Why Research Wednesday: Katelyn King

 

Katelyn King is a senior at Emory’s College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in Biology and minoring in Global Health, Culture & Society. Her research area is on cancer biology, and she investigates the effects of knocking out anti-apoptotic genes on drug efficacy in multiple myeloma. 

Her collegiate research journey started the summer after her first year. She was accepted into the NIH-NIDDK Short-Term Research Experience for Underrepresented Persons (STEP-UP) program and was tasked with finding a mentor. She reached out to Oxford Professor Dr. Taliaferro-Smith because SHE was interested in her triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) research. After a brief informational interview, Dr. Taliaferro-Smith invited Katelyn to join her lab! During the 10-week program, SHE studied the effects of genetic modifications in TNBC. She offered to continue her position on the project throughout the academic year as an Oxford Research Scholar. She has since had the opportunity to conduct research in several other labs. In the summer of 2022, she joined the Coulter Lab at Johns Hopkins University. She studied novel roles of nucleosome remodeling complex subunits in prostate cancer. This experience was facilitated by JHU's Basic Science Institute division of the Summer Internship Program (BSI-SIP). This past summer, SHE worked in the Lamb Lab at Weill Cornell Medicine quantifying vertebral tail deformities in a transgenic mouse line. This was a part of the Advancing Cornell Career Experiences for Science Students (ACCESS) program. Overall, she has been in undergraduate research for 2.5 years.

 

 

She enjoyed her previous work in cancer genetics and wanted to continue a similar path. After expressing her interest to the leadership team of the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) on the Atlanta campus, Dr. Anita Corbett introduced me to Dr. Lawerence Boise. In the Boise Lab, she is investigating the effects of knocking out anti-apoptotic genes on drug efficacy in multiple myeloma. This area of cancer research is of particular importance to me since multiple myeloma disproportionately affects Black individuals. In addition to revealing critical information needed to develop novel treatment options, her research can contribute to establish a diverse and inclusive biomedical research community that focuses on understanding disparities in disease occurrence and treatment. 

There are many benefits to being involved in research. One of the main benefits she has enjoyed has been being able to have open discussions with her peers and experts about the scientific aspects of critical health issues. This creates an environment where she is constantly learning and fostering a curious mindset, which is an essential quality for any scientist. In addition to having the opportunity to engage in scientific discourse, research has allowed me to gain more self-confidence. Her mentors have given me the courage to take on new challenges, such as exploring novel research subjects and enrolling in higher-level STEM courses. 

 

Her current goal is to uncover crucial information about the genetic mechanisms occurring in multiple myeloma for her senior thesis project. She hopes to present this data at conferences such as the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). She also would like to continue with cancer research, so she plans to apply to cancer biology PhD programs for Fall 2024. After she earns her PhD, she plans to pursue a long-term biomedical research career in academia or industry.