Meet The 2023 Cohort

Esther Abraham is a senior at King/Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science. After her experience in in-depth research at the Public Health Academy at Charles Drew University, she decided to take it a step further into Lab based research with a focus on stem cells. 

        Entering the rigorous ExStRM Program, Esther worked alongside Doctors, researchers, and master students to research how Cancer stem cells interact with differentiated adipocytes to promote breast cancer. Through her research, she highlighted the importance of the cancer microenvironment in influencing progression. In the future, she expects to pursue medicine and possibly become a travel neurosurgeon.

As a Rising Senior, Mary has ventured into the research world and worked with an amazing mentor, Dr. Pranabananda Dutta, to find the correlation between stem cell markers and mRNA expressions. 

         She has experienced the joy of pipetting, creating 10% gel (separating and stacking gel) for Western Blots, and working in a lab. She met amazing junior researchers like Carissa and connected with fellow mentees like Natalie, Cristobal, Esther, and Katherine. Mary also learned to read the data Western Blots. She also has a goal to become a surgeon as well as conduct research as well. 

          The ExStRM program has helped her understand the different aspects of research and she is excited to complete her research project.

Over the course of her summer break, Raeesah Alam explored the fascinating field of medicine through research as part of the 2023 ExStRM program cohort. As a rising senior at Anderson W Clark Magnet High School, she was eager to take on the opportunity to study regenerative medicine and gain remarkable research experience. 

        As a young girl, she had always known she wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. The ExStRM program opened her eyes to the broad pathways of the healthcare systems. This summer, she spent her time with USC researching the regenerative abilities of lizards under Dr. Thomas Lozito’s mentorship. Interestingly, lizards are able to regrow their amputated tails and because they are the closest relatives to humans capable of this trait, they make applicable testing models to improve regenerative medicine.

        She hopes to continue to expand her experience with research and eventually go into the medical field. The ExStRM program was a memorable and extremely valuable beginning to her scientific journey.

Natalie Alvarez is a rising senior attending the California Academy of Mathematics and Science and a proud member of the biotechnology pathway. She was overjoyed when she learned about her acceptance into Charles R. Drew University’s ExStRM cohort for 2023 since the internship would provide her with many opportunities to advance her knowledge and experience in laboratory and regenerative medicine. 

        Mentor, Pranabananda Dutta, assigned her to a study to find whether there is a correlation between heightened CCL2 expression and metastasis with cancer stem cells. The study has led Natalie to have a newfound interest in cancer research because of its unpredictable yet fascinating behavior. Natalie admires the distinct properties of each cancer and stem cell because it shows that the world around her is more complex than meets the eye. 

        She hopes to continue cancer research at her dream university, Stanford, with a Doctorate in Cancer Biology.

During the ExStRM research project, it was required to contribute additional information to previous research done in the field of cardiovascular diseases, specifically ones related to atherosclerosis, and this was done by exposing the effect that a protein called Follistatin could have on the progression of atherosclerosis. 

       In order to make any progress, Faith Anderson learned to run a Western Blot and Immunohistochemistry by themself to produce results. This experience can only be described as liberating in the way that it was the student’s first real job where they were treated as an adult in a learning and working environment. 

       The program has developed an understanding of research procedures that will be useful for the upcoming capstone project that the intern’s school requires of them; however, in a more long-term aspect, ExStRM has contributed to the way that they understand research and has opened their mind to possibilities in research-based careers.

Cristobal Duran is a rising senior currently attending California Academy of Mathematics and Science. He’s a first gen student hoping to further pursue a career in the medical field.
      Cristobal decided to join the ExStRM program to develop a deeper understanding about regenerative medicine in those suffering from diabetes, cancer, and more. He wasn’t convinced about pursuing a job in the medical field as he had little exposure before joining ExStRM. Throughout the summer he has had the amazing opportunity to work with mentors who are making breakthroughs in the medical field when it comes to cancer. Aside from his work done with his mentor he’s been able to participate in meetings with other professionals sharing their discoveries on cancer cells.

      Cristobal will definitely continue to help volunteer and dedicate his time to helping out research more about regenerative medicine. Being the wildcard that he is, he still isn’t sure about the medical career he might pursue but considers the ER or neuroscience the place for him to be. Thanks to the new technique and information he gained throughout the summer Cristobal is confident in his pathway towards the medical field. Though it may be competitive he knows any contributions he does will later help someone else.

Makai Johnson is a rising senior attending Diamond Ranch High School. During his time with ExStRM, he has greatly expanded his knowledge of stem cells and of the field of microbiological sciences as a whole. 

       For Makai’s project, he studied the mechanisms that led to greater mammary cancer growth within groups exposed to E-cigarettes. His future aspirations remain open-ended, but he is excited for what is to come. 

       He greatly appreciates the opportunities given to him this summer and looks forward to doing similar projects in the future.

During childhood, Chris Prado developed a profound fascination with zombie-themed movies and pondered the possibility of a zombie virus. As they progressed through their education, the concept of creating such a virus continued to intrigue them, particularly during science classes. However, their career aspirations took a different direction upon acceptance into the ExStRM program, which specialized in regenerative medicine with a focus on rejuvenation and healing.

      Within the ExStRM program, they were presented with diverse opportunities to conduct assessments such as: exploring antioxidant activity, cellular signaling pathways, gene expression analysis, mitochondrial function, and apoptosis/autophagy assays. Under the mentorship of Dr. Ke Wu, Dr. Yong Wu, and many others, realized their potential to contribute to advancements in regenerative capabilities and in gratitude to Charles R. Drew University for allowing them to fully realize the opportunities ahead of them.

Esmeralda Orellana, a rising senior attending Orthopaedic Hospital Medical Magnet High School, wants to pursue her passion for biomedical engineering and medicine as a whole. This program has made it possible for her to gain insight on regenerative medicine and the promising aspects it holds for the future of the medical field. It has also provided her with great opportunities conducting research with others who are just as passionate.

       Working in the Lozito lab at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, she has been studying the wound healing and regeneration of digit tips in lizards. It is known that amniotes such as mice are able to regenerate their digits using blastema based regeneration, leading us to hypothesize that lizard digits will favor cartilage-based regeneration. These findings will significantly contribute to regenerative medicine by enhancing our understanding of the diverse regrowth mechanisms in different animal species after amputation-induced injuries.

       With everything learned at this program, Esmeralda has been determined to continue to pursue the biomedical field with hopes to make this world a better place. This program has given her research experience, new knowledge and passion, everything needed to be successful in the future.

Tkaya Samuels is a rising senior attending Monrovia High School. Throughout her summer opportunity with ExStRM, she has expanded her knowledge of regenerative medicine and its importance on the future of the medical field.

       For her project, she researched the amounts of interstitial cells in organoids treated with varying doses of small molecule inhibitors and beta-catenin activators to determine which combination of inhibitors promotes nephron growth while blocking interstitial cell growth. Utilizing the inhibition of the PI3 kinase pathway was very beneficial to her project as it provided results that are very beneficial to future regenerative therapies of kidney failures and the formation of the kidney.

      Kidney problems most commonly stem from the human embryonic stages in which there aren't enough nephrons formed for the further development of the kidney. The research she has done shows which small molecule inhibitors are the most successful in promoting nephron cell growth which will be extremely beneficial to ensuring that kidneys have the right amount of nephron cells to develop properly. This project has deeply impacted her desire to continue a future into the fields of STEM and medicine and has overall opened her mind to new experiences and interest into research.