About Liam Stiles
I'm a first year student at Columbia University studying Biochemistry.
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Investigating Zinc Homeostasis as a Potential Mediator of PDAC Metastasis
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest variations of cancer, mostly due to it high metastatic potential and poor early screening rates. My aim is to investigate a possible mechanism by which PDAC cells metastasize.
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It's very cool to see the frontiers of research going on at different universities. I've found that seeing international work in research always gives a new and interesting perspective on how many people are working on problems from so many different angles.
Very interesting and important work! Looking forward to hearing about how spending a second summer in NYC doing research is.
That's very fun! I do think getting to experience different work cultures is always enjoyable. One thing that I've done here is go to trivia events with the members of the team in the evenings.
Glad you've been getting to talk to and hear a lot of different perspectives! I've also noticed the work culture in the UK is very different here compared to the lab environments I've been in before. I feel like people are around much more in the communal spaces compared to in the US where people leave when they are done with experiments or work for the day, whereas here people seem to stick around and socialize during the day and during downtime.
One of the experiments that I've been running to assess the migratory potential of cells has been quite challenging to set up. Based on literature I had read prior, I was expecting a certain concentration of Zn not to be cytotoxic to the cells, however, I kept getting results where the cells would all be dead by the end of the experimental period. I've had to remedy this by doing toxicity assays and reducing the overall concentration of Zn. That is to say, even in science where there is an expectation of reproducible results, sometimes data will contradict the published information and then is it is your job to assess what the best course of action is from there.
I have found my peers in the lab to be the most useful resource for my project. While reading experimental procedures is good so you know what you're doing generally, having someone who can give you the practical tricks and reasoning behind the procedures has been really helpful for understanding and gaining proficiency in a number of techniques. Just recently, I learned a new technique that I'm planning to use in another project that I'm undertaking, and I was able to gain a strong understanding of it through peer mentorship. I've always found that that type of learning has been really conducive to my ability to absorb information, so it has been very good to maintain that environment while doing research this summer.
My current hypothesis is that the nutrient deprived environment that you need to examine migratory behavior results in increased Zn sensitivity, and that is why the concentration is more cytotoxic to the cells. I'm planning to rerun the experiment at in a slightly higher nutrient environment and then just normalize the data with a proliferation experiment
The prevalence of genetic variants classified as “Variants of Unknown Significance” (VUS) among patients in the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital Program for Cardiomyopathy, Heart Failure, and Transplantation is remarkable. While it is expected that children are born with genetic variants due to the inherent nature of physiology, it is astonishing that, despite the advanced technology available today, our understanding of these genetic mutations and their impacts remains limited. Genetic testing on children presenting with various subcategories of cardiovascular diseases often cannot determine whether the genetic variant they possess is the cause of the disease. This uncertainty complicates treatment, as it is more challenging compared to treating children whose genetic variants are identified as either pathogenic or benign. When a genetic variant is classified as pathogenic or benign, physicians can more accurately determine whether the child's symptoms are due to their genetic sequence or an underlying condition, thereby facilitating more targeted and effective treatment strategies. My work has underscored the significant prevalence of "Variants of Unknown Significance" still present in clinical practice, emphasizing the critical need to enhance genetic research and expand our knowledge base. Such advancements are essential for improving diagnostic accuracy, developing targeted therapies, and ultimately enhancing patient care.
As I delve deeper into the fields of genomics and pediatric cardiology through my work, I have increasingly relied on resources such as Google Scholar and PubMed. These platforms have proven invaluable in providing extensive information, allowing me to understand the complexities of these disciplines without needing to consult my mentor too frequently. The wealth of research articles, case studies, and reviews available on these databases has significantly enhanced my knowledge of more subtle aspects of the fields. This continuous learning process not only enriches my experience but also empowers me to contribute more effectively, particularly as I prepare to begin publishing my own research.
I totally agree with your second point. There is such a wealth of data sets and information that are freely available online that can provide such meaningful insight into any topics, but they are often not taken advantage of as much as they maybe should be. My lab also holds journal club where we read a paper that is not necessarily connected to our individual projects, and I've found that experience in trying to critique and understand literature that isn't inherently in your field of expertise to be a great exercise.
One of the experiments that I've been running to assess the migratory potential of cells has been quite challenging to set up. Based on literature I had read prior, I was expecting a certain concentration of Zn not to be cytotoxic to the cells, however, I kept getting results where the cells would all be dead by the end of the experimental period. I've had to remedy this by doing toxicity assays and reducing the overall concentration of Zn. That is to say, even in science where there is an expectation of reproducible results, sometimes data will contradict the published information and then is it is your job to assess what the best course of action is from there.
I have found my peers in the lab to be the most useful resource for my project. While reading experimental procedures is good so you know what you're doing generally, having someone who can give you the practical tricks and reasoning behind the procedures has been really helpful for understanding and gaining proficiency in a number of techniques. Just recently, I learned a new technique that I'm planning to use in another project that I'm undertaking, and I was able to gain a strong understanding of it through peer mentorship. I've always found that that type of learning has been really conducive to my ability to absorb information, so it has been very good to maintain that environment while doing research this summer.
Some immediate expectations I have for my research project is to begin data collection. We have completed setting up the experiment, and are now ready to recruit participants and begin collecting data. Our research is a part of a larger scientific study on human cognition, specifically in areas of perception, attention, visual mental imagery, and imagination. I do plan on working on the research project throughout the year, with the expectation of finishing data collection by the end of August, and then data analysis and concluding the project by November. I plan to stay in the Living Lab for all of next year, and will either join a different project for the next summer, or conduct my own independent project.
The overarching question for our research project is "can we know what you know?" Essentially, are we able to understand the subjective experiences of a person? This research question aims to answer many fruitful questions, whether on a smaller scale or on a larger scale. In terms of a smaller scale, we will determine if the iSDT (introspective signal detection theory) model holds validity, and if it can surpass the current SDT (signal detection theory) model. Validating the iSDT model can help bridge the gap across studies of consciousness, metacognition, and visual mental imagery. On a larger scale, understanding subjective experiences can be immensely helpful for the scientific community, as well as in various settings, such as the for physical or mental health care -- where, for example, a doctor is able to better understand the subjective experience of pain that the patient self-reports. In other words, it may be able to provide a measure of verifying introspective subjective measures.
It seems like you are moving in a promising direction on the experimental set-up, and I look forward to seeing how your work progresses. The future directions also seem quite interesting.