UPWr student to take part in the BioLAB programme

The BioLAB programme is a one-year internship for students in the biological, chemical, biophysical and medical sciences at four US research institutions: University of Virginia, University of Chicago, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and UT Southwestern Medical Center. It was created on the initiative of Prof. Zygmunt Derewenda of the University of Virginia, who in 2001 invited students from his alma mater, the University of Lodz, to intern in the USA. In subsequent years, other institutions joined the programme. The results of the research conducted during the internship often become the basis for articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals such as Nature.

Almost 500 students have already taken part in the BioLAB Programme, one of whom is  fifth-year biology student Natalia Romek. Only around 40 students go to the US for a research internship each year – so the competition is strong. As the winner of the programme emphasises, the basis for qualifying for the internship is knowledge, laboratory skills and good knowledge of the English language. – That’s why I started preparing for the programme and recruitment much earlier, with the help of the UPWr Career Office – admits Natalia, adding that she also did a thorough review of the offered projects and research teams, based on which she prepared a strategy of the direction she wanted to take.

– I’m looking forward to the trip all the more because I’ve been assigned to my first-choice project. Starting in July, I will be leading a project related to the confocal development of cancer cells under the supervision of Dr. Gary Gorbski at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. We will be imaging cells under a confocal microscope, virtually obtaining a 3D view of the cells – says Natalia, explaining that confocal microscopy is a type of microscopy that takes images in layers so you can see the entire structure of a cell, unlike a regular optical or electron microscope. Thanks to laser technology, confocal microscopes also allow live observations of objects.

– In Dr Gorbski's laboratory, I will not only have the opportunity to observe cells from all angles and super up close, but I will also be able to look at their biology in the natural tissue microenvironment. By staining the cells appropriately and using a confocal microscope we can monitor and observe processes related to the functioning of cells like following their division – explains Natalia, whose project during the internship will expand our knowledge of how cancer cells divide and how to precisely identify them, among other things. The project will also describe new methods for detecting and preventing abnormalities in cell division. Importantly, the results of this research will bring us closer to more accurate diagnosis of cancer in the future and allow us to improve anti-cancer targeted therapies.

The laboratory of Dr. Gary Gorbski, College Professor in the Department of Cell Biology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and chairman of the Cell Cycle & Cancer Biology Research programme, specialises in studying the process of cell division.

– A human cell contains 46 DNA packages of genetic material called chromosomes, each of which is different. Each time a cell divides, the chromosomes are duplicated and then carefully separated so that each of the two newly formed cells receives a complete and accurate set of all chromosomes. Normally, cell divisions are extremely precise, but occasionally defects occur whereby the newly formed cells receive an abnormal set of chromosomes – such a set mostly characterises human cancer cells. This chromosome imbalance contributes to cancer cells proliferating and invading healthy tissues. Damage during cell division is also an important factor leading to infertility and birth defects. Scientists in my lab are trying to understand how the 'cellular machinery' that distributes chromosomes to dividing cells functions. We are trying to understand cell divisions that run flawlessly, as well as those that run abnormally – Dr Gorbsky describes the work of his team.

Natalia Romek became interested in molecular biology at the beginning of her studies as part of a course taught by Dr. Agnieszka Śmieszek from the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology on the molecular structure of eukaryotic cells.

–This was my first encounter with molecular methods, including RNA and DNA isolation or RT-qPCR, which is now the primary test used to assess gene expression. I liked the molecular aspect of cell biology, so I decided it was something I wanted to do in life. Although I was in human biology, which has a slightly more anthropological profile, my undergraduate thesis was on the role of long non-coding RNA molecules in the biology of human progenitor cells isolated from adipose tissue. This topic gave me an introduction to experimental biology, molecular biology and regenerative medicine. My master's thesis is already more extensive – it’s related to Dr Smieszek's research on the BAM15 molecule. In a nutshell, in this project we study the effect of the BAM15 molecule on endometrial progenitor cells, analysing molecular mechanisms improving the regenerative potential of the endometrium – says Natalia and emphasises that in the future she dreams of discovering something groundbreaking. – Maybe not a cure for cancer right away, but I would like my future research to contribute to the discovery of new molecular therapies or new procedures that will help science and medicine – she adds with a smile.

Both theses were written by the student under the supervision of Dr. Śmieszek, to whom she says she owes a great deal, both in scientific matters and in preparation for the BioLAB programme. Thanks to their successful work together, after returning from the States, Natalia has her mind set on obtaining a PhD –  also under the supervision of Dr. Agnieszka Śmieszek.

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