Hands-On Genetics Research: The JJ Vance Memorial Summer Internship
Summary
- Fourteen high school juniors from Miami-Dade and Broward Counties performed real-world scientific research as part of the JJ Vance Memorial Summer Internship in Biological and Computational Sciences.
- Over the course of eight weeks, the students participated in research into Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and geleophysic dysplasia, as well as genetic analysis and stem cell modeling.
- The hands-on program taps into students’ curiosity and drives teamwork while showing them what research is, the importance of science and the researchers’ daily tasks and interactions.
Fourteen high school juniors from Miami-Dade and Broward Counties traded classrooms for research labs this summer, immersing themselves in the JJ Vance Memorial Summer Internship in Biological and Computational Sciences offered through the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics.
Over the course of eight weeks they worked alongside scientists, doctors and faculty mentors, the students weren’t just observing. They were contributing to real research. This year’s interns participated in research into Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and geleophysic dysplasia, as well as genetic analysis and stem cell modeling.
“The goal is to let them experience what research is really like, understand the opportunities that are there for them, to generate an excitement about science. But we are always amazed at how much they can learn in eight weeks,” said Jeffery Vance, M.D.,Ph.D., professor in the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics and director of the Center for Genomic Education & Outreach, who created the program with his wife, Margaret Pericak-Vance, Ph.D., director of the Hussman Institute and the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Professor of Human Genetics.
On Aug. 8, the students presented their work to family, friends and mentors at a celebratory luncheon.
Student Research Projects
Amaia Rodriguez-Echarri, from St. Thomas Aquinas High School, researched geleophysic dysplasia, studying mice that carry the mutation inherent in the disorder. Testing the TSL2 gene included regular injections to the mice and their mothers, resulting in great survival rates.
“I evaluated the mice, performed dissections, worked with the microscope,” Rodriguez said. “I developed a deeper understanding of genetics and lab work, also of interpreting data.”
Many of the students worked on Alzheimer’s disease, as the number of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s is set to increase dramatically on a global scale in the coming decades.
“By 2050, it is estimated that 150 million people will have Alzheimer’s,” said Dr. Vance. “It’s expected to increase most in Africa and South America over the next decade.”
Researchers at the Hussman Institute are also looking at how non-medical drivers of human health can interact with genetic factors to affect Alzheimer’s disease risk. Ransom Everglades student Matias Dovarganes worked on a study that examined factors including education, occupation and socio-economic hardships. The research included a test which examined the input of predictors with the emergence of the disease.
Ainnara Lazzaro, from Doral Academy Preparatory High School, developed a stem cell model to study the impact of the loss of the Y chromosome in Alzheimer’s disease. Working with the blood sample of a 91-year-old male with Alzheimer’s disease, she used cells that were reverted to the stem cell level and identified those carrying the male Y chromosome. She described growing induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs) derived from blood samples, feeding them and freezing those cells for future experiments.
“It takes 19 days for a single-cell culture of neural progenitor cells to turn into progenitor cells, and you can evaluate the growth,” Lazzaro said. “You can sequence the loss of Y and the non-loss of Y.”
Curiosity and Teamwork
The hands-on program taps into students’ curiosity and drives teamwork while showing them what research is, the importance of science and the researchers’ daily tasks and interactions.
“I had never been able to do laboratory work like this before,” said Renier Quintero, from Belen Jesuit. “The most important lesson is that I embraced mistakes as part of the scientific process. I learned that’s part of progress.”
Michael Del Castro, from G. Homles Braddock Senior High School, worked on transcription factors that regulate APOE.
“I learned cell culture and was able to demonstrate which of the members of my family of transcription factors controlled the expression of the gene,” he said.
The Vances established the JJ Vance Memorial Summer Internship after the death of their 14-year-old son, JJ, in December 1998. When they moved to the University of Miami from Duke University in 2007, they brought the program with them and initiated the internship in 2009 at Miami. After initial private foundation funding, it has been partially funded for the last 11 years by an NIH/NINDS grant.
Interns have studied a variety of disorders, including eye diseases, deafness and neuropathy. In addition to practical skills, students gain career guidance and establish mentoring relationships that can help shape their academic paths.
“We look for kids who have the drive and some interest in science. Hopefully, we can make a difference in their lives,” said Dr. Vance. “We take students who are going to start their senior year in the fall, who are still deciding the next steps to take after graduation.”
Throughout the program’s history, students have come from more than 60 different high schools in the region.
Tags: Dr. Jeffery Vance, Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics, Dr. Margaret Pericak-Vance, John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, medical education, student research