Mallory Murphy
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦?
The Seifert Scholars program provided me with the opportunity to continue to be a part of a research project I was already familiar with and passionate about. This experience made it possible for me to spend the summer advancing my knowledge of genetics and microbiology.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡?
The ubiquitous, pathogenic mold Aspergillus fumigatus (Af) is responsible for most tissue damaging, invasive pulmonary aspergillosis cases. Using a combination of large-scale genome-wide analysis, coupled with gene expression data, the Dolan laboratory at Clemson is currently exploring the function of RTA1-like proteins in Af. Despite sharing core features, these proteins exhibit significant sequence variability, implying specialized roles. Recent gene expression analysis of Af in the literature revealed distinct regulatory networks for RTA1-like proteins, suggesting responses to specific environmental cues.The objective of my project is to use fluorescent tagging to locate areas in which we hypothesize the RTA1 genes are located and detect the expression of the various proteins when the mutants are exposed to different environments.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫?
The opportunity to participate in the Seifert Scholars programs allowed me to view eukaryotic pathogens and the research behind understanding them in a new way. I believe having a deeper understanding of the pathogens I have encountered, how they work at a cellular level and their microbial interactions will lead to me being a better qualified physician and contributing member of the scientific community in the future.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?
After my time at Clemson, I hope to attend medical school and pursue a career as a physician. Using the knowledge I have gained during my research, I am interested in specializing in pulmonology, specifically in treating Cystic Fibrosis.