My passion for research began during the senior year of college when I was awarded the Junior Research Fellowship (~20 out of 500 applicants) to train in Dr. Sriram’s laboratory at the National Center For Biological Sciences in Bangalore, India. During my summer internship, I trained in basic molecular and cell biology techniques to investigate the function of signaling pathways in mitochondrial dynamics. Apart from technical skills, I was exposed to seminars from top scientists in the world, which motivated me to apply for graduate school.
To obtain a strong platform in RNA biology, I joined Dr. Peter Baumann’s laboratory at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute & Stowers Institute For Medical Research in 2009. In my doctoral dissertation, I demonstrated that intronic elements in TER1 allow a rapid first
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In my first project, I modeled a rare form of non-dimerizing Ros1 fusion by genome editing which leads to gliomas in mice. Surprisingly, only homozygous deletion at 6q locus leading to Gopc-Ros1 fusion leads to tumor formation in vivo (Kannan et al, in preparation). This study demonstrates that apart from the resulting oncogenic fusion, genes lost as a result of deletion could play an essential function in tumorigensis and highlights the power of genome editing. To build my training on cancer research, I applied and obtained the Translational Research Oncology Training fellowship offered my Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. TROT has built a solid foundation to my cancer research. Specifically, lectures by Dr. Charles Saywers on “Cancer Biomarkers” and Dr. Omar Abdel-Wahab on “Cancer Epigenetics” was crucial background knowledge for my K99/R00 proposal. In addition, hands on class like pathology staging of glioblastoma tumors was extremely useful for my first
Miller, Kenneth R. and Joseph S. Levine. “Chapter 12: DNA and RNA.” Biology. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc., 2002. Print.
Further research on this alternative model could lead to therapies that not only target the properties of the primary tumor but also those of the secondary tumor and save many from the burden of fighting cancer again.
Jose Baselga, a lead Physician at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York said, “The next 10 years are expected to usher in unprecedented advances in oncology, including molecularly driven diagnostic and therapeutic developments, whole genome sequencing that results in true precision-based medicine, survivorship care plans that address long-term quality of life concerns, and team-based, cross-disciplinary approaches to research.”(Advances in Medical). This educated guess by Dr. Baselga can lead us to believe that our education about cancer grows with every new account and new procedure that we complete. In the next decade, our understanding of Oncology will be revolutionized in the hope that it will bring us closer to our intended goal of defeating this monstrous disease. Oncology is a flourishing field that is and will be in high demand in the 21st Century because when a problem has been confirmed to be present the human task force will go to various lengths in order to find a solution. Now that Oncology has found a way to presently deal with cancer such as chemotherapy, addressing long term effects of those solutions will be an area that will be focused on as Oncology takes steps forwards towards a cure. Another concentration in Oncology that will develop in the next 10 years will be the prevention of
Truth Wins OUt. “Dr. Dean Hamer (Molecular Biologist) .” truthwinsout.org. N.p., 31 Jan. 2008. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. .
An ordinary human body contains approximately one trillion cells and precisely 46 chromosomes in each cell. However, the human body can be altered by a genetic mutation. Over the course of history, genetic mutations have had a large impact on the human race. They have brought harm to numerous amounts of people. Cancer, in particular, is one of the most lethal diseases. Cancer begins when a portion of DNA inside a chromosome is damaged, causing a cell to mutate. Then, the mutated cell reproduces multiple times and creates a tumor. Afterwards, cancer cells break off of the tumor, enter the bloodstream, and disperse throughout the body. If the cells break off, the tumor is considered malignant - this type of cancer is very difficult to cure. Many patients today stay optimistic for a medication to heal cancer. It is imperative to address a few of the causes and effects of cancer in order to gain a general knowledge of genetic mutations.
“Since 1990, over 6 million Americans have died of cancer, more than the combined casualties from the Civil war, WWII, and the Vietnam and Korean conflicts combined” (Faguet, p. 5). According to American Cancer Society projections, there were 1,529,560 new cases of cancer in 2010. Cancer is becoming more and more common around the world. New cancers are constantly being discovered. Researchers are finding new ways to detect cancer and treat it so that the fatality rate does not rise. However, there are some cancers that researchers have not yet discovered a cure for. It is very important for Cancer Research to continue so that one day these cancers will no longer be a treat.
My perseverance has prepared me for a career in medicine. The path towards becoming a physician can be long and challenging, necessitating the ability to endure. My ability to bounce back from setbacks and mistakes has solidified throughout my journey. One of the cornerstone experiences of my personal development occurred during high school. My determination led to me my graduating as valedictorian of my class, while balancing three varsity sports and several extracurricular activities. In addition, I worked on weekends to help support my family financially. This persistence resulted in scholarship awards that made higher education a possibility.
