The primary goals for my research this semester were to rerun PCR to gain more clarity on the results we observed in the fall and to work on writing up a grant proposal for the Pennsylvania Academy of Science (PAS).  

​

I was able to rerun PCR early on in the semester and confirmed that the expression patterns of the ASPA gene I had observed in the fall were accurate. This was the only lab work I completed during the semester as most of my time was devoted to the PAS grant. We also planned out the lab work we wanted to complete next semester once we confirmed that the gene was expressed at all timepoints. The next step in terms of lab work is to determine the spatial expression of the ASPA gene in zebrafish at these developmental timepoints through Whole Mount In Situ Hybridization. In other words, we want to figure out what tissues/organs the gene is expressed in. Are there certain locations where gene expression is most concentrated? If so, what might be the reason for that in the larger context of Canavan Disease?

​

The focus of the PAS grant proposal I worked on this semester was to obtain funding to support the lab work I hope to complete next fall. This would also give me the opportunity to present my research at a PAS conference which would be very exciting! In terms of writing the grant, this was something I previously had no experience with so I definitely struggled at times but ultimately, I learned a lot from it. Writing the background for the grant was the most challenging part and took the most time. The grant is not entirely finished yet, but I'll have the fall semester to complete it for submission in early 2024.

​

Some other exciting news this semester: I applied for and received an internal research grant from YCP which will help to support the costs of my research in the fall! The proposal for this grant was much less in-depth than the PAS grant but it was still very rewarding to receive a grant from YCP. I also applied for and got into a summer research internship through Wellspan! It's an 8 week program where I'll be completing clinical research, hopefully on Canavan Disease. I've never completed any type of clinical research so it will definitely be a fantastic learning experience!