Presenting Author
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
My interest in translational research developed both from my experiences in basic science research and my work in the Harris Medical Center hospital laboratory. From the experienced mentorship of Dr. Edmond Wilson and thanks to funding from the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium, I was first introduced to the process of developing a novel technique to monitor plant volatiles, a concern arising from growing plants in the recycled air of the international space station. Several oral presentations were given regarding the project, and the funding enabled me to tour the laboratories of the Marshall Space Flight Center. Through working with Dr. Cindy White, my undergraduate research turned towards improving fat metabolism through purifying and identifying a fat mobilizing substance from fasting human urine, introducing me to biochemical techniques such as column chromatography and electrophoresis. I performed clinical analysis in Meyer Children’s hospital in Florence, Italy by using rt-qPCR to identify bacterial infection and congenital disorders. My year spent as a medical technician in the laboratory of the Harris Medical Center cemented my desire to perform translational research as I directly interacted with -and performed hospital testing for- patients suffering from a myriad of emergency-related diseases and situations, clearly demonstrating both the incredible progress already achieved in healthcare and the need to further improve our understanding and treatment of many diseases. From a vial of blood, we could measure plasma levels of electrolytes and glucose or monitor therapeutic levels of a drug; however, we still cannot identify -or permanently treat- the root cause of many diseases such as hypertension. These experiences culminated in a potent desire to incorporate analytical techniques into translational research that provides direct benefit to those in need of care. For this purpose, my current project seeks to characterize a mechanism linking the immune system to the pathogenesis of salt-sensitive hypertension, providing potential new therapeutic targets to improve treatment of this widespread disease. We utilize animal surgeries (nephrectomies, subcutaneous implantation, and radio-biotelemetry implantation, among others) along with cell culture models and related techniques (flow cytometry, rt-qPCR, western blot, immunohistochemistry, among others) to model the mechanisms driving the interaction between CD8+ T cells and the distal convoluted tubule of the kidney leading to enhanced sodium retention.