Miya

My research explores the effect of heat and chemotherapy treatment on ovarian cancer cells by tracking the expression of heat shock proteins, molecular chaperones allowing cells to cope with heat-induced stress.

Abstract:

Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) is an invasive, targeted two-step procedure used to treat ovarian cancer (OC) patients, in which high doses of heated chemotherapy are delivered to the abdomen. Given that a patient is vulnerable to aggressive chemotherapy agents for extended periods, it is crucial to identify the ideal treatment temperature and procedure duration. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are upregulated by the cellular stressors of heat and chemotherapy. HSPs are the optimal biomarker of patient response to HIPEC conditions. Therefore, the goal of this research is to investigate the impact of temperature and heat duration on OC cell growth and stress response, focusing primarily on HSP overexpression. To ascertain this, two experiments were conducted. In the first, COV362 cells were cultured in three vessel sizes and under either 37°C (normothermia) or 42°C (hyperthermia). Expression of heat shock proteins HSP70 and HSP90 was measured to assess the effect of heat exposure, and results were collected from a qPCR analysis. In the following experiment, 12 OC cells were exposed to various cisplatin chemotherapy and temperature combinations to analyze the synergistic effect of heat and cancer on HSP70 and HSP90 upregulation. This was assessed through a Western Blot procedure post-experimentation. Across both experiments, an increased temperature and longer duration of drug exposure led to the upregulation of HSP70 and HSP90. Through this research, it becomes evident that the HIPEC condition — 42°C for 90 minutes — is the most effective for cancer cell depletion and promotes the anti-cancer immune response of HSP70 and HSP90.

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Elevator Speech - MR.mp4

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Paper, Awards, Recognitions:

Research paper

Semifinalist at the Terra NYC STEM Fair 2025

Terra NYC STEM Fair Participant 2026