My name is Stephanie Colón Marrero and I am a Biology undergraduate student at University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus (UPR-RP). This past summer I participated in the Internship in Biomedical Research, Informatics, and Computer Science (iBRIC) from the Department of Biomedical Informatics at the University of Pittsburgh. I had the opportunity to work alongside Dr. Qiming Jane Wang and Dr.
Sahdeo Prasad, from the Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, on a research project that aimed to exploit the therapeutic potential of combining protein kinase D inhibitors with chemotherapeutic agents for prostate cancer treatment. We first studied the potential of these drugs to inhibit cell proliferation and cell migration, fundamental biological processes implicated in cancer development and progression, by performing cell viability and wound-healing assays, respectively. Our findings contribute to a mouse prostate cancer metastasis model currently being developed in the Wang laboratory.
At the end of the program, I participated in the Summer Research Symposium at Duquesne University. I encourage every student interested in bioinformatics and biomedical research to take part in the research opportunity offered by the Increasing Diversity in Interdisciplinary Big Data to Knowledge (IDI-BD2K) program. Participating in research programs, like iBRIC, provides valuable tools that could improve significantly your personal and professional growth.
Duquesne University.