Mitchell Gulkis

Student NameMitchell Gulkis
Faculty Mentor NameJianrong Lu, PhD
CollegeCollege of Medicine
MajorBiochemistry
MinorMusic Theory
Research InterestsCancer, Genetics, Metabolism, Epigenetics, Cellular Control
Academic AwardsMontesino Scholarship 2017-Present, Bright Futures Scholarship 2017-Present, Dean’s List Fall 2017-Spring 2018 (College of Engineering), Dean’s List Spring 2019-Present (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences), University Scholars Program 2020
OrganizationsAlpha Chi Sigma
Hobbies and InterestsChemistry, Music Theory, Music Performance, A Cappella

Research Project

Verification of Gene Targets Determined as Vulnerabilities by a Bioinformatic Screen in EMT Cancer Cells

We performed a bioinformatic screen of the Broad Insititute’s DepMap database for genes required in mesenchymal state cancer cell lines that were not required in epithelial state cancer cell lines. We believe that the results from this screen should indicate genes that cancer cells undergoing the epithelial-mesenchymal transition are vulnerable to. Currently, we are using RNA interference to knock down these genes to validate the findings of our screen.