From the instant of my first encounter with stem cells, while reading about them in a snippet of Newsweek magazine, I was captivated by the value of these seemingly basic units of life. Since then, the prospect of applying stem cells to the treatment of disease has been a thrilling concept to me. Considering the profound research that is being done on the ability of these remarkable cells, I intend to be among the many who apply them therapeutically in the future.
Even before my initial acquaintance with stem cells in news articles, my interest lied in the life sciences. The entire, vast network of living machinery that powers us is contained within the dynamic field of biology, and it draws me like fruit does a buzzing, flying drosophila melanogaster. From my first experience in the biology classroom, I knew that it would be an ever-changing discipline that would never cease to keep me engaged. During the summer of 2009, I was privileged to take the Honors Biology course at Northwestern University and was thus able to take both Advanced Placement Biology and Human Anatomy during my sophomore year in high school. The prospect of stem cells, and through them, stem cell therapy, has continued to dominate my interest today.
There are currently over 100,000 people waiting for organ donations in America alone. About twenty people on this waitlist die each day. Stem cell therapy directly addresses this needless loss of life by providing a potentially perpetual supply of healthy cells, available for transplantation. Initially, however, I had only heard about the controversy surrounding stem cell research and, as a middle school student, I found it troubling that anyone would deny its potentially life-saving products. As such, I had only heard about where stem cells came from, and not how they were being used. A notion was born in my mind that, if someone could tangibly show what stem cells were capable of, their true benefit would be acknowledged and applied. That dream would have to wait until high school, as the seeds of my own research endeavor began to germinate.
Stem cell therapy, specifically, has drawn me due to my attitude towards life and the study of it. I am one who can never leave something unfinished; regardless of constraints or deadlines, I always finish what I start. Stem cell therapy is a sphere in which I have comfortably exercised both my interest in the life sciences and my natural perseverance: the journey of stem cells cannot stop at research. It must continue to full-fledged application, either through the production of simple epithelial skin tissue or fully functional pancreases. I attribute my fascination with this branch of biomedical engineering to both my interest in biology and my resolve to not only recognize, but apply the fruits of research.
My search for substantial involvement was arduous but rewarding. I spent much of the summer following my tenth grade year scheduling interviews with prospective mentors, including employees at Medtronic Foundation and professors at local universities. Much of my summer was also devoted to copious amounts of reading in an attempt to learn as much as possible about current stem cell research, laboratory methodologies, and the future of stem cells. By then, I had become more assertive and independent than my fanciful middle-school self and began to generate my own research ideas. My pursuits soon led me to the laboratory of an associate professor at the University of Minnesota’s Stem Cell Institute. After learning about her work and conducting a personal interview with her, I realized that we carried the same goals for stem cell research. What truly sparked my interest was her work with diabetes mellitus. Although pancreatic transplantation is a direct and immediate cure for diabetes, the slim availability of donors has spurred the development of stem cell applications, which provide a very viable treatment option. And with a grandmother suffering from diabetes, the increasing prevalence of this endocrine ailment in America, and the mounting organ waitlist death toll, I knew that the research I was about to conduct would be a perfect fit, both personally and scientifically.
Before I could begin any research, however, I needed to gather the necessary skills and procedural familiarity in order to execute the project I had in mind. Shortly after my induction into the lab, I began an extensive lab and safety training regimen. What I learned proved to be invaluable as I finally begun my research.
The scope of my personal research lies in the differentiation of stem cells into insulin-producing and pancreatic precursor cells through manipulation of growth media. Through the production of these cells, a perpetual source of implantable cells can be generated for use in patients. For just about a year now, my research project has constituted a key component of my daily routine. Nearly every day of the week, I head over to the University of Minnesota after school to tend to my project. After getting done whatever needs to be, which usually includes isolating RNA from stem cells, synthesizing DNA, or analyzing gene expression data, I return home well into the evening. Throughout this process, I have continued to build on my existing knowledge of biology by reading scientific journals and consulting mentors with any questions. Even today, I find it remarkable how what I learn in the classroom or in a journal article is being utilized in the laboratory.
The results of my project have a wide array of future applications, and are something I intend to pursue as I continue my studies. Diabetes will continue to be a problem in society, just as stem cell therapy will continue to be a solution. By perfecting differentiation conditions and pinpointing an ideal growth medium for optimal differentiation into transplantable cells, the results of this project will provide a foundation of study for future scientists, myself included. I look forward to working with other scientists in my field in order to develop a technique for complete and efficient treatment of diabetes through therapy and the application of stem cells.
