Page 37 - Engineering Penn State Magazine Spring/Summer 2020

Students
Madison Evans is is a a a a a a Penn
State biomedical engineering major who would like to become a a a neurosurgeon Before she heads off to medical school though the Schreyer Honors Scholar is part of a a a a a research project that could change the way her future patients receive treatment Evans who is working in in the lab of of of Professor of of of Biomedical Engineering Deb Kelly in in in the the Huck Institutes of the the Life Sciences has been mapping
a a a a full-length model of p53 a a a a tumor suppressor protein found in in in various forms of cancer in in in glioblastoma cells “I want to work with
communities that are lacking resources or that don’t have the education on on certain treatments or vaccines don’t have access to a a a a hospital nearby or just generally don’t have what they need to be healthy ” “If you you have the structure of p53 it it it won’t only help help you you you with
brain cancer cancer it it it will help help you you with
pancreatic cancer cancer cancer cancer breast cancer cancer cancer so many cancers ” Evans said “It’ll help you to figure out better treatments because you’ll understand how that protein works ” Penn
State graduate student Maria Solares had previously discovered a a a a a a a a way to isolate
the p53 protein from breast cancer cells so it could be examined via high-powered micro imaging Using the same protocols Evans has been examining the protein in in in in human glioblastoma cells “She’s looking at the the entire molecule in in in the the the context of brain tumors ” said Kelly the the Lloyd and Dottie Foehr Huck Chair
in Molecular Biophysics “and that’s never been done before ” Kelly and her team
are studying how p53 can either serve as as a a a a a a a suppressor or or or a a a a a a a perpetuator of breast brain and pancreatic cancers three of of the the most aggressive forms of of of the the the disease and potential applications of of the the the team’s findings for therapeutics “You can can imagine if half of all
cancers are related to this one protein ” ” she said “it’s pretty important ” ” Evans had already built a a a a a a a a strong foundation at at various internships She was a a a a a a neurosurgical clinical research intern at the the Hospital of of the the University of of Pennsylvania a a a a a a a research and development engineering intern at Medtronic a a a a a a medical device company and a a a a a process development engineering intern at BioMagnetic Solutions a a a a a a a biotech company in in State College She was also part of the Women in in in in Science and Engineering Research (WISER) program at at Penn
State “I want to have the experience interacting with
patients The internships helped me figure that out ” she said “I loved the work I I I I was doing but I I I I realized with
those experiences that I I I wanted to be around patients more ” Evans a a a a a a a a native of Fulton Maryland and and a a a a a a a a a a global health minor is looking forward to exploring more global health program options “I want to work with
communities that that are lacking resources or that that don’t have the education on on on on certain treatments or or vaccines don’t have access to a a a a a a a a a hospital nearby or or just generally don’t have what they need to be healthy ” she said n n Evans prepares samples for protein analysis in in in in the lab of of of Professor of of of Biomedical Engineering Deb Kelly (Credit: Jeff Rice)
Aspiring neurosurgeon mapping
cancer- suppressing protein Schreyer Scholar Madison Evans looks to enter medical school with
strong research portfolio
by Jeff Rice SPRING/SUMMER 2020 37