University: University of Texas at Austin
Hometown: Victoria, TX
NIH Research Project:
Analysis of SAP Deficient Mice: A Potential Animal Model for the Human Genetic Disease X-Linked Lymphoproliferative Disease
Mentor: Pamela L. Schwartzberg, M.D., Ph.D.
Genetic Disease Research Branch
National Human Genome Research Institute
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I recently graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology. My interest in biomedical research developed early in life. Growing up on the Mexico-Texas border, it was very easy to see that some infectious diseases have an almost iron grip on the poor. Tuberculosis in particular has centered my interest in microbiology and immunology.
This summer I am working under the supervision of Dr. Pamela Schwartzberg at the Cell Signaling Section of the National Human Genome Research Institute. Our laboratory is interested in the signaling pathways of T and B cells and their impact on the proper development and regulation of immune cell function. T and B cells are white blood cells that play an important role in the body's immune system. My work is focused around SAP, the gene responsible for X-linked proliferative disease (XLP), a disease characterized by hyperactivation of the immune system. The use of mice with gene-targeted mutations in SAP is allowing us to further our understanding of T and B cell interactions that lead to activation, proliferation, and differentiation events. These events are essential for proper response to infection.
I am very grateful to the UGSP. Through financial support and research opportunities, the program has given my goals a true sense of reality. |
