Each summer, UNMC hosts students from across Nebraska, the region and nation in a variety of student programs.
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Michael Price |
Michael Price — a biology major at Missouri Southern State University — shares about his SURP experience.
Describe your summer research project.
The project I work on aims to develop brain cells from adult somatic cells in regenerative cell therapy. Current research has already done this for skin cells to blood progenitor cells, neurons, dopaminergic neurons and cardiomyocytes. In this study, we try to screen the novel candidates of transcription factors and investigate the possibility of direct conversion of somatic cells into neural progenitor cells. This strategy will provide a valuable cell source for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.
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As a future physician scientist, this sort of hands-on experience will help me understand all the time and effort that goes into research. I am now familiar with the realistic expectations from the laboratory setting.
What would you tell a prospective SURP student?
A prospective SURP student should come to the lab with an open mind and be prepared to learn a lot. Be prepared for experiments to fail but also be prepared to understand why it failed by breaking it down to its core components, changing the slightest condition and repeating it until it works.