LEADS Research Track program<\/a> under the mentorship of Naomi Hamburg, MD.\u00a0 To learn more about Erika\u2019s research experience in the LEADS Research Track program we asked Erika a few questions.<\/p>\nWhat is your research project about?<\/h3>\n
The title of my project is cardiometabolic proteomics and vascular endothelial health in type 2 diabetes. We explored the relationship between endothelial function and a targeted panel of circulating cardiometabolic biomarkers. To assess endothelial function, we stained for phosphorylated endothelial nitric oxide synthase (p-eNOS) in venous endothelial cells with and without insulin stimulation. Ultimately, understanding which molecular pathways are associated with vascular dysfunction could help identify new biomarkers or therapeutic targets for preventing cardiovascular complications of type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n
What have you done as part of your research project?<\/h3>\n
I had the opportunity to be involved in many different levels of this project. I recruited and consented participants and carried out patient visits, including vascular measurements such as flow-mediated dilation, which allowed us to assess endothelial function in vivo. I then analyzed the proteomics data using Olink\u2019s statistical analysis platform and examined the relationships between the proteomic and p-eNOS measures using SPSS.<\/p>\n
What have you learned or accomplished through your research experience?<\/h3>\n
I learned how exciting it is to contribute something novel to an established area of research. There are many people investigating the drivers of cardiovascular disease in diabetes, and there are also many researchers who leverage proteomics. Our project uniquely connects proteomic findings with endothelial function using freshly collected patient samples. This showed me the value of translational research in connecting molecular findings back to human disease.<\/p>\n
How has this research experience influenced your understanding of medicine, research, or your potential career path?<\/h3>\n
Delving into the molecular mechanisms driving cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes has helped me deepen my understanding of disease beyond what we learn in the classroom, and has motivated me to continue pursuing research throughout my career as a physician.<\/p>\n
What advice would you give to other medical students who are considering getting involved in research?<\/h3>\n
My advice would be to find a research topic that you are genuinely interested in, because that makes the experience much more rewarding. For me, that has been cardiometabolic disease, and having a strong interest in the subject has motivated me to become more involved in the project and develop my skills. I would also encourage students to seek out mentors who can guide them through the research process. I have been fortunate to be able to work under Dr. Hamburg who has encouraged me to take on greater responsibility and helped me develop my skills as a researcher and has also given me advice on how to succeed as a medical student.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Erika Minetti is a first-year medical student who participated in LEADS Research Track program under the mentorship of Naomi Hamburg, MD.\u00a0 To learn more about Erika\u2019s research experience in the LEADS Research Track program we asked Erika a few questions. What is your research project about? The title of my project is cardiometabolic proteomics and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10364,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/medstudentresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7366"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/medstudentresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/medstudentresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/medstudentresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10364"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/medstudentresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7366"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/medstudentresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7366\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7381,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/medstudentresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7366\/revisions\/7381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/medstudentresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/medstudentresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/medstudentresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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