Hello everyone! My name is Maddie Wolfe, and I’m a rising junior studying biochemistry with a certificate in global health, a chemistry minor, as well as the Honors College joint degree. 

My project aims to edit Epstein-Barr virus using the novel genetic editing tool CRISPR/Cas9. While Epstein-Barr virus, or EBV, is commonly known as the cause of mono, a lesser known fact is that the virus is linked to cancer. Specifically, my lab studies the connection between EBV and the head and neck cancer known as nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). NPC is endemic to Southeast Asia, but researching this phenomenon has implications beyond NPC. Despite many research efforts, it is still unclear why the entire population infected with EBV does not all develop EBV-related cancers. 

In order to study this, we use CRISPR/Cas9 to alter the DNA sequence of the virus and then determine the effects of those edits. Imagine CRISPR as a Swiss Army knife. While CRISPR/Cas9 can cut DNA, just as a simple knife does, its abilities extend far beyond that. The Swiss Army knife has many tools for different tasks — like CRISPR’s capabilities to add new sections of DNA, make precise cuts, and edit single letters of DNA code. The Cas9 protein of CRISPR/Cas9 can be told specifically where to cut the DNA, enabling us to target specific genes within EBV.  However, this is quite easier said than done. The efficiency of DNA editing using CRISPR is on the order of 0.1%. To overcome these hurdles, I test many different editing strategies using the CRISPR system. One example is called electroporation, in which we shock our cells to encourage them to take up the foreign DNA. 

 I have been working under the instruction of Dr. Kathy Ho Yen Shair and my mentor Alex Reznik at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center for over a year. I hope that the Brackenrige will strengthen my skills as a researcher moving forward. After undergrad, I will be applying to graduate school to either pursue my Ph.D. or MPH. It is my dream to work in the healthcare industry, preferably in vaccine development or drug design. 

Outside of my research, I am the president of the Pitt Dance Ensemble club, as well as a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. I can also be found baking, reading, or out to eat with my friends. I can’t wait to see where this summer takes me!