Meet Steve Phan
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Major: Biology
Graduation Year: May 2016 Field of Study: Oncology Abstract: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute B lymphoid leukemia (B-ALL) are both aggressive forms of leukemia that are often associated with poor prognosis due to rapid progression and proliferation. A new, critical pathway implicated in the formation of AML in an MLL-AF9 mouse model involves leukocyte-associated immunoglobulin-like receptor 1 (LAIR1), which is a protein receptor common to peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and central to recognizing and preventing lysis of self-cells in the body [1]. A key downstream molecule associated with LAIR1 is Src homology region 2 domain-containing phosphatase-1 (SHP-1), commonly associated with progression of chronic leukemia. However, there is a need to further study other models such as the AE9a model for AML to find consolidation in the previous findings. The N-myc model for B-ALL to determine possible significance in other forms of acute leukemia. Mice fetal liver progenitor cells were transfected with the respective oncogenes and injected into irradiated mice as well as plated for colony-forming unit (CFU) assays for in vivo and in vitro studies. The results of this study show that the knockout of SHP-1 greatly reduces the ability for AE9a induced AML and N-myc induced B-ALL cells to proliferate and form colonies. Furthermore, the SHP-1 knockout also slows down the progression of leukemia development in both AE9a and N-myc model in vivo. Taken together, this study shows that SHP-1 is necessary for AML and B-ALL development. |
My Experience:
During my second semester at UTD, I joined a material science research lab and thoroughly enjoyed working with high vacuum systems and diamond film synthesis. However, I always had a desire to do bench work in a cancer biology lab. Therefore, when I figured I had time to take a semester off, I immediately applied for the Green Fellowship, and it was one of the best decisions I made during my undergraduate career. Admittedly, I was a bit unsure of my decision when I first started since I struggled to understand my project, and the language barrier between my lab members and myself did not exactly help the situation. However, my worries quickly passed as I warmed up to all the members and adapted to their accents. I spent the majority of my first month in the lab reading articles and textbooks to keep up with the lab discussions. After developing an understanding of the field, my lab mentor taught me how to work with tissue cultures and perform procedures on mice. Soon, I was carrying out experiments on my own and participating in lab meetings. The best part about this program was that I felt independent. As an undergraduate student, I had always felt that the path was always already mapped and relatively linear, but this program gave me the opportunity to branch out and explore. There was nothing definitive about research. Every result was new and exciting even if it was negative. Of course, there would be times when everything seems to go wrong, but it just made me more eager to try again. As a result, I gained a very in-depth perspective of graduate school and the academic research field from the Green Fellowship. |
My Advice:
My advice for future Green Fellows is to be open-minded. When you are searching for a lab to join, pick one that has your curiosity even if you don’t know anything about it. And when you are in the lab, dive in! You might be in a quiet lab or one with a language barrier, but you are working with them for the semester so might as well befriend your lab members and make your time in the lab more enjoyable. Learn as much as you can by asking questions and reading papers. Speak up in lab meetings and try to present your project at the end of the semester. Don’t be intimidated by the expectations, be motivated by them. The only way for you to see your project in the big picture is to actively participate. This program is very rewarding as long as you put in the effort.
My advice for future Green Fellows is to be open-minded. When you are searching for a lab to join, pick one that has your curiosity even if you don’t know anything about it. And when you are in the lab, dive in! You might be in a quiet lab or one with a language barrier, but you are working with them for the semester so might as well befriend your lab members and make your time in the lab more enjoyable. Learn as much as you can by asking questions and reading papers. Speak up in lab meetings and try to present your project at the end of the semester. Don’t be intimidated by the expectations, be motivated by them. The only way for you to see your project in the big picture is to actively participate. This program is very rewarding as long as you put in the effort.