Project Updates

March, 2024

I have connected with researchers Dr. Chris Benz and Dr. Gary Scott at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging! After a successful Zoom meeting where I learned more about their 25+ years of breast cancer research, I toured the Benz Lab in person. With Chris and Gary's support, I am now beginning my literature review of the scientific discoveries that have led to the current treatments for HER2+ breast cancers. I'm looking forward to performing meaningful research at the Benz Lab this summer and throughout senior year!

April, 2024

I have successfully completed my 10-page literature review which describes the 25+ year journey, undertaken by the Benz Lab at the Buck Institute, to treat HER2 positive breast cancer by epigenetically inhibiting the ERBB2 mRNA within the nucleus. My review not only explores the limitations of past anti-ERBB2 therapeutics, but also highlights why the current nuclear ERBB2 mRNA decay approach is novel. In collaboration with Chris and Gary, I am now outlining the experimental design for my research.  

August, 2024

Wow! It's crazy to think about how much knowledge I've gained from my 10 weeks interning at the Buck Institute! It was amazing to be treated as an important member of the lab, presenting my results each week at Lab Meeting. Working closely with Research Assistant Theron Niel in the Benz Lab, I spent my summer running Western Blots to determine the ERBB2 protein levels after treatment and RT-PCRs to determine the ERBB2 mRNA levels after treatment in tumor xenografts. My next steps are to analyze our final Western Blot results for each treatment group, begin writing up my MARC paper, and start developing my final MARC presentation with the support of both my mentors and teachers.

Although not directly related to my Murigenics Tumor Project, I also practiced plating, splitting, and harvesting BT-474 cells with other members of the Benz Lab including Research Assistant Desi Stoyanova and Masters Student Ana Escalante.  I am so grateful for this experience and excited to stay involved with the lab throughout this school year!

October, 2024

Now well into my senior year, I've been considering how to format my MARC paper and I've also been returning to the Benz Lab once a week for about three hours, working closely with Theron on the next phase of our research project! Our eventual goal is to analyze the effects of more potent versions of the same anti-ERBB2 therapeutic drug candidates that we were using over the summer on the ERBB2 protein and mRNA levels of new breast cancer tumor xenografts. Over the past few weeks, we've been using liquid nitrogen, a mortar, and a pestle to grind up the new tumors from each treatment group, and plan to start running Western Blots and RT-PCRs once this step is complete.

December, 2024

Finishing up the first semester, I've spent the past few months running Western Blots with Theron to determine the ERBB2 protein levels after more potent treatment of the new tumor xenografts. We've seen some promising results so far, and comparing the efficacy of the original drugs to the new drugs has been fascinating, so I'm excited to start writing them up in my MARC paper now that our data collection is complete! I plan to start with the introduction and work my way to a complete draft from there. 

May, 2025

I have now successfully completed both my 10-page written paper and 15-minute final presentation! Titled "Epigenetic Inhibition of the ERBB2 Oncogene to Treat HER2-Positive Breast Cancer," my confidential manuscript presents preliminary western blot and two-tailed T test results that show how a dual treatment, comprised of two anti-ERBB2 therapeutic drug candidates, is more effectively inducing nuclear ERBB2 mRNA decay in mouse xenografts than an individual treatment. 

While I certainly enjoyed writing about our study in my MARC paper, the full manuscript can only be shared with my MARC teacher and mentors given the confidential nature of our research. For this reason, getting to share my process, journey, and eventual findings with my broader school community at the Wildcat Colloquim was an amazing end to my MARC experience! I loved seeing the faces of my friends, family, and teachers, and mentors in the audience while presenting the research I have spent two years working on - below are some photos of me after presenting my work! I am so grateful for this experience, and I'm beyond excited to continue pursuing translational research in college :)