Abigail Smith
Graduate Student
Biosketch:
Abigail Rose Smith graduated from Clemson University with her B.S. in genetics with minors in biochemistry and psychology. During her time as an undergraduate at Clemson, she participated in several undergraduate research opportunities, which equipped her to be a self-sufficient researcher, specifically interested in applying her specialty in molecular genetics and biochemistry towards point-of-care diagnostics. Smith is now a Ph.D. student in bioengineering under Dr. Congyue “Annie” Peng. She is the lab manager for Peng Labs, where she directly mentors several undergraduate researchers across multiple projects.
Research:
Smith’s main dissertation research investigates long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), powerful regulatory elements, as candidate biomarkers for early-detection of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Smith is specifically interested in comparing the impact of lncRNA isoforms and whether this impact changes with their subcellular localization, such as the nucleus or cytoplasm. She hopes to exploit these characteristics to improve the specificity and sensitivity of current cancer diagnostics.