Biomedical Exploration

Cutting-edge biomedical research and discovery is happening on Fairfield’s campus, fueled by professors deeply committed to involving students in meaningful research. Someday, one of those students just may make a discovery that could impact your life.

Unlike larger universities, where graduate students often dominate the research opportunities, “We have only undergraduates working with us in our research labs, and we are committed to mentoring them and giving them the necessary research training that they can’t get from taking a course,” said Shelley Phelan, PhD, professor of biology.

Dr. Phelan’s research centers on the regulation and function of genes in cancer cell biology. Currently, her work revolves around the use of natural plant compounds as anti-cancer agents, with a focus on breast cancer.

In her lab, students begin by reading the current literature, coming up with research questions, and developing hypotheses. That’s in addition to learning the technical skills needed to culture human cells, including learning how to maintain a sterile environment. And while that training can take eight to 10 hours a week, “it gives our students a real opportunity to stand out in their postgraduation pursuits. After all, the vast majority of them go on to medical school, other pre-health programs, or graduate programs in the sciences. They often land where they land because of the hours of training and mentorship they’ve had in our labs.”

Femi Gbayisomore ’22 can attest to that; he worked for a year and a half in Dr. Phelan’s lab, which led to a poster presentation at the American Association for Cancer Research conference with his lab partner and the co-authorship of a paper in a peer-reviewed journal.

“My decision to do research with Dr. Phelan was one of the better investments I’ve made in myself,” he said, crediting that experience with his acceptance to medical school.

As in Dr. Phelan’s lab, students working with assistant professor of biology Paul Riccio, PhD, also need to master aseptic mammalian cell culture to keep cells free of contamination, but that’s where his research diverges from Dr. Phelan’s.

“I’m interested in how organs recover from tissue loss and regenerate new cells. To understand this, we must explore how the regulation of the cell cycle is inherently different across organs,” said Dr. Riccio. “In diabetes our immune system destroys insulin-producing beta cells. So how do we get a robust number of these to last through life?”

Answering that question could lead to new cell therapies for Type 1 diabetes.

Last semester’s lab work was preliminary, explained Henry Villa ’24. “We’re growing the cells and will then test them in a high glucose environment to see if they react as they would in a human body. Then we’ll be looking at transcription factors to see the types of proteins produced in response to certain environments.”

Villa, who graduated in December, credits his hands-on experience with helping him prepare for medical school.

“In course-based undergraduate research experience, or CURE, rather than teaching students traditional lab exercises from a manual, we immerse them in the research we’re working on,” said Olivia Harriott, PhD, associate professor of biology. Evidence shows that a research-based experience can fulfill several learning outcomes while improving retention in STEM.

A few years ago, Dr. Harriott started participating in the Tiny Earth Student Crowdsourcing Antibiotic Discovery Initiative, which encourages instructors to develop student research experiences to address the antibiotic resistance crisis. Her students collected soil samples from diverse environments, isolated and characterized the bacteria in them, then screened them for antibiotic activity. Three of her students submitted their findings to the Tiny Earth database, thus making research contributions while developing critical thinking, collaborative, and practical skills.

Serena Koshy ’25 was intrigued by the study of genetics in the class she took with Anita Fernandez, PhD, associate professor, whose focus is on heredity gene expression and the applications of genetic technology. For almost two years, she’s been working with the nematode worm C. elegans, which shares many of the same genes as humans. Specifically, she has been using a temperaturesensitive mutation to disrupt dynactin function in live animals and characterizing how this disruption affects sperm function.

The hours in the lab “definitely help you work through the scientific process of asking questions, developing experiments and drawing conclusions to develop out-of-the-box thinking,” she said. “Fairfield professors put a lot of time into us, and that says a lot about the faculty here.”

The lab of associate professor Scott Weatherbee, PhD, is set to launch next fall and will investigate the formation and function of cilia, the microscopic hair-like structures found on most cells in the body. Approximately one in 1,000 live births have a cilia defect, which can result in anything from mild respiratory issues to fertility problems or even death.

His students will use a hydra model to disrupt and study genes in this small, freshwater invertebrate.

“The best researchers have strong collaborative skills, are curious about science, and have a strong work ethic,” said Dr. Harriott. “Science is about creating new knowledge and students can and should be part of that process.”

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