Yonathan Ararso ’13, Dr. Kristian Hargadon Studying Immunity to Melanoma

As part of the College’s Summer Research Program, rising junior Yonathan Ararso has been collaborating with Dr. Kristian Hargadon to investigate the production of immunosuppressive factors by melanoma cells and to study the influence of these factors on the activity of dendritic cells, a group of cells responsible for the induction of immune responses.  Previous work in Dr. Hargadon’s laboratory has established that melanoma tumor cells suppress the function of dendritic cells, and such dysfunction is likely to have severe consequences for the induction and maintenace of a variety of other anti-tumor immune responders.  Funded by a Summer Undergraduate Researc Fellowship from the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, Yonathan is using a variety of cutting-edge techniques that include real time RT-PCR, ELISA, and flow cytometry to identifying a number of melanoma-derived molecules with known immunosuppressive function.  He is also testing the effects of these molecules on tumor-associated suppression of dendritic cell activity through antibody blockade experiments.  These experiments are designed to individually assess the role of each candidate tumor-derived factor in the suppression of dendritic cell function.  Using this approach to gain insights into the mechanism of tumor-induced suppression of dendritic cells may potentially identify tumor-derived molecules that could serve as targets for immunotherapies designed to enhance the immune response to melanoma, the most aggressive and deadliest form of skin cancer.

Yonathan performing an ELISA

Yonathan performing an ELISA

 

Yonathan doing real time PCR

Yonathan doing real time PCR

Prepping for a year of phage hunting

To prepare for Hampden-Sydney’s entry into the Science Education Alliance of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Professor Mike Wolyniak recently completed training at HHMI’s Janielia Farm Research Campus on how to conduct the Alliance’s coursework on isolation and characterization of bacteriophage from the environment.  Bacteriophage are viruses that infect bacteria and can be found in almost all parts of the environment.  Hampden-Sydney Molecular Biology students will spend the fall semester isolating bacteriophage from the environment, purifying it, and performing molecular analysis. The findings will directly contribute to research work performed at the University of Pittsburgh in which undergraduates from around the nation study bacteriophage diversity in the environment.

Electron micrograph of "Golyath", a bacteriophage isolated from the James Madison University collection as part of the Science Education Alliance course

Electron micrograph of "Golyath", a bacteriophage from the James Madison University collection from the Science Education Alliance course

Meet "HampGernon"! The spots are filled with Hampden-Sydney's first isolated bacteriophage!