Overview
Having experienced joint pain from rheumatoid arthritis since my early teens, I was really interested in studying pain once I started college. During freshman year, I stumbled upon an opening in the Gordon lab, and after a few email conversations and an interview, I was fortunate enough to get a position in the lab. The Gordon lab studies the molecular mechanisms of activation and regulation of TRPV1 channels, which are pain receptor proteins. The lab uses electrophysiology to study their functional properties, molecular biology to control their primary sequence (i.e. make mutations), and biochemistry to examine their interactions with other proteins. The potential applications of this research are especially important: amidst a devastating opioid crisis, perhaps it will be new methods of pain relief, targeting these TRPV1 receptors, that will provide a non-addictive alternative to opioids. |
Personal Importance of Task/Work Working at the Gordon lab was the first practical experience I had, putting my scientific knowledge into action. As I learned basic biochemistry and electrophysiology techniques, I also experienced frustrating failures: everything from developing Western blots incorrectly to purifying protein at the wrong temperature. With the support of the rest of the lab though, I learned from my mistakes and became a resilient critical thinker. Aside from these lessons, my time working in the Gordon lab was important because it showed me that I did not want to continue with a career in basic research. Rather, I wanted to take the scientific skills I had learned and apply them to clinical settings, where I can have more direct interaction and impact on people’s daily lives. |
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