I have not learned in class but it has helped me to better understand molecular biology and how cells can grow in media.

Throughout this semester, working in Dr. Mendonca's lab has been an amazing experience. So far, I have learned how to perform sterile technique on all experiments that we run and all the stocks that we pass. I have learned how to run basic experiments and irradiate cells. I have learned how to count cell colonies under a microscope and how to input that data in the computer to see graphs and figures on the actual findings. Lastly, I have also learned how to stain cells and use a cell counter. One of my favorite experiences overall in the lab has been running the actual experiments. Coming in on Friday's and spending 5+ hours in the lab running experiments, irradiating cells, staining cells, and counting cells. Watching it all come together is amazing.

While working at the site, me, my partner, the lab supervisor, Helen, and Dr. Mendonca have run split dose experiments on ovarian cancer cells. The goal was to see the responsive of these different cells to radiation and to determine just how much DNA damage can occur due to radiation, and then if these cells can efficiently repair themselves over time. The bigger job is to eventually determine what amounts of radiation and chemotherapy are needed for possible radiation resistant cells so that eventually when human testing occurs, we have a better understanding of how radiation plays a role in DNA damage and cell killing.

the workplace

The main skill I would like to have a develop before going into the workforce is problem solving. Often times in the lab, I am confronted with problems that, at first, I have no idea how to solve and so I try and solve them on my own but I'll admit that I am not the best at it. I would like to develop this skill in the workplace because it is a very important and valuable skill to have in a career, especially one that is in science. As a professional I would mostly just like to expand my knowledge. I'd like to know all the opportunities out there and to be a jack of all trades, if you will. I would like to be aware of different careers and collaborate with other careers that are not my own.

Before I started my internship, I wanted to learn about sterile technique and how to work under a hood efficiently. I had never really worked under a hood before for an extended period of time so I knew that it would take some getting used to. I also wanted to learn how to using a radiation machine. I knew that I would be irradiating cells and so using a radiation machine really excited me for this internship.

My internship has been slightly different than what I expected when I first started. And this is a good thing. I have liked the independence and collaboration of the work. I have enjoyed coming in on the weekdays and conducting experiments independently and with my lab partner, and then having meetings with my supervisors to view the work and the data and interpret the results.

The things that has surprised me most working in this lab is the results. It's amazing to come into work almost every single day and run experiments, but then to actually put the data into the computer and analyze and make sense of the data, that is the most satisfying and surprising result of the work. It wasn't too different than what I expected, but getting used to the different skills of the lab was the hardest part. There are a lot more sterile techniques that go into working in biology lab than expected. This experience has enabled me to work with others than myself and it is great to work with other LHSI students and to work with some graduate students that work in my supervisors lab. Also, I love working with my lab tech, Helen, who is the person who taught me the most about working in the lab. She has been a great mentor to me.

The lab focuses on radiation oncology and understanding and improving the radiation response of ovarian and pancreatic cancer. Over the course of the internship, we have been working with SKOV and SKOV-AX (genetically altered by MDMX knockout) ovarian cancer cells and irradiating them. The objective is to test whether MDMX knock out in ovarian cancer alters radiation-induced cell killing. The primary methods to achieve this are to plate, irradiate, stain, and count the cancer cell colonies formed after various treatments. These experiments were performed with single 1 to 7 Gy doses and split doses of 3.5 Gy twice with a 4-hour repair interval. The growth curves of both the cell lines were also plotted to understand the plating efficiency and cell doubling times for both the cell lines. In the pancreatic cell project, we are investigating how simultaneous inhibition of Warburg metabolism and NF Kappa B pathways increases radiation-induced cell killing after single and split doses of irradiation.

The culture and environment of the workplace at my site could not be better. There is a lot of employee engagement and making sure that we always know what we are doing for the day, week, month, or semester. There are constant check ins to make sure that we are on track being the most successful that we can be. We are always asked about the our futures and we are given tips and tricks to be successful in whatever we want to do in life.

My ideal workplace is very similar to my internship site. The energy is very laid back, but at the same time we all work hard to get done what we need to get done. There is trust in each of the employees and in our supervisor and mentor. The standards for the lab are clear and we all have a very similar work ethic. I love my internship site because there is respect among employees and there is a friendliness that creates a great space to be successful in.

Success and Challenges

Some of my best successes while working in this lab have been getting the results and seeing just how successful some of my experiments have been. Don't get me wrong, some of my first experiments haven't been the best, but for the most part I started to get better and better at running experiments and have overall been successful in running sterile techniques.

Most challenges have come from time management and working. Since it has been a tough semester, being able to handle school, work, and other commitments have overall been difficult, but I can tell that I am using my time more effectively, especially on weekends, and becoming more efficient in my work and priorities.

My EPortfolio

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1jkpPA58lEtoN2jEOfRwz6iiL9PXGTZmqqyi1tg19t2U/edit#slide=id.p