Student spends summer studying Alzheimer's Disease

So tell us about the research you did this summer.

My research focused on Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), which is the most common type of dementia and currently affects a rapidly increasing 5.1 million Americans.  This ultimately fatal neurodegenerative disorder typically presents with mild short-term memory loss, which progresses to an inability to carry out regular daily functions and recognize loved ones, and eventually leads to complete dependence on caregivers.  AD affects not only those afflicted, but also has deep emotional and economic effects on individuals close to the patient.  While the exact cause of AD is unknown, it is known that the characteristic build-up of amyloid plaques around neurons plays an important role in the signal disruption, which causes memory loss and cognitive interference in AD patients.

The research I’m working on shows that the C-terminus of presenilin 1 binds to nicastrin. Progress on the binding of mutant presenilins and nicastrins leads to increased or decreased production of Aβ-42.  An increased awareness of the binding specifications of the presenilin 1 C-terminus to nicastrin, necessary for the formation of the γ-secretase high molecular weight complex, gives insight into the production of Aβ-42, and thus a greater understanding of ways in which its production may be blocked.

What prepared you for this opportunity? How’d you get involved in the project and find an advisor to work with?

I had Dr. Lisa Gentile for Chemistry 141 lecture and lab and through that class, we formed a nice relationship. She brought the HHMI summer undergraduate research fellowship to my attention, and when I followed up by asking to work with her, she gave me a choice between two projects in her lab. I looked forward to cultivating that relationship and learning more by working with her. I had few prior research experiences, but I was prepared for this opportunity by a sheer inspiration to learn as much as I could this summer and have a great experience in the process.  

How do you see this project contributing to your collegiate success during the rest of your time at Richmond?

Having the opportunity to be on campus this summer has given me a stimulating connection with professors I both had and hadn’t interacted with before. It has also given me a much greater interest in and understanding of research at the University. This interest and appreciation for research will no doubt grow as my college career progresses and possibly give me insight into what I want to do after college, further down the road. Lastly and most practically, my experience will give me confidence in future labs throughout the next three years at Richmond.

You’ve got a crystal ball.  What’s in store for you after graduation?  

This is the big question for me currently.  I most definitely want to pursue a career in the health or natural sciences.  However, I haven’t yet decided whether medical school is the path I want to take or whether I want to go about finding my career in another way by first attending graduate school.  

A full day of research lies ahead of you.  What’s on your iPod?

I like to listen to something that is fairly upbeat in lab, but not so busy that I’ll get carried away with the music and stop paying attention to my work.  Maybe the Shins, Xavier Rudd, the Format, the Gorillaz, Junior Boys, Jack Johnson, Beck and Radiohead.  

What has a liberal arts education at the University of Richmond meant to you?

There are many advantages to a liberal arts education, but one in particular that I have appreciated has been the opportunity to interact with students and professors with such a large range of interests; from the sciences to foreign languages, political science, mathematics, history, English and more.  Such diversity of thought in close proximity promotes intellectual conversations that cross many fields of thought.  

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