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How did you learn about Regeneron’s Science Talent Search (STS)? What was the application process like?
I learned about STS through our school's research teacher, Mrs. Shandroff. She's always encouraging us to put our projects out there and compete in fairs, and I wanted to showcase my work!
The application process was extremely lengthy. There were several essays and many sections for describing methodology, results, conclusions, etc. Additionally, the application required submission of a paper 20 pages in length and a long section for my mentor to fill out.
What is your project titled? Can you explain it in simple terms for our community?
My project is titled "STING-rich Ciliated Cells Protect the Fallopian Tube from Early Transformation in the Development of Ovarian Cancer."
A Quick Research Summary
STING is an immune response pathway that's a vital component of the body's ability to fight cancer and other illnesses. My project examines the ways that this pathway kills potentially cancerous cells in the fallopian tube.
Ovarian cancer is usually diagnosed at a very late stage, once it's extremely aggressive and difficult to treat. I wanted to explore what's occurring in early-stage ovarian cancer. Detecting ovarian cancer early (and understanding what's causing it) is an untapped opportunity to improve prognostic outcomes.
For my project, I studied STING expression in the fallopian tubes in humans and mice (where ovarian cancer begins at its earliest stages) and discovered the following: STING is lost in the earliest known stages of ovarian cancer in humans. Without it, potentially cancerous cells are able to grow in the fallopian tube.
In the future, we could potentially target STING or raise its expression in the fallopian tubes to intervene in ovarian cancer.
What inspired you to focus your project on this topic?
My mom died of ovarian cancer when I was nine years old. She was an amazing mom and encouraged me to be a curious question-asker. She'd be proud. My family feels the weight of her loss every day, and it felt important to use my interest in science to honor her. I carry a picture of her in my wallet wherever I go.
Do you have any advice for students who are interested in the STS?
In general, it's important to pick a project you're willing to work hard at, regardless of wanting to win awards.
Advice that comes to mind:
- If you're in a lab, take almost excessive notes and read papers during any down time you have. Broad knowledge helps understand your work in context, and when writing a research paper, it's useful to look back on notes from the lab.
- Network! Get a sense for what people in your field are researching.
- Make sure your research tells a compelling story. Present data in a logical, exciting order.
What are your plans after high school?
First, go to college. In the future, I’m hoping to use my education to engineer technologies for early cancer detection, possibly in the biotech start-up space. I’m especially interested in pursuing cancer research at the intersection between biology, technology, ethics, and business.
If you could have a conversation with a scientist, alive or deceased, who would it be?
Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of Emperor of All Maladies. He's especially interesting to me because not only is he a prolific researcher, but he has also written numerous books that are accessible to a general audience. The aforementioned title is on the history of cancer.
To me, science is most useful when it's accessible and involves a conversation across fields. I'd love to talk to him about how scientists can forge a more transparent, communicative relationship with the public, and I'd most definitely chat him up about bioethics.
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