My decision to become a doctor did not come in a moment of blinding revelation, but as
A traumatic swimming incident during my childhood left me visiting many dental chairs where I suffered from an irrational fear of dentists. Every visit started with my fears but ended with my gratitude to these dentists, who had performed complex operations seamlessly. These experiences stemmed an interest in dental biology exploring topics such as root canal treatments; here I realised that a dental career would allow me to both explore human biology further but also actively improve our society’s welfare.
My small and humble town did not afford me the opportunities to investigate the many questions I had. It was when I had received acceptance into UCLA, I knew I held a golden key. I saw my first laboratory here at UCLA and it was not long before I applied for the Biomedical Research Minor in an effort to dive headfirst and start working in one. Last year, I worked under Professor Utpal Banerjee in the Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology studying and elucidating a novel immunity independent inflammatory...
The Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT) is the statewide test that measures the academic achievement of public school students towards meeting the Sunshine State Standards benchmarks. The quarterly Reading and Mathematics Benchmark Assessment exams gauge student achievement on individual strands based on these Sunshine State Standards, which school districts require schools to administer to students within the appropriate content area. Teachers and administrators pour over the information at the conclusion of the exam and the data mining gets underway. The data is analyzed and scrutinized and teachers present their interpretation of the data to the administration to determine what modifications need to take place within their classrooms. The teachers, principal and school district utilize the data obtained from the Benchmark Assessments to determine the level of student achievement within the classroom and create a strategy that will target those benchmarks in which student performance was low. The vital issue with the data driven classroom is the effectiveness of the teachers and administrators at interpreting the data from these high stakes tests and constructing a successful plan that guides instruction based on the needs of the classroom, which continuously change.
For some students a report card is an accurate reflection of their abilities, aspirations, and future work habits. Many friends of mine have flawless, or near flawless, report cards. Straight A's and weighted GPA's well over 4.0 grace their every progress report, and I am certain they will continue this streak of academic excellence well into the future. For others, C's, D's and fail's are a normal occurrence, and much like the straight A students, I have no doubt that they will continue down this path. But for some students, like myself, a report card is not an accurate picture of academic ability. I am not afraid to admit - to friends, family, or schools I intend to apply to - that my grades aren't good. I haven't had a GPA anywhere near 4.0 in at least 3 years, and at times this fact makes me proud. While I usually earn B's or C's in my classes, there are a few bright spots on my academic record. I am in the 98th percentile of the SAT test, and in the 99th on the ACT. I achieved a 5 on the AP Computer Science test, and despite a C in my AP Physics class, I managed a 4 on the final exam. On top of that, in my two years on El Camino Real High School's Academic Decathlon team I have been the highest scoring C Student in all of the Los Angeles Unified School District twice in a row, placed third in the state of California, and look forward to a promising season this year.
I have been voiceless and silenced for eighteen years of my life. My entire childhood consisted of me getting abused and not being able to speak up without getting shut down. I grew up making friends that suffered from addictions or got in trouble a lot, they were also voiceless. Watching my friends grow up and fall deeper into the grasp of their addiction was heartbreaking, no one would listen to them. No one would look past their actions to find out what was causing them to turn to drugs or alcohol, they were only the "problem kids." Ever since I have always been driven to help individuals acquire safety and advice. I am driven to be in a position that lets me help people who are in similar situations, which is why I want to go into the addictions
I began to get fascinated by our capitalist world’s economy at a very early age of my life. Growing up, I was incredibly curious to unravel how systems function, and this curiosity developed into a burning desire to learn how processes and organizations operate and run our world. As I started my first job, I realized how much I needed to be better acquainted with the science of money making and the scientific approaches to money management. Later on in my life, being within a company system, I wanted to see the big picture by learning where such a company stands in the midst of all other business interactions locally and internationally. Being involved in the company’s practices I started analyzing the methods used by my managers, the causes and consequences of their managerial choices.
After having attained a Bachelor’s degree in Zoology and a Master’s degree in Gerontology, I felt I should gain some first-hand experience in physical therapy and thus volunteered to work as a caregiver in a reputed Evergreen rehabilitation center Ga. However, while working as a caregiver I realized I needed to learn much more in order to provide better care in meeting the psychological and physical caring needs of the elderly. I have always had the inherent desire to serve the elderly in reducing their hardships and providing them with the much needed physical and psychological support so that they can lead a happy and trouble-free life.