Authors: Zinia N. Basil, Alexandria R. Daves, Benjamin G. Kaufman, Banks M. Lomel, Andrea A. Lopez, Elijah W. Rice, Arinola Lampejo, Ariana D. Suarez-Martinez, Marc Sole Gras, Samantha S. Dykes, Zachary R. Wakefield, Dietmar W. Siemann, Yong Huang, Walter L. Murfee
Faculty Mentor: Walter L. Murfee
College: Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering
Good work everyone! Nice use of data on the poster.
You six were amazing undergrads this semester! The poster looks awesome and the presentation was great. Thank you so much for helping me with this project 🙂
Great job with compiling and representing the data! We know angiogenesis can be quantified using several variables, what makes segments per vascular length the most reliable in this situation? Good job on your hard work once again!
Great question Dima!
We counted segments per vascular length because we wanted to account for the length of preexisting vasculature as well as the sprouts that have grown and connected with other segments. We also counted sprouts per vascular length, but we did not show it on the poster because it led to the same conclusion.
Looking good Banks – I am glad you got your picture up.
The poster looks great!!!!!
Really impressive work everyone. What would you say was the most valuable thing you learned during this whole experience? It seems like you learned lots of great skills.
Hey Max!
That’s a really great question! Overall, I’d say for me the most valuable thing I learned was how the research process worked and how it feels to work in a more professional environment alongside fellow students. Dr. Murfee stressed the importance of understanding why we were doing what we were doing and to keep referring back to our original objective no matter where we were in the process. It was a really great experience!
Thank you Max!
I think the most valuable thing that I learned from this experience was a more holistic and comprehensive understanding of the research process. There was definitely a lot of more niche, field-specific information I picked up, but I think that the more general skills involved in identifying literature gaps and what we can do to satisfy those gaps in knowledge is transferable between any field, and in that sense is highly valuable.
For me the most valuable thing I learned from this experience was the research process as a whole. Coming in with no prior research experience, I now know about coming up with an objective, collecting data, analyzing data, and how to present our work in a meaningful way!
Hi Max!
I had a really great experience overall working in the lab. I think that learning the importance of breaking research down into smaller pieces such as the methods, models, and background and then making sure it always ties back into the objective was one of the biggest lessons that I learned.
Great presentation and the poster!
So, we know there is a need for developing in vitro models to investigate the dynamics of angiogenesis with tumors. But what does the role that cell printing plays in this research? Why do you need cell printing?
To be more specific, there are many ways to input cancer cells, what is the advantage and potential of using cell printing?
Specifically, the advantage of cell printing is the creation of 3D structures that can more accurately mimic the complexity of actual tumors.
Hi Frankie!
Like you stated, there is definitely a need to develop in vitro models to investigate the dynamics of angiogenesis with tumors. The role that cell printing plays in this research is to allow us to more accurately model the complex tumor micro-environment. Cell printing is needed to reduce the differences between the in vitro model and the tumor micro-environment that are present in other existing models that we identified in our literature review.
Hello Max,
We did learn lots of useful skills during this experience for sure! For me, the most valuable thing I learned was how to make links between the data which we collected and what we are studying. It is important to know how what you are doing in the lab is relevant to your research. I think that I will find this to be quite useful as I progress through the biomedical engineering major.
Hi! I do not have a background in biomedical engineering, but I think your group explained what could be a complex topic very well. I really like the strong use of visuals on your poster. Based on your results, do you have any specific research directions for the future?