Anneliese Brown

Title of Work: 

The Effect of Mesenechymal Stem Cell Conditioned Media on K562 Cell Proliferation and Viability 

Abstract

My internship was completed in an immunology lab in Alicante, Spain where I worked with K562 cells (myelogenous leukemia) and mesenchymal stem cells to develop a new treatment to stop cancer growth. My mentor and I developed experiment protocols to create a more economical process to boost accessibility within teaching laboratories. My time in the laboratory taught me about the culture of Spain, both within the workplace and outside. At the beginning of my time abroad, I struggled with speaking Spanish and my knowledge of laboratory techniques. However, with the help of my colleagues, I improved exponentially. Sociolinguistically, I learned to integrate colloquial words, the difference between speaking to strangers versus acquaintances, and how to interact in a highly social environment. I was able to adapt to my environment, understand and interpret the culture around me, and become more interculturally competent. In addition, I learned a different pronunciation of Spanish that involved using the distinction between <z>, <c+i,e>, and <s> while in Spain.

Title of Work (IGP Language):  

El Efecto de Media Condicionada de Celulas Troncales Mesenquimales sobre la Proliferacion y Viabilidad de Células K562

Abstract (IGP Language):

 En mi pasantía, trabajé con las células K562 de leucemia mielógena y células madre mesenquimales para desarrollar un tratamiento nuevo de parar el crecimiento da cáncer en un laboratorio de inmunología en Alicante, España. Desarrollé protocolos con la meta de crear protocolos económicos para que el proceso fuera más accesible a estudiantes y a las universidades. El tiempo trabajando con mi jefe y mis colegas me enseñó sobre la cultura de España en un lugar de trabajo y en la vida. Tuve retos en comunicación y mi conocimiento de técnicas de laboratorio, pero después de un tiempo y la ayuda de mis colegas, mejoré mucho. Aprendí sobre la sociolingüística como la integración de palabras coloquiales, las diferencias en hablar con gente conocido versus desconocida y una manera de ser más abierta y social con toda la gente. Me adapté a mi entorno, lo que significó tener que entender e interpretar la cultura que me rodeaba, lo que me llevó a ser más competente interculturalmente. Además, aprendí una pronunciación diferente como la distinción entre la <z>, <c+i,e> y la <s> en España.

Elevator Pitch Video

Elevator Pitch Transcript: 

Think about anyone you know that has had cancer. Did someone personal come up? This is because cancer is the number two leading cause of death amongst adults around the world. It is the uncontrolled growth of cells that leads to a horrible disease taking control of the body, causing death for many. Current treatments are comprised of targeted cell death such a radiology, prescribed medications, and surgeries, but what if there was a different, less invasive, way to treat cancer? Hi, my name is Anneliese Brown and I am studying Spanish as well as Biomedical science. Last year I had the wonderful opportunity of studying abroad in Alicante, Spain where I worked in an immunology lab studying how Stem cells could be used in the treatment of myelogenous leukemia and potentially other forms of cancer. Leukemia is a type of cancer where Lymphocytes grow uncontrollably, more specifically, myelogenous leukemia is the uncontrolled growth of monocytes or granulocytes. My mentor and I worked to understand what happened when K562 cells (myelogenous leukemia cells) were interacted with stem cell conditioned media. While I was not able to retrieve conclusive results in the 5 months I was there, I was able to identify which reaction inhibitors could be used in the MTT reaction process, allowing me to find a more economical way to conduct the experiments thus making the research I was doing a bit more accessible to universities. On this slide you can see a tube with a red lid within there are my cancer cells that I would work with. To the right of that is a paper with some diagrams on it and those are kind of what my mentor would leave me everyday to work on within the lab. To the right of that is a microscope slide that has the stem cells growing on it and then to the right of that is me looking at my stem cells in a microscope. Not only did I gain an immense amount of knowledge about cells and laboratory procedures, I also greatly improved my Spanish and cultural understanding. Living in the United States meant learning a Latin American dialect of Spanish, but going abroad to Spain challenged me further to learn a new dialect of Spanish, understand a completely different accent, and incorporate words into my vocabulary that took the place of words I had learned at home. On this slide you can see a couple of images from places I was lucky enough to travel to. Not only did I get a lot of cultural influence from Spain but I also was able to pick up some cultural things from a couple of different places around the world. To learn more about my time abroad come see me at the IGP Summit on November 15th.

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