Showcase

Knee inflammation following an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) failure and/or reconstructive surgery in as ongoing issue. Knee inflammation can result in fibrosis and osteoarthritis, both of which contribute to pain and mobility issues. I have been ... working during my internship to evaluate a potential orthobiologic aimed at reducing the inflammatory response post-ACL injury. A human placental-derived extracellular matrix (ECM) allograft has previously been developed and is indicated by the manufacturer for reducing tissue inflammation and accelerated repair. To evaluate the efficacy of this product for reducing post-anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury inflammation, we used a novel murine in vivo ACL injury model. This model has previously been shown to induce significant synovitis, infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) fibrosis, and articular cartilage (AC) degradation within 2 weeks following an ACL injury. We hypothesized that intra-articular injections of the allograft would correspond with a decrease in synovitis, fibrosis, and articular cartilage degradation. Thus far all experiments have been completed. Currently I am working on the histological assessment of the inflammatory state of the knee joint 8-weeks after injury. This includes the pathologic scoring of the severity of synovitis, cartilaginous degradation, and fibrosis. Read more

During this internship, I worked collaboratively with my team on a variety of projects. Each project presented their own challenges, but willingness and openness opened new doors to different opportunities. I worked on projects that aimed to improve ... care through the context of access, experience and outcomes. Then another that aimed to provide women, who face peri-viable delivery, with an effective tool to help better understand care options for both infant and mother. Throughout the projects, I was exposed to new software and acquainted myself with it. I utilized the software frequently and learned new skills that I can put in my belt for future career opportunities. Read more

Osteopetrosis is a rare disease characterized by abnormally dense bone and as a result, causes brittleness and fragility. Types of osteopetrosis can be classified based on severity, inheritance pattern, and age of diagnosis. Autosomal Dominant Osteop ... etrosis Type 2 (ADO2) is the noninfantile form of osteopetrosis manifesting various ranges of severity. Individuals typically suffer pain and fractures but may experience vision and hearing loss in severe cases. This disorder results from the impairment of osteoclast which is one of the two major types of bone cells involved in bone maintenance. Whereas osteoblasts build bone, osteoclasts break down bone. In patients with ADO2, osteoclasts are present, but they are not fully functional. This is mostly due to the mutations in chloride channel 7 (CLC-7), which greatly effects lysosomal trafficking and activity. Disulfiram is a drug that has been shown to enhance bone resorption with enhanced lysosomal secretion. To identify the effects of this drug on ADO2 osteoclasts, we treated cells with 2 doses of Disulfiram and measured osteoclast number, gene expression, and osteoclast function via, TRAP stain, RNA analysis, and Toluidine Blue stain, respectively. These experiments were conducted in hopes of finding a new therapy for patients with ADO2. Read more

Hello, my name is Tyler Sisk, and I have been working under Dr. Nathan Alves for nearly a year now. His research focuses on venous thrombosis, otherwise known as blood clots, and how to develop better ways to treat it. My project will be discussing w ... hat I was learning while working in the lab and what projects I was involved in. I’ll be discussing my initial jobs that I did when first starting to work in the lab, and then work up to the two major projects I was working on: the NanoSight particles and the Chandler Loop. Both were not just me, but I will be discussing the major focus on these projects and what I did in them. Read more

The IUI ECHO Center is working with IU Dentistry, Purdue Pharmacy, and a community partner, Cultivating a Belonging Culture, to help students learn about considerations of the populations they will serve when entering their professional fields. The f ... irst session covers LGBTQIA+ Inclusivity and the second covers Trauma Informed Care. The goal of this project is to determine the effectiveness of a live session compared to a recorded session. Students will watch recorded sessions and attend live sessions, and then fill out a survey to tell us which they thought was most effective for them. My role in this project is to help figure out different ways to get students involved, collect and analyze the data, and finally help interpret results and write a report about what we find. In doing this, I will be learning how to set up a survey and ensure that the questions we are asking will be effective in what we are trying to determine, different methods and types of questions/data that we can collect, how to effectively analyze and understand both qualitative and quantitative data, and then how to write up a report based on the findings. Read more

Breast cancer is common and affects 1 in 8 women. One third of patients who undergo axillary lymph node removal as part of the treatment of breast cancer experience lymphedema. It is estimated that lymphedema affects 5 million Americans. Lymphedema i ... s characterized by progressive arm swelling that hinders quality of life, reduces mobility, and increases risk for infections. There is no cure for lymphedema and current treatments are variably effective. Therefore, the goal of this laboratory is to study novel prevention and management strategies for lymphedema. The current study is to evaluate the effect of dermal lymphatic preservation in the development of lymphedema. Read more

Using the IU Wellness Inventory, Avi created a survey to gauge where students needed the most support in their mental, physical, and social health. Avi shared this survey with 33 students at the University of Illinois Chicago campus and the IUPUI cam ... pus. This presentation was made using the respondents' answers and the research from Harvard Health, Gallup, the ADAA, etc. This presentation covers tips like eating nutritiously on campus and managing stress with the resources available to IU students. This process models, on a small scale, how public health programs are executed. Sources and links to IU resources provided in the QR code in the presentation. Read more

During my time at the IU Center for Aging Research at the Regenstrief Institute, I worked in Dr. Fowler’s lab and with her research team. The primary focus of this lab is understanding cognitive aging and the implication of dementia on older adults’ ... lives and their caregivers. My work on the projects included tasks aimed at supporting the research team and ensuring seamless research participant involvement. A significant portion of my time was dedicated to the Brain Safe study scheduling calls for data collection, coordinating appointments, and ensuring that participants were able to engage with the research process seamlessly. For the DECAD study, I transcribed qualitative interview recordings into documents that can be used for analysis. This required careful attention to detail to accuracy to capture the verbatim insights and experiences shared by caregivers of people with dementia who were participants. Facilitating communication between participants and the research team was a key aspect of my role, demanding empathy and effective interpersonal skills. I strived to ensure that participants felt heard, valued, and supported throughout their involvement. This internship has been an eye-opening journey, providing invaluable insights into the daily challenges faced by individuals with dementia and those who support them. Read more

The U.S. child mental health crisis indicates insufficient access to behavioral health care in a timely manner. The Indiana Behavioral Health Access Program for Youth (BeHappy Program) seeks to address the behavioral healthcare workforce shortage by ... connecting community-based primary care providers to board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrists. Primary care providers are offered resources to effectively practice evidence-based care to their patient’s mental health needs, including assessment, diagnostic clarification, medication management, and treatment planning. The same-day telephone consultation responds efficiently, offering direct assessment and psychotherapy services virtually or in person, reducing the risk of worsening symptoms. In addition, Be Happy provides continuing education sessions about pediatric behavioral topics through ECHOs, giving primary care providers the confidence to independently address their patient’s mental health needs in the future. During my internship, I have assisted in coding quantitative and qualitative raw patient data which is helpful for analysis. The BeHappy clinic’s dataset can be compared with statewide data to identify the demographics they serve. It can also assess the program’s progress and provide feedback to the involved grants supporting the project. Read more

My research is in Dr. Amelia Linnemann’s Lab at Indiana University School of Medicine. The Linnemann lab studies the relationship between oxidative stress and pancreatic beta cell function and survival. This is relevant to Type 1 Diabetes, an autoimm ... une disease that is associated with the specific destruction of insulin producing beta cells, because the immune system produces cytokines such as IFN-? and IFN-? that have been shown to impair beta cell function through the induction of oxidative stress. To study this impact, we have stained a human beta cell line (EndoC-?H1) with dyes to measure mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production and mitochondrial function. After collecting baseline images with a confocal microscope, we determined if the cytokines IFN-? and IFN-? cause changes in mitochondrial function and alter mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production. Image analysis was done using the National Institute of Health’s Fiji image analysis software. The results of this experiment will establish a potential disease mechanism of IFN-? and IFN-? in the development of Type 1 Diabetes by determining where mitochondrial oxidative stress originates, leading to the loss of pancreatic beta cell function. Read more