I worked under the guidance of a graduate student on her project where the focus is to identify the unique immunological properties responsible for preventing long-term AIDS progression in a particular group of HIV-1 patients known as Long-Term Non-Progressors or Elite Controllers. These patients manage to keep low viral loads and maintain normal CD4+ T-Cell counts, for decades in the absence of combinatorial anti-retroviral therapy. From this, we could learn more about HIV-1's progression and potentially contribute to the development of new treatment and prevention methods. Skills I have obtained from participating in this lab include but are not limited to: flow cytometry, cell culture and aseptic technique, and viral transduction.

Maintains a safe and sanitary living environment for small research animals. Occasionally aids in animal research performed within the vivarium. For example, I had the opportunity to work with a biotech company for a short period of time where I assisted in their animal research as an In-Life Scientist with responsibilities that included administering drugs and collecting data.

I was tasked with developing an assay capable of detecting and quantifying both human and monkey (cyno and rhesus) interleukin-22 as a potential biomarker for Celiac Disease as exisiting kits for IL-22 fail to discriminate between IL-21 and IL-22. In the development of this assay, several antibodies were tested for their sensitivity and specificity to IL-22. Passing antibodies were then placed into capture-detection antibody pairs for use in a modified ELISA model provided by Meso Scale Discovery. In the end, a promising pair was found and optimization of the assay would be continued after my departure. The internship concluded with a poster presentation of the research done.