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STUDENTS AND SCIENTISTS
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH INTERN PROGRAM

2008 Participants: shown here l to r Shirou Wu, Emily Lopes, Zach Rotter

Accolades to our three outstanding High School students, Emily Lopes of Commack

H.S.; Zach Rotter of Walt Whitman H.S.; and Shirou Wu of Commack H.S. who dedicated a month this summer toconduct scientific research at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, under the tutelage of Drs. Jose and Irma Russo. These bright, emerging young scientists participated in extensive research diving deeply into better understanding environmental triggers which create abnormalities in breast tissue. Uniquely, this laboratory experience afforded our students the opportunity to play an active role in analyzing tissue samples, creating hypotheses, and clearly presenting their scientifically based conclusions before a team of world renowned scientists, in an attempt to unravel the mysteries surrounding the causation of disease. Below are some thoughts that the students would like to share.

Emily Lopes

Through the Students and Scientist Environmental Research Scholarship Program sponsored by Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition, this past summer I was given the opportunity to work at the Breast Cancer Lab at Fox Chase Cancer Center. This internship was a chance to be thrown full throttle into the war against breast cancer from the research battle front. From day one, my fellow interns and I became part of the lab and were given the opportunity to learn from leading researchers in the field. A defining moment that set the pace occurred on the very first day when we learned how to sacrifice a rat and dissect various parts for the purposes of conducting research. That moment made the researching experience real, we were part of the research process. There were high standards that we were expected to uphold while conducting research, but I never felt overwhelmed or lost because I could always turn to anyone in the lab and ask for help. The experience of being in Philadelphia for the internship was not limited to being in the lab. For my month long stay I lived with the Sheriff family, who were very hospitable, making me feel right at home. Dr. Sheriff, also one of the scientists at the Breast Cancer Lab, offered support and was a person that I could turn to in and out of the lab setting.

In the first week of being there, I learned about the structures of the mammary gland, how to stain the tissue and became well versed in the terminology. When Shirou, Zach and I, split up to study our assigned compounds, I was excited to be assigned BBP because it gave me a chance to research a compound that I had background experience studying. While we were expected to complete our research within a set time frame, I never felt rushed. I felt that all deadlines were reasonable with time allotted to really think through the research and analyze our findings. This relaxed pace that was established within the lab truly lent itself to contemplating various avenues of research and thinking of ways to reevaluate procedures. Tea time reflected this mentality. It was a period of 15 minutes set aside at the end of every day where one could go down to the cafeteria and socialize with renowned scientists and doctors working at the lab.

The culmination of the experience was being able to present my research on the final day of the internship in front of the head of the lab, Dr. Russo, the scientists of the Breast Cancer Lab, and parents. We each gave a 20 minute presentation in which we were able to highlight the links to breast cancer that we found after analyzing the mammary glands of the rats both structurally and genetically. This presentation was not nerve-racking because I felt that my time at the lab had well prepared me for the questioning session that followed each presentation. I am so thankful that I was given the opportunity to work with the Russos and gain valuable experience conducting research. I know that I will not only share with my school and community my new found knowledge, but also take it with me for the rest of my life.

Shirou Wu

In the past few decades, public focus in researching environmental triggers of various diseases has increased dramatically. Although our society is still primarily concerned with treatments, the understanding of the causes of disease, and subsequently doing as much as possible to avert the activation these sources of illness have gradually become just as much of a focus in scientific research as developing cures. This fundamental principle of medicine, known as “prevention”, underlies the basic philosophy of environmental research.

Around 90% of all breast cancer cases are reported without known family history. This illustrates a very important concept. While the genetic predisposition to cancer is well-known, the environmental causes are less so, although with the help of organizations such as the HBCAC the general public is becoming more aware of common environmental dangers. Today, with reports left and right about various cancer-causing agents, it is difficult to distinguish between what is carcinogenic and what is not; if everything causes cancer, then there must be no point in avoiding aspartame and French fries if your tap water contains arsenic!

Prevention then becomes a moot point. My summer at Fox Chase Cancer Center taught me differently. Seeing first-hand exactly what a relatively “normal” dose of TCDD, one of the most toxic compounds known to mankind, can do to a normal mammary gland has certainly changed my mind about environmental factors and cancer. Not only were the mammary glands visibly less mature, but the structures which can predispose a mammary gland to cancer were twice as numerous in those exposed to TCDD.

Dioxins, or the family of compounds that TCDD belongs to, are by-products of inefficient waste incineration and fuel combustion. That means that devising an economical way to burn your garbage, or even inventing a filter, could potentially reduce your risk of getting cancer by countless factors. That means that by preventing certain items from being produced in a certain manner, and by simply disposing of waste properly, we could do something as drastic as saving lives. It is a much better way to spend your money preventing disease rather than trying to treat it once it happens. We could save not only countless lives, but years of suffering, a lot of money, and a lot of grief.

I learned from my research at Fox Chase that people, instead of being intimidated into inactivity by the sheer amounts of toxins in our system, should be brought to the light about not only environmental factors, but ways to prevent horrible disasters like Love Canal. I have concluded from my experience at Fox Chase that one, environmental research is ineffably crucial to our understanding of the development of traumatic and terminal diseases such as cancer, two, that your results are very rarely what you expected, which really does make all the difference, and three, that discussing your results during tea time can sometimes invoke odd glances in your direction.

The Students and Scientists Research Scholarship Program indeed changed my outlook in the field of cancer study. I walked into Fox Chase Cancer Center expecting another study on just another compound that causes cancer; I walked out four weeks later having learned a life-long lesson in making assumptions. It is absolutely mind-blowing once you think about it, but we can do something about cancer. We can prevent it; we can stop it.

“Cancer is a word, not a sentence. ~John Diamond”

Zach Rotter

This past summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to conduct cutting edge Breast Cancer research at Fox Chase Cancer Center. During my experience, I had unmatchable learning experiences, surprising findings, and great memories.

My internship at Fox Chase Cancer Ctr. involved researching the effect of Bisphenol-A (BPA) on rat mammary gland morphology and gene expression. The research involved counting the amount of Terminal End Buds (TEBs) in various rat mammary glands, because TEBs are a target of carcinogenesis. In other words, if there are a high number of TEBs in one Rat’s mammary gland compared to another, said rat likely has an increased chance of developing cancer. In terms of BPA, I found no significant difference in TEB count with mammary glands containing BPA as compared to control glands. However, possibly the most important find I discovered occurred during the gene expression analysis (GEA).

While analyzing the GEA, a specific set of three genes were found, all of which are closely related to inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare and extremely virulent form of breast cancer, accounting for approximately 5% of all breast cancer cases in the US each year. It is characterized by hot, swollen legions on and around the breast, and often times goes misdiagnosed. The discovery of a possible link between IBC and BPA is important, as little is known about the causes of IBC.

Opposite the research, I was placed into a host family’s house, which I am grateful for, as the home stay was a wonderful experience. I was welcomed into the family, and was able to participate in all of their activities which I enjoy at home, such as soccer and tennis. In addition, I was able to eat my first Philly cheese steak, a taste that I will not soon forget.

I would like to thank HBCAC for this wonderful opportunity, and to thank the Rubins for welcoming me into their home and family.