Ben at the Undergraduate Research Conference @ UNH
Ben is a Biochemistry, molecular, and cellular biology major, from Hershey, Pennsylvania. This junior is using his spare time sitting in a lab and researching molecules that are common with cancer.
What is the research that you are doing here at school?
I do molecular biology research that deals with a particular tumor suppressor protein that is mutated in more than 60% of all human cancers. In understanding this tumor suppressor protein, we can better understand malignant growth and hopefully help give rise to new cancer therapies.
Day to day in lab, I culture both synthetic and patient acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) cells in order to perform different experiments and essays. Some of these procedures include immunocytochemistry and western blotting. I use these to determine the location of a specific tumor suppressor protein (either in the cytoplasm or nucleus) in which I’m interested.
A shot from the clam cam…
How did you get involved with this?
I got involved in undergraduate research by approaching my BIOL 411 professor after a lecture and asking if he had any room in his lab. He said yes and the rest is history!
Do you hope to continue this type of research/work in the future?
Yes! I hope to attend medical school and continue molecular/cellular biology research as a part of my future career.
What is your favorite part about the research you’re doing?
My favorite part about my research is the prospect of discovering something new and exciting. That’s what makes it so worth the while.