Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
This summer, I had the honor of spending two months working in the Friedman Brain Institute of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Specifically, I worked in Dr. Zhenyu Yue’s lab, whose long term goal is to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms of neurodegeneration. Neurodegeneration in a long run causes many major neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases. Dr. Yue aims to make the connection between basic research and eventually translating it into therapeutics for neurological disorders. His primary research focuses on autophagy/lysosome degradation, synaptic vesicle trafficking, neuroinflammation, and lipid kinase signaling in neuropathogenesis.
For my project, I worked with Dr. Choi, a post doctorate fellow, to investigate the role that microglial cells play in Alzheimer’s disease. The microglia is an innate immune cell of the central nervous system, serving as a resident phagocyte in the CNS that surveys the environment for maintenance and response. In past research, the proliferation and activation of microglia in the brain concentrated around amyloid plaques was found to be a prominent feature of AD. We compared wild type mice with condition knockout mice, to look at their behavior and then isolate their brains afterwards to look for various signs of AD. The mouse model we used was 5xFAD, an AD mouse model that expresses five AD-linked mutations. These mice rapidly developed severe amyloid pathology, showing motor impairments at around nine months. I ran many animal behavior tests over the course of my internship to test these motor impairments, all of which consisted of putting mice in certain test conditions and observing their actions through computerized sensors. Theoretically, a mouse with AD genes is more likely to re-explore the same arm of the maze as they wouldn’t remember whether or not they had already seen it. I learned techniques across the lab, in both in vivo and in vitro experiments. I knew I would be less interested in animal behavior, as I also discovered it was incredibly time consuming and not very productive considering the observations were done by sensors, but I did gain more perspective on just how big the sample size needs to be for these experiments to yield significant results. The most jarring part of my lab experience by far was sacrificing the mice to isolate their brains. I have no problems with dissecting, however, this was my first time having experience with sacrificing. My supervisor taught me multiple ways to do so, and he explained how different strategies differed in how they look from the outsider’s point of view and how quick the process is actually for the mice. I realized that there was a way to be relatively humane while doing a rather inhumane thing.
As the only intern in my lab, I got to learn a lot from the post docs and graduate students who were warm and welcoming, willing to answer all my questions and more. They not only gave me advice for my future career, they shared a lot about their personal experience with science and why they do what they do. It was very rewarding to hear how different each person’s process was, yet they all ended up in the same place. I also really appreciated the fact that Mount Sinai encompasses a hospital, medical school, and research facilities all in close quarters. While I didn’t venture out to the other parts much, being in close proximity meant that I got to witness and be around a lot of different people on a daily basis.
While I enjoyed my summer at Mount Sinai, it solidified for me that I don’t want to pursue research as my career. I knew going into it that I wanted to be a physician, but wanted to also see how I would function in a research environment. After spending two months in the lab, I learned a lot through talking to post docs and graduate students, and realized that although I have a passion for science, it is not the same as what they feel specifically for doing research. And while I cannot see myself doing research for the rest of my life, I am now more open to the possibility of doing more research short term post-graduation. Working in this lab also strengthened my interest in neuroscience, and I would love to dive more into the field, and possibly after graduation.
I would like to express my gratitude towards the Class of 1972 and the ’68 Center for Career Exploration for providing me with this opportunity. I’ve had a truly incredible experience and greatly appreciate the generosity.