Hi :) My name is Aya Margraf, and I am a rising senior at Lewis & Clark University majoring in biology and minoring in Japanese. This summer, I have had the exciting opportunity to take part in Dr. Carlos Luna-Lopez’s breast cancer research. I have been working with two epithelial human breast cancer lines, the MCF7/GFP line, which contains ideal, in-vivo characteristics particular to the mammary epithelium, and the ECADH/GFP line, a particularly aggressive triple-negative breast cancer cell line. Along with two of my REU labmates, we have been investigating how different types of fat cells, white and brown pre-adipocytes, affect the behavior of cancer cells. For my project, I have been using biotunable frequency assembly as a cytocompatible, “bottom-up” tissue engineering technique to assemble cell spheroids, or three-dimensional cell aggregates, into tightly packed organoids. This incredibly efficient, scaffold-free method has allowed me to organize multiple assemblies of breast and fat cell organoids in a matter of seconds, mimicking native tissue to examine movement and behavior of cancer cells in the presence of host adipocytes. I have also spent alot of time using 24-hour timelapse FITC imaging, as well as challenging myself to some python coding to quantify and visually mark cell migration in various organoid organizations over time. In the midst of this all, my labmates and I have been able to properly familiarize ourselves with the routine work of cell passaging, sterilizing, technical difficulties, and laughter-inducing bits. While being blessed with some wonderful PIs, we have also had the privilege of being introduced and connected to the work of various professors and graduates students, the impressive research facilities and graduate schools in San Diego, and incredibly valuable mentor advice to navigate and enlighten us on the potential avenues up ahead. I have also acquired loads of San Diego sun! I have combed through the running trails around here, climbed in Carlsbad and Oceanside, played beach volleyball, attempted to surf on a day of no surf, paddled out in a kayak with Dr. Read at the Salton Sea, and hiked Moonlight trail to see the supermoon, a rattlesnake, and a tarantula. I also can't fail to mention that the Luna lab has never missed taco tuesdays. Never... The program is nearing its end, and gears are switching into poster presentations mode, but I have been exposed to so much this summer and have been very grateful to have been able take part in the REU at CSUSM!
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Watch this space for weekly updates!Every week, one of our CSUSM NSF REU students will post their blurb, summarizing their week, and chronicling our program. AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
August 2023
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