Name: Joanna Lum
Internship, Co-op or Research Site: University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Position Title: Research Assistant
Major(s)/Minor(s): Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Expected Graduation Year: May 2019
Briefly describe your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.
I was a summer research assistant at Dr. Peter Swaan's nano-medicine and drug delivery lab. In his lab, we aim to enhance the targeting ability of cancer drugs by using cell-penetrable lysine dendrimers. They are nano-sized synthetic polymers that act like tiny cars, carrying the drug and sending it to the nuclei of cells.
My project focused on the cellular internalization of drug-dendrimer conjugates in human breast cancer cells. I performed cytotoxicity assays and compared the toxicities between the drug itself and the drug-dendrimer conjugates. Then, I visualized how they entered the cells through confocal laser microscopy.
My day-to-day responsibilities included making sure the cells were growing healthily by observing them under a microscope and changing their growth medium. When they were 90-100% confluent (meaning the cells have divided extensively and were packed among one another tightly), I had to perform cell passaging or splitting. I also used the micro-pipettes almost everyday to make buffer solutions and treat the cells with the nano-medicine.
Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.
I was nominated by Dean LaCourse for this summer research experience. After submitting my cover letter and resume, I had an interview with Dr. Baron, Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Advising and Student Success. Then I sat down with Dr. Swaan to learn more about his current projects before he paired me up with one of his graduate students.
I especially would like to thank the STEM BUILD program for offering extensive advising, interview prep, and resume critiques throughout the school year.
What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?
On top of the great exposure to pharmaceutical science and excellent networking opportunity, I loved being able to focus on one research project for eight weeks. This full-time commitment gave me the time to bridge the gap between science in the classroom and present-day research. It has helped me to visualize the positive impacts biomedical research can bring to our community.
Also, being in a lab surrounded by dedicated graduate students has pushed me to think critically and work diligently. They have taught me to go beyond the surface and dig deep into unanswered questions with a curious mind.
The process of growing cells under sterilized and controlled conditions was very fascinating too!
How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?
One of the major setbacks of chemotherapeutic drugs is their low specificity. In order words, when the drug enters the body, it kills both healthy and cancerous cells. By studying targeted drug delivery, we hope to improve drug efficacy and minimize undesired side effects. After eight weeks of experiments, the drug-dendrimer conjugates were displayed through confocal microscopy to be endocytosed into small and punctate vesicles. The images suggested that the vesicles were trafficking towards the nuclei where they could eventually inhibit DNA replication of tumor cells. As a result, cell-penetrable lysine dendrimers can be used as a prospective vehicle for sustained drug release targeted to cancer cells.
What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?
Work hard in your classes during the school year and build a strong relationship with the faculty. Show them that you are serious and passionate about doing research!
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