Abstract: Stroke is the 5th leading cause of death in the United States and is a leading cause of long-term disability. Ischemic strokes are characterized by a lack of blood flow due to artery occlusion. After a stroke, corticospinal tract (CST) neurons descending from the ischemic hemisphere begin to degenerate in the cervical spinal cord. Following this, collateral axonal sprouting occurs. Approximately 4 weeks post-stroke, healthy CST axons originating in the contralesional motor cortex produce collateral branches which cross the midline to the denervated cervical spinal cord.
Microglia, a type of glial cell in the central nervous system (CNS), perform an integral role by serving as the primary form of CNS immune defense. After stroke, microglia have been documented to transform from a ramified shape to become more reactive, through which they help clear debris and degenerated neurons via phagocytosis. Furthermore, the neurotrophic role of microglia and interactions with growth factors and other non-neuronal cells is currently under investigation. We utilized photothrombosis (including a light-sensitive dye and laser) to model focal ischemic infarcts and immunohistochemistry to visualize microglia. We hypothesize that microglia promote CST sprouting in the cervical spinal cord.
What Does Research Mean To You? To me, research represents the pursuit of knowledge and the foundation of medicine. Research is truly all about the excitement of experimenting and discovery. Research exists in so many different areas, ranging from economics and social sciences to psychology to biology & neuroscience for example. The prospect of research entails the opportunity to be the first individual or team to discover a new truth and the ability to create knowledge, which makes research overall very exciting and quite unparalleled in comparison to other career paths. There are always many unknowns and they continue to grow which makes research all the more appealing. Through research, you are truly able to engage with what you have learned through years of education. As a society, we are able to use this new knowledge to move forward one step a time to understand the world around us better.
Tell Us About Your Journey Research has always been a significant interest of mine at UT Dallas. Before the Green Fellowship, my research experiences involved a psychology lab and a computational neuroscience lab. Both of these opportunities were primarily dry lab experiences and continued to spark my interest in research and a research-intensive career. To further evaluate my commitment and fit in such a demanding path, I decided to apply for the fellowship and it was the best decision I ever made. The Green Fellowship served as my primary intensive full-time research experience in a wet lab environment as an undergraduate and I have absolutely loved it. Through this opportunity, I was able to see and participate firsthand in basic science research from start to finish and observe the complex research process in a highly specialized area of neurology. The Green Fellowship and my subsequent summer experience have irrevocably confirmed my passion to be a research scientist.
How Did the Pandemic Affect Me? The transition from the 'wet lab' environment to remote work was difficult for me and other students at first. After a few weeks though, I was able to settle into a good daily structure with my lab and tasks to accomplish, including examination of the scientific literature. The Neurorepair Lab was very supportive and accommodating of my needs as a Green Fellow. The virtual session worked out quite well and turned out to be an amazing experience! Dr. Ravnik even mentioned how they were so many attendees to the virtual research symposium, many of whom may not have been able to attend if it had taken place in the pre-pandemic, in-person manner.
Where am I now? Sanjay is excited to be attending the MD-PhD program (MSTP) at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth & MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston!
Advice for Future Green Fellows
To prospective applicants, if you are interested in a research-intensive career as your future path, there is no reason not to apply to the Green Fellowship. If you know you are interested early on, make sure to communicate this with your advisor/program to best arrange your classes/activities to coordinate with a semester of research and your graduation plan. A semester of immersive full-time research is an invaluable opportunity as an undergraduate, both for your career and to learn more about yourself and your interests. The application, essays, and interview (if invited) by themselves will teach you about yourself.
To accepted Green Fellows, congratulations! You now have the privilege to research full-time for an entire semester at a biomedical research institution. Your upcoming semester will challenge you, but so is the nature of research. I would advise you to do diligent research about the fields & labs you are interested in and would be happy in and reach out to whoever you can (Green Fellows especially if possible) to learn more about labs and environments. Additionally, once on the UTSW campus, take advantage of all opportunities available to you (including Works-in-Progress talks & special department seminars) including those outside of your research field as collaboration is a tenet of research. It is best to use everything as a learning experience and keep asking questions to challenge yourself and improve. Additionally, get to know your fellow Green Fellows well and develop relationships with them because they will be more or less going through the similar struggles that you are and can serve as a great source of support.
Whether you are a prospective or accepted Green Fellow, please do not hesitate to reach out to me via email at [email protected].