Four Wartburg students discussed their ovarian cancer research at the 2022 annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Nelson Cook, Katie Finnegan, Caleb Lines, and Sam Reyes, all 2022 graduates in biochemistry, presented “Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Promotes Membrane Protrusive Activity in Ovarian Cancer Cells.”
“Our group chose to study ovarian cancer because it is the second most common gynecological cancer in the United States, with over 20,000 new cases in 2021 alone,” said Finnegan. “Unfortunately, ovarian cancer has a five-year survival rate of only about 49 percent, mostly because we don’t have effective screening methods and symptoms often don’t appear until later stages of the cancer.”
The lab group, led by Shawn Ellerbroek, director of undergraduate research, looked at the effects of a certain protein on the metastasizing of ovarian cancer. The research revealed a correlation between increased amounts of the protein and an increased ability for cancer cells to spread.
“It was such a surreal experience being around so many other brilliant scientists and taking a step back to realize that we too were there to present — that we were scientists,” Finnegan said.
“This experience was meaningful to me because I got to work in a close group and learned how to work as an efficient team,” Reyes said.
Ellerbroek’s lab will continue to research the topic with help from new students.
Nelson Cook, Katie Finnegan, Caleb Lines, and Sam Reyes, all 2022 graduates in biochemistry, presented “Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Promotes Membrane Protrusive Activity in Ovarian Cancer Cells.”
“Our group chose to study ovarian cancer because it is the second most common gynecological cancer in the United States, with over 20,000 new cases in 2021 alone,” said Finnegan. “Unfortunately, ovarian cancer has a five-year survival rate of only about 49 percent, mostly because we don’t have effective screening methods and symptoms often don’t appear until later stages of the cancer.”
The lab group, led by Shawn Ellerbroek, director of undergraduate research, looked at the effects of a certain protein on the metastasizing of ovarian cancer. The research revealed a correlation between increased amounts of the protein and an increased ability for cancer cells to spread.
“It was such a surreal experience being around so many other brilliant scientists and taking a step back to realize that we too were there to present — that we were scientists,” Finnegan said.
“This experience was meaningful to me because I got to work in a close group and learned how to work as an efficient team,” Reyes said.
Ellerbroek’s lab will continue to research the topic with help from new students.