It was the start of the summer of 2019, where I was granted the opportunity to join the 2019 Group Summer Scholars Research Program Stream at the New Jersey Center for Science, Technology & Mathematics at Kean University.
To give some background, the NJCSTM Summer Scholar Research Program is a six-week, hands-on research experience aimed at developing students interested in pursuing an education in the STEM field. Upon entering the program, you are divided into small research teams paired with a faculty member and student mentors conducting real scientific research. Through this program students gain a full understanding of the scientific method, safety in laboratories (especially for what I was doing), and scientific tools and machinery used to collect and analyze data.
For me, I got the chance to be paired with Dr. James R. Merritt, an amazing professor and researcher/scientist in his field of medicinal and organic chemistry. With Dr. Merritt, his awesome ( and funny) student assistants, and my amazon research team of 8 we experimented and studied the synthesis of Chemokine Receptor Antagonist. My research team was the Medicinal Chemistry & Modern Drug Discovery research stream. Dr. Merritt taught us the world of organic chemistry to have a deeper and clear understanding of the structure of drugs and medicines. Helping us understand the basic principles of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutical research by synthesizing and testing novel receptor antagonists. I learned how to optimize compounds that can block chemokine receptor signaling. In addition, using real drug discovery screening assays, and testing our newly made compounds in collaborations with the Molecular Biology Team to determine the effects on the growth and activation of glioblastoma cells.
To put that into English, over the summer of 2019 at Kean University I made a compound (drug) that could potentially stop glioblastoma. There was no Doc McStuffin, but actual research and drugs that could potentially be used in future cancer treatment. Glioblastoma is a deadly brain cancer that is difficult to treat because of the way cancer interacts with the body. When Glioblastoma appears in the body, it brainwashes the white body cells into helping it spread and grow (metastasize). Our research team was trying to create a compound (drug) that can cross the blood-brain-barrier and block the communication of white body cells and cancer by creating a CCR1 (a receptor that is turned on with the communication of the white blood cells and cancer) antagonist.
This was truly real-world research that could save millions of lives and even today, I still can’t wrap my head around that I made a drug intended to slow down cancer. I find it hard to believe I got to interact with a well-known scientist in his field and use the same equipment he uses for research. I got the opportunity to use various compound screening and tests to look further into my compound with my lab partner.
After this program, I gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for scientists and organic chemistry. I gained an appreciation for institutions that allow and enable such research and encourage youth to join. Though I had to pain through the early train rides ( playing Russian roulette with NJTransit), unbearing hot summer days, and major imposter syndrome. It will never surpass the feeling of doing research with strangers that have now become friends and contributing to the greater good of cancer treatment in society.
Here is a lab report of my research:
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