Each summer, Johns Hopkins Institute for Nanobiotechnology (INBT) hosts several summer research interns, five of who will conduct research as part of Johns Hopkins Physical Sciences-Oncology Center.

Erin Heim, from University of Florida, will be testing the effects of cell geometry and chemotaxis on cell polarity in the Denis Wirtz lab (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering). “The goal is to find which of the two is more important to polarity when working against each other,” she said.

Also in the Wirtz lab, Nick Trenton is developing an agarose-based microfluidics chamber that can be used to establish a chemotaxis gradient in 3D cell culture. “We’ll be testing various cell knockdowns in 3D in the presence of a chemokine gradient,” he said.

Rachel Louie from Johns Hopkins, works in the Peter Searson lab (Materials Science and Engineering). She is characterizing the properties of human umbilical vein endothelial cells cultured under different conditions. “We’re testing to see how the amount of growth factors in cell culture medium will affect transendothelial electrical resistance values,” Louie said.

Thea Roper from North Carolina State University works in the Sharon Gerecht lab (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering). Roper said she will analyze how human embryonic stem cells mature into smooth muscle cells. “To do this, I must determine the pathway by using techniques such as immunofluorescence, RT-PCR, and Western Blot to examine Myocardin, a transcriptional co-activator, Elk-1, a ternary complex factor, PDGF-R, platelet-derived growth factor receptors, and SRF, serum response factors,” she said.

Quinton Smith also works in the Gerecht lab. This is his second year interning at Hopkins. Smith, from University of New Mexico, is fabricating a microfluidic device that recreates hypoxic (low oxygen) conditions. “I’ll study how adult and embryonic stem cells respond to this dynamic environment,” he said.

Read more about INBT’s summer interns at the following link: http://wp.me/p1sSPo-VT