Rising senior Biology major Jay Brandt has been hard at work this summer conducting cancer research in collaboration with Elliott Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Kristian M. Hargadon ’01.  Through funding from the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges and the Hampden-Sydney College Honors Council, Jay has been investigating how melanoma-altered dendritic cells influence the quality of cytotoxic T cell activation.  Using dendritic cells that have been isolated from the spleens of mice, Jay has utilized an ex vivo cell culture system in which dendritic cells whose maturation and activation have been modulated by melanoma-derived factors are used to stimulate naïve CD8+ T cells.  Jay has then evaluated T cell activation using a variety of flow cytometric readouts that include CFSE-based T cell proliferation assays and intracellular cytokine staining assays.  He is also in the process of conducting ELISAs to measure T cell production of the cytotoxin granzyme B.  Collectively, these studies will provide significant insights into the induction of anti-tumor immune responses.  Jay will be attending medical school following his graduation in 2015, and he has already been accepted to Eastern Virginia Medical School through the College’s Early Assurance Program with the medical school!

Jay Brandt ’15 running samples on the Biology Department’s new flow cytometer!