The escalating prevalence of opioid use among pregnant women has raised concerns regarding the neurodevelopmental outcomes in their infants. The overall goal is to evaluate fetal brain volume differences on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between pr ... egnant women using opioids and healthy controls, with the goal of early detection of opioid-associated developmental changes. Gathering high-resolution whole brain volumes for fetuses in-vivo on fetal MRI is challenging due to fetal movement. In this study, 2-dimensional (2D) MR images of the fetal brain were acquired using a Half-Fourier Single-shot Turbo spin-Echo (HASTE) sequence in the axial, coronal, and sagittal planes. These images were acquired in 3 -5 mm thick slices. My role in this project was to help convert the thick slice MRI into high-resolution isotropic images. We had 52 participating pregnant women – 25 with opioid use and 27 controls. I manually segmented the fetal brain MRI using ITK-SNAP software. The brain masks that I generated were then combined with the original fetal brain HASTE MRI to generate high-resolution 3D images using an automated 3D reconstruction pipeline. These postprocessed images were checked for accuracy and then oriented to the correct plane. Future steps include analysis of segmented fetal brain volumes. Read more

I am working with Dr. Marc Mendonca and his team to investigate how different doses of radiation affect U87 Glioblastoma (GBM) cells with genetic alterations in MDM-2 and MDM-X genes. We hope to eventually find a breakthrough in cancer research by ta ... rgeting pathways regulated by these genes, which can be utilized to improve the response of GBM tumors to radiation. Read more

The purpose of research on the comparative function of the ape and monkey fossil records in paleo biology is to examine the evolutionary paths of these primates, revealing interesting insights into their shared and distinct characteristics throughout ... history. Learn about our innovative projects! We’re applying 3D scanning to craft a K-5 online module, ‘Growing Up Monkey’, exploring Baboon cranial facial development. We’re also completing data sets and analysis specific to comparative function morphology of the skull and mandible of primates. Research on the skull and mandible contribute valuable information to paleoanthropology by shedding light on evolutionary relationships, reconstructing behaviors, identifying adaptations, and advancing our understanding of human evolution! Read more

Kacena Lab has multiple ongoing research projects focusing on fracture healing in different disease states (Diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer’s disease) and aging. In Kacena Lab, students and interns are given the opportunity for to learn various techn ... iques such as x ray imaging, microCT analysis, genotyping mouse strains, and mouse handling skills including but not limited to learning to prepare mice for surgery, label things properly for tissue collection, and injecting treatments in mice as a part of ongoing studies. The lab skills learnt throughout the internship term are applicable to many lab settings for other research and science labs used in a classroom especially mouse handling and genotyping. These skills and techniques not only help the interns with scientific knowledge and understanding but also allows us to grow in confidence for careers in medicine and science in the future. Interns also get to work closely with research faculty, lab manager, lab techs, and other students. This helps us interns in making informed career choices. The endless opportunities and consistent support of the research team paves the pathway for success and gives us the tools to move forward. Read more

Breast cancer is common and affects 1 in 8 women. One third of patients who undergo axillary lymph node removal as part of the treatment of breast cancer experience lymphedema. It is estimated that lymphedema affects 5 million Americans. Lymphedema i ... s characterized by progressive arm swelling that hinders quality of life, reduces mobility, and increases risk for infections. There is no cure for lymphedema and current treatments are variably effective. Therefore, the goal of this laboratory is to study novel prevention and management strategies for lymphedema. The current study is to evaluate the effect of dermal lymphatic preservation in the development of lymphedema. Read more

Pancreatic cancer has been researched more rigorously in the past 25 years than ever before. Cancer cachexia is a syndrome that affects many organs and is diagnosed when a cancer patient has lost 5% more of their body weight over 6 months. Pancreatic ... cancer is very common and is known to have high rates of cachexia, which can significantly compromise a patient’s quality of live and increase mortality rates. This year I began in Dr. Doles’ lab where they research cancer cachexia. Specifically, Dr. Doles’ lab researches different interventions that can be taken to offset the muscle degradation that occurs during cancer, in addition to researching about the effects of chronic stress on cancer cachexia. My personal job has been to identify and quantify the changes in the sizes of muscle in in vitro and in vivo experiments through the use of immunofluorescent staining. I primarily work with frozen muscle that has been preserved from various models and experiments. Read more

I will create a PowerPoint presentation over my sole tasks for the Indiana Communities Advancing Recovery Efforts (IN CAREs) ECHO program. During this presentation I will explain the purpose of IN CAREs and what the program entails. I will also descr ... ibe the type of audience for the program. Additionally, I would like to display a mock case document and describe how participants can also use this format to showcase their successes in their respective county. While interning at the IUI ECHO Center, I learned various interchangeable skills when assisting with the other programs. The skills such as case outreach, compiling cases, assessing attendance, and editing recorded meetings were also utilized for the IN CAREs ECHO program. I would like to highlight that all ECHO sessions involve extensive planning and scheduling to be executed. This outline for an ECHO is imperative for the program management specialist, didactic speaker(s), audience, and overall flow for a successful session. Lastly, I intend to explain the “All learn, all teach” model which is at the core of each ECHO session. Read more

The early development of food allergies and eczema has been becoming more prevalent over the decades. Children with eczema are more susceptible to develop food allergies but its mechanisms of development are still not well-understood. The project tha ... t I was involved with was researching specific mechanisms for the initiation of food allergy to find potential targets for therapy. This project consisted of using young mice with skin barrier defects found in eczema (FT +/-, Flaky Tail mice with heterozygous mutations in Flg and TMEM genes) and exposing them to food allergen (peanut extract), environmental allergen (Alternaria Alternata) along with detergent (4% SDS) via the skin to develop food allergy. I was able to help with the skin-sensitization, and another responsibility I had in this food allergy project was genotyping, which is a way to verify a gene’s specific alleles through analyzing DNA sequences. Genotyping is necessary for this project because we needed to generate FT +/- pups as well as other mice with other desired deletions of genes (e.g. IL33, ApoE, Krt14Cre, Col1A2Cre) that are shown to be important in food allergy development through skin sensitization. These mice with deletions will be used to test whether IL33 or ApoE in skin keratinocytes or skin fibroblasts are important for food allergy. This can be used to further understand mechanisms for the initiation of food allergy through both skin exposure and identifying specific factors of risk for skin sensitization. Read more

The LifeRAFT (Lifespan Resilience After Family Trauma) Lab studies how early life stress and family dynamics impact youth behavior outcomes and substance use. Our lab recruits parents who have experienced a traumatic event who have children 10-14 yea ... rs old. The parent and child complete questionnaires, and the child undergoes neuroimaging while completing tasks. The goal of this study is to explore how stress impacts risk for substance use and to eventually use this information to create new treatments for adolescents and their families. Read more

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a condition characterized by high blood glucose levels and metabolic decompensation. DKA serves as a potentially fatal complication of diabetes, and it has significant short-term and long-term health consequences. Withi ... n the patient population followed by our Endocrinology Program, 7-10% of patients with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) on public insurance are admitted to the hospital/emergency department annually for severe hyperglycemia or DKA. Therefore, my research project utilizes retrospective chart review of pediatric patients in DKA or HHS to address the factors that influence DKA development. Based upon this retrospective chart review, we hope to identify additional support that can be offered to at-risk youth and families, in order to improve blood glucose management and reduce the risk of hospitalization. Read more