Michelle Bell
Gallatin High School
Chemistry/Physical Science 

Professor:  Dr. Todd Giorgio
Dr. Amanda Lowery - mentor
Nanotechnology Lab 

I spent my time in Dr. Giorgio’s lab working on a project for Dr. Amanda Lowery.   Dr. Lowery’s overall project was finding an effective non-viral gene therapy treatment for breast cancer.  Viral gene therapy, although more effective than non-viral therapy in making it to the nucleus, has many potential side effects.  The non-viral gene therapy has fewer side effects but has a lower percentage of effective nuclear delivery.  As part of this project Dr. Lowery needed to grow Ecoli in M9 Minimal Media in order to aid in EDU uptake into the cell.  EDU is a thiamine analog.  The media in which Ecoli grows well, LB media