This summer I was a part of the Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Fellowship (B-SURF). This was an 8-week program here at Duke that allowed us to stay on campus and work at a biology lab. I worked in the Sanders Lab in the Neurology Department. The Sanders Lab focuses on Parkinson’s Disease (PD), specifically that relating to mitochondrial DNA damage. I spent this summer learning many lab skills. I have learned proper cell culture technique, how to collect protein, how to quantify protein, how to run, image, and analyze a Western blot.

My project in the Sanders lab focuses on the LRRK2 protein. The most common genetic predisposition of Parkinson’s Disease is a mutated version of LRRK2 that causes increased kinase activity in the protein. The function and the specific pathways of the LRRK2 protein remain relatively unknown. Our belief is that understanding the role of LRRK2 in the cell under oxidative stress conditions will allow us to better understand how the mutated version of the protein can cause Parkinson’s Disease. To study the role of LRRK2, we perform many different experiments on wildtype HEK 293 and their CRISPR-edited LRRK2 KO counterparts. We often simulate oxidative stress or cause DNA damage by using toxic agents to create our PD model.

During B-SURF, we had several meetings a week. These meetings were focused on learning how to communicate our science. We learned how to read a scientific paper, how to give a short chalk talk, and how to put together a poster. We also kept a blog for the whole summer and were able to present our posters and our science on our last day! We also had many presentations from faculty members and graduate students on their science and their unique career paths.

I really appreciated B-SURF and the Sanders lab for their commitment to my learning and all of the time and resources they were able to provide me. I would strongly recommend the program because it allowed me to really immerse myself in the lab and in the science. It is much easier to get trained and to work on a project when you can work 40 hours a week. I am happy to say that I will be continuing to work in the Sanders Lab and on this same project this coming semester.