Cancer is a mystery, with its war plans kept locked inside a black box whose sole purpose is to terrify patients and their families, evading the best attempts of scientists and doctors who aim to battle its worst intentions. For thousands of years, healers have tried to unlock the secrets of cancer. The modern-day key that unlocks those secrets is scientific research. This past academic year, I spent my time in the Science Research track, learning about the scientific method. I learned some basic research techniques in the lab and conducted a study of crabs, with the help of my lab partners, in various habitats on Randall’s Island, applying the knowledge I gained in class with Mr. Waldman.
All of this was in preparation for my fellow Science Research classmates and me to embark on an internship in a lab of our choice this summer. We all spent several weeks to months securing those internships by communicating directly with the scientists and doctors who ran those labs. Some of us got positions right away, while others toiled through numerous emails to obtain an internship. I was fortunate enough to connect with Dr. Joshua Smith, a colorectal surgeon and researcher at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). One area that has always interested Dr. Smith, a key to a cancer mystery he has tried to develop, is creating a cancer model to understand the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation on rectal cancer.
Colon and rectal cancer have many treatments. Aside from surgery that would remove part of the colon or rectum that has a tumor, radiation and chemotherapy are key components of effective treatment of the disease. Dr. Smith recognized that there are different types of rectal cancers, which respond differently to radiation and chemotherapy. Some cancer types are sensitive to certain chemotherapy and radiation regimens. The question Dr. Smith asked was: How can we predict which cancers will be radiation or chemo-sensitive? He created a tumoroid model based on many cancers of his patients to test those exact questions. The key he developed is the model of tumoroids grown in animal models that are tested for both radiation and chemosensitivity.
For six weeks this summer, I spent the majority of my time in Dr. Smith’s lab learning and performing the technique of RNA and DNA extraction. I worked with PhDs, MDs and other scientists learning this important part of tumuroid creation for the purposes of testing the sensitivity of rectal cancers for different treatments. My day consisted of consulting the scientist in charge, preparing my lab bench and fume hood, sanitizing my setup and carrying out my extractions. I found that working as a scientist was at times repetitive, but repetition is a vital part of the scientific method. I was given about 50 different tumor specimens from different patients and had to extract both the DNA and RNA from each one to create the tumoroids to be studied.
A big part of this process was organization. Since there were so many tubes, I was required to label them precisely. This included the sample ID, conditions, nucleic type, date and my initials. The tissue would be filtered multiple times through a nucleic spin column until all that was left was DNA or RNA. These extractions typically took up about 4 hours. I was truly grateful for the trust placed in me by the lab researchers to carry out this important part of the project. The work I did in the lab had a real impact on the data that was collected. I took this responsibility very seriously and was honored to be a part of the team. This part of my work taught me the importance of patience and precision, which are integral parts of being a scientist.
I emerged from my time at MSKCC realizing the enormous importance of cancer research. The work being done in Dr. Smith’s lab will undoubtedly save many lives in the future. I am so fortunate to have been exposed to the world of cancer research at MSKCC in Dr. Smith’s groundbreaking lab. Dr. Smith has been my primer in learning how to unlock the blueprints of the havoc that cancer creates in the human body.
I’d like to thank all the researchers that I worked with, including Dr. Joshua Smith, Dr. Chao Wu and Dr. Min Jung Kim, for allowing me to work in this incredible lab. I look forward to continuing the work on my Science Research project over the next year and presenting at the Fieldston Science Expo in 2026.
