Hi! My name is Sejal Molakaseema and I am a rising sophomore studying Computational Biology with a minor in Chemistry and a certificate in Bioethics. Outside of my coursework and research, I love playing tennis, especially with my family, and going on long hikes in new places. I also really enjoy traveling and I’m visiting the French Riviera at the end of the summer which I’m super excited about!

I work in the Becker Lab at the Vascular Medicine Institute of UPMC involved in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy research with my mentor Dr. Jason Becker and am so thankful for the opportunity to continue pursuing my research over the summer through the Health Sciences Fellowship. 

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a type of heart disease which is characterized by increased thickening of the left ventricular myocardium of the heart muscle. These changes in the heart muscle decrease the ability of the heart to pump blood efficiently, leading to heart failure and in some cases sudden cardiac death. The most common genetic causes of HCM are mutations in cardiac myosin binding protein 3 (MYBPC3) and beta myosin heavy chain (MYH7). Genetic testing can identify individuals carrying MYBPC3 mutations, but targeted treatments for MYBPC3 related cardiomyopathies remain limited. 

My project focuses on looking at different genetic and protein pathways at the molecular level to understand and identify better treatment strategies for HCM. MYBPC3 gene mutations lead to a reduction in MYBPC3 protein levels, and the protein levels tend to change with age. Over the summer I will be conducting experiments in Becker lab to understand two types of post-translational modifications called acetylation and ubiquitination, to see if and how the MYBPC3 protein’s stability is changing with age. If proven through my experiments that aging does have an impact on MYBPC3 protein post-translational modifications, this would provide a starting point to identify novel pathways involved in regulating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. 

I hope to continue to build on this project in the future and continue to learn more about the effects of post-translational modifications, write a paper about it, and get it published. I have always been interested in clinical practice and clinical research; working from both a physician side and a researcher side to provide faster results for patients. My plan is to pursue an MD/PhD! 

The Health Sciences Fellowship is such a great stepping stone because I am learning so much about the world of research outside of my lab. It has only been a few weeks, but I’ve already learned about various research methods, ways to pursue graduate research, and so much more. Broadening my knowledge by learning about other research, and learning how to communicate my own, is an exciting and rewarding process and I can’t wait to see how much more I learn this summer!