While at the University of Florida, I have had the opportunity to work in several research labs focusing on different spheres of health. My first research opportunity started when I was in high school, where I participated in the 2015 Student Science Training Program. I was placed in the lab of Dr. Christopher Martyniuk, where I evaluated the impact of Toxaphene on the embryonic Development of Zebrafish. Toxaphene is a pesticide that was used in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Its use was banned, but still persists in the environment because of its high bioaccumulation rate. My work with the chemical lead to preliminary data that which was recently published here.

 

Two years after, I would later complete Baylor College of Medicine’s 2017 Summer Medical And Research Training Program (SMART). I worked under Dr. Lynn Zechiedrich in both learning aspects of non-viral gene therapy and antibiotic resistance. I mainly learned how to use data processing software to analyze bacterial swarming of bacteria in the presence Ciclopirox, an antifungal drug that could potentially have antibacterial aspects. You can read up on the publication here.

 

Roughly a year after my time at Baylor, I joined Dr. Shannon Boye’s lab. Boye focuses on inherited retinal disorders. The current project I am working on is using Adeno-Associated Virus-mediated gene therapy on Cone Rod Dystrophy Type 6 mouse models. The aim is to evaluate whether this type of therapy preserves structure and function rods and cones in mouse retinas.

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Being a part of a research team is not only a great learning opportunity, but also provides a unique outlook on collaboration on a much broader level. I witnessed collaboration within institutions in my time at Baylor, as well as on a more national level while at the University of Florida. However, I also was able to see the effect of research on an international level while I was shadowing abroad in Vigo, Spain. There, physicians began to describe certain procedures and techniques that they had to specialize in to successfully carry out various surgeries. They explained to me that the technology and the procedures were developed in other parts of the world, such as Italy and the US, by physician scientists who pioneered in their respective fields to improve health outcome.

 

Given the current circumstances that face the world today, there is a great need for this international aspect of research to continue. COVID-19 has stunted the world in so many ways, and health care professionals are at the frontline of this microscopic war. However, with each passing day, copious amounts of research teams across the globe are continually searching for ways to stop the spread, whether it be through effective treatment or prevention measures. For example, Italy, which has suffered the brunt of the coronavirus before several other nations, began to warn larger countries of the inevitable economic and social burden the virus would bring. Italy also disseminated many reports to characterize the virus, its transmission, mortality, and other key factors to scientists all over. The COVID-19 Pandemic is perhaps one of the greatest modern-day examples highlighting the need for international cooperation, especially in the research front. Despite the pandemic, I hope that nations realize the need for international communication, openness, and support on all fronts moving into the 21st century.