Hi everyone! My name is Katelyn Chen and I am a rising sophomore majoring in Biology and Spanish in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and the Frederick Honors College. This summer, I have the pleasure of being part of the Brackenridge Research Fellowship working on biomedical research in endocrinology and metabolism with my wonderful faculty mentor Dr. Alison Kohan. Before I discuss my project in more detail, let me tell you a little about myself outside of academics. In my free time, I love the arts and picking up new hobbies: I play the violin, am attempting to learn the guitar, and have recently gotten into knitting after crocheting for a bit. I plan to take a pottery class in hopes of making some functional dishware, and I hope to make (as well as eat) lots of new foods this summer! Now, back to the Brackenridge:

My research project centers around lipid (fat) transport in the body. Specifically, I’m looking at a protein called apoC3, previously shown to be a key actor in the development of atherosclerosis (buildup of fatty plaque in your arteries) which is the #1 cause of cardiovascular disease! Cardiovascular disease is both common and deadly: nearly 1 in 2 people in the US has some form of CVD and it is the leading cause of death globally. Thus, making therapies that target its cause is a critical research target. Since apoC3 inhibits the breakdown of lipids and stimulates secretion of VLDL, or “bad cholesterol”, overexpression causes blood triglyceride levels to surge, which is a major risk factor in atherosclerosis. So, the logical next step would be to inhibit apoC3 expression… right? However, recent studies have found that apoC3 inhibition doesn’t just lower blood triglyceride levels. It also unexpectedly increases intestinal triglyceride output, which could be a contributing factor in atherosclerosis. My plan is to figure out why this happens by looking at lipid transport in both a whole-body mouse model using mice with the apoC3 gene knocked out and in intestine-specific 3D cell culture called organoids, which will give me different perspectives of this phenomenon.

My current professional goal is to become a physician scientist. Having this summer to work exclusively on biomedical research will allow me to experience what it will be like to work in a lab full-time and to conduct an experiment from start to finish, from brainstorming a roadmap to analyzing and interpreting data and presenting my findings. Additionally, I hope to have many conversations with my peers in the fellowship cohort to learn about the research they are doing on a wide range of topics. This is significant to my goal because physician scientists will be expected to make connections between seemingly unrelated sections of medicine and bench research to make vital advances in health, as well as communicate their work effectively to patients and peers alike. I have high hopes for the summer and am immensely grateful to have the support of this fellowship to achieve them!