Tyler Earley and Dr. Paul Reynolds, Physiology and Developmental Biology
I was given a research grant of $1,500. My project was centered around discovery of cellsignaling pathways linked to inflammation specific to the lung. We studied a receptor that may be shown to integrally participate in inflammation in such diseases as COPD and Asthma. My studies followed Receptors for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) which have been implicated in mechanisms of sustained pulmonary inflammation associated with several pathological conditions. This project sought to investigate the direct interaction of particulate matter and RAGE as well as RAGE’s role in perpetuating an inflammatory response in epithelial cells resident to the respiratory tract. This information may prove beneficial in enhancing the diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory pathways that are exacerbated in the lungs of asthmatics when exposed to air pollutants rich in particulate matter.
My time working in Dr. Reynolds’ lab has been very rewarding. I was able to develop techniques and independent investigation for work with mouse models. We used two lines of mice in particular for our studies: Balb/c as a wild-type test model, and a RAGE KO mouse that removed the receptor of interest from the organism. We used two successive days of exposure to Diesel Particulate Matter (DPM) and Phosphate Buffer Solution (PBS) as a control in both of these mouse lines. After exposure, on the third day we lavaged the lungs of both DPM and PBS. After isolating the protein and RNA we converted cDNA and we ran a Real-Time PCR to obtain results on inflammatory markers as well as RAGE itself. This data allowed us to submit an abstract to the annual Experimental Biology conference that will be held next April 21st through the 25th. This abstract has been accepted and we will present our current research as well as future directions that our lab will take. This research conference will be a wonderful growing experience in which I will be able to interact with research professionals from many fields that were years ago in my shoes, and have risen to the cutting edge of investigation. This exposure will aid my future career objectives in medicine and the interaction that I will have with researchers as well as research that I will perform myself. I will learn to discuss primary research with these professionals while taking critiques and discovering future directions for my own inquiries.
Beyond the research conference that we have been accepted to, our lab group is working to publish our hypotheses on RAGE. As we continue throughout the beginning of next year, we will be integrating our individual work to compile a thorough discussion of this receptor, how it is activated, its downstream cellular and organismal effects, and how it may be regulated for future pharmaceutical interventions in diseased states.
In addition to these extraordinary conference opportunities, I have learned much about independence and cooperation in investigation. I collaborated with my lab-mates to achieve our united goals. I learned to run tests and examine data as well as discuss it with my lab-mates that were doing similar tests. This is a key ability in the world of research and medicine. In my upperlevel courses which I am now taking, the abilities gained thanks to my research grant and the opportunities provided by my mentor have prepared me to understand the research that is used in teaching, and to engage with my professors in meaningful academic conversation. During medical school interviews, which are ongoing, I have been able to discuss intelligently the world of research and my small part in it. This has made a significant impact on the tone of my interviews and has brought me success.
The ORCA grant that was given me has dramatically enhanced my scientific education at BYU. My further studies in medical school have been enabled, in large part, due to my research opportunities thanks to ORCA. I have learned many techniques and grown to intelligently interact with the research community. The future opportunities that I will encounter will be broader because of my undergraduate research and because of the Experimental Biology conference I will attend. These both resulted from the ORCA I was granted.