At the Hulvershorn Lab, our mission is to understand the mysteries of the brain mechanisms and environmental factors that drive youth to make risky decisions. We aim to identify the most impactful physiological and environmental factors that affect h ... ow the adolescent brain interacts with different choices and the impact of these choices on youth health in the future to foresee the likelihood of developing diseases that will negatively affect the quality of life (like substance use disorder). We investigate the underlying brain mechanisms driving these behaviors through functional MRI scans and risky decision-making tasks. We then follow up with participants longitudinally following a prospective cohort research model to track their changes as they grow older into adulthood. This work is very important because it directly influences the well-being of high-risk youth with a family history of substance use disorder, offering insights that will help develop more specific interventions and preventive strategies as we move into the era of personalized medicine, ultimately leading to healthier life trajectories for adolescents. Read more

Kacena lab focuses on multiple aspects of bone healing in aging and Alzheimer’s disease to see how new treatments improve pain and fracture healing. Animal models capturing different disease states are used for translational research. Kacena lab uses ... different mouse models to study fracture healing and pain outcomes. Genotyping is the technique used to ascertain if the mice have the desired genetic mutations in them. I have contributed by genotyping different strains of mice by extracting DNA from the tissue and performing PCR analysis to determine if the correct mutation is present. I also helped with x-ray imaging for fractured mice and whole blood analysis. The LHSI program helped me to further my knowledge in translational research and challenge myself to learn additional skills in a laboratory setting. Read more

My internship has focused on cachexia, a progressive wasting disease prevalent in cancer patients. Along with body weight loss, patients with cachexia display musculoskeletal wasting, weakness, and fatigue, thus impairing their quality of life. The m ... ain project of my internship has focused on the exacerbation of cachexia due to the presence of liver metastases. While it is known that liver metastases amplifies cachexia, the mechanisms remain poorly understood. Building on recent work from my lab, we investigated whether liver metastases exacerbated musculoskeletal wasting in a mouse model of lung cancer. This project affords the lab an opportunity to examine the impact of cancer cells on the liver and the resultant secretory changes induced by liver metastases. In addition to assessing changes in body weight, muscle mass, and muscle function, we also determined molecular changes in skeletal muscle. Various techniques analyzed molecular differences at the gene and protein level including RT-qPCR and western blotting. Additionally, skeletal muscle staining and imaging assesses the fiber size changes. As the project progresses, the aim is identifying proteins secreted from the liver and/or tumor that cause exacerbation of cachexia. This undertaking holds significant importance for identifying potential future targets secreted by the liver and tumor. Read more

The Aoki lab utilizes CRISPR/Cas-9 technology to edit the genetic code of the roundworm, C. elegans, to study the function of RNA-protein complexes. In humans, reproductive cells contain germ granules, which are also referred to as RNA-protein comple ... xes. These germ granules contain various RNAs and proteins involved in germ line identity, maintenance, and fertility. In C. elegans, P granules are synonymous with the germ granules in humans. The P granules' formation depends on the PGL family of proteins. However, the molecular function of PGL proteins remains unclear. Here, we use CRISPR/Cas-9 to alter the PGL protein regions to examine their individual roles in granule formation and function. Exploring the role and interactions of the components within P granules enhances our overall understanding of RNA-protein complexes. Read more

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the destruction of pancreatic beta cells, causing diminished insulin production. T1D affects 8.4 million individuals, with 1.5 million under the age of 20. T1D research is crucial becaus ... e it aims to unravel the disease’s underlying mechanisms, paving the way for improved treatment options and ultimately a cure. Research advancements can enhance the quality of life for persons living with T1D by developing robust management strategies (i.e., glucose sensors and insulin delivery systems). Research can identify T1D development risk factors to delay disease progression in children at high risk. My research focuses on participant recruitment for TrialNet, a research consortium dedicated to preventing or delaying T1D progression. TrialNet screenings detect T1D stages, averting life-threatening hospitalizations. However, recruitment has declined since the COVID-19 outbreak. After analyzing the departmental database, we've identified recruitment barriers: apprehension about experimental drug usage, lack of inclusivity, rumors of misconduct, protocol burden, preference for online alternatives, and geographical limitations. Addressing these limitations involves recognizing the barriers, engaging participant partners, tailoring recruitment approaches, simplifying eligibility, offering reimbursements, enhancing communication, fostering trust, streamlining procedures, and continuously adapting strategies. Our research team strives to overcome obstacles hindering patient recruitment in T1D Research. Read more

I have been working under the supervision of Dr. Catherine Sears; her laboratory focuses on the impact of DNA damage and repair on the development of lung cancer and other lung diseases. Through this internship I have studied how the DNA repair prot ... ein Xeroderma Pigmentosum Group C (XPC) impacts the response of lung epithelial cells to PM2.5 (particulate matter 2.5), a dangerous component of air pollution. We used “normal” human bronchial epithelial cells (Beas-2B) and lung cancer cell lines wild-type for XPC (WT) or modified by lentiviral knock-down of XPC (KD). When exposed to increasing concentrations of PM2.5, we found differences in cell microscopic appearance in XPC KD compared to WT Beas-2B cells. By Crystal Violet assay, I found that XPC KD Beas-2B cells had lower survival with increasing PM2.5 concentrations compared to XPC WT. Additionally, I found that XPC KD Beas-2B cells had significantly higher levels of DNA damage by alkaline Comet assay compared to WT cells. I am confirming these findings using a clonogenic survival assay and in XPC KD and WT cancer cell lines. My research aims to determine cellular responses to air pollution, informing strategies to relieve health impacts and understand pollution-related respiratory disease pathophysiology. Read more

This project involves investigating treatment options for behavioral challenges among individuals diagnosed with Down syndrome (DS) through a comprehensive review of existing literature. Within the scope of my internship, we concentrate on the examin ... ation of disruptive aggressive behaviors as part of the Down Syndrome Rapid Review. Utilizing the COVIDANCE platform, we systematically screen articles, conduct thorough full-text assessments, and extract information for analysis. The selected articles have various screening processes, and data extraction has been carried out. These data are being analyzed to address key research inquiries, review references, and assess the implications drawn from the findings. Notably, the extracted articles predominantly comprise case studies detailing interventions tailored to address specific behavioral issues, including aggression, noncompliance, tantrums, and property destruction among individuals with DS. The selection of this topic stems from the limited availability of literature addressing behavioral interventions in the DS population, highlighting the significance of sourcing and analyzing pertinent data to inform a comprehensive scoping review. Read more

I intern at the IU Simon Cancer Center, At my internship site, we work as nurses to support procedures like blood draws, vital signs, infusions, and various medical procedures while guaranteeing patient safety to help researchers in their efforts to ... develop healthcare. The motivation behind this effort is the trust that such research would result in more efficient treatments and improvements to the healthcare system. Our main focus is on collecting and handling data for safe medical research. One interesting study going on onsite is the Audacity study. Which has more than 550 participants and is ongoing globally. The Audacity study primarily targets those who suffer from unhealthy excess body fat. The significance of our research is demonstrated by our patient's participation in certain studies, which reveal their last hope following failed attempts at traditional treatments. Read more

My project will be a slideshow. I am studying whether psychosis symptoms lead to crime by measuring if criminal activity decreases post treatment.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of telehealth within medical practices was steadily growing, but not as widely adopted into mainstream healthcare as it is today. The pandemic accelerated the adoption of telehealth services, pushing both healthc ... are providers and patients to embrace virtual consultations and remote medical care at an unprecedented rate. With this increase in virtual consultations and remote care comes the question of it impact on social determinants within pediatric patients, more specifically, within the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplant at Riley Children’s Hospital at Riley Children’s Hospital. Pediatric patients receiving care in hematology and oncology department face significant challenges related to social determinants of health. However, telehealth has the potential to mitigate the impact of social determinants of health on pediatric patients and their families. However, in populations of varying social determinants, it is uncertain that everyone will be impacted in the same way due to telehealth. As such, it cannot completely guarantee that all populations will experience these wide range of benefits from the use of telehealth. This leads to the purpose of this project: to understand the effects of telehealth on social determinants of health among children with chronic mental illnesses. Read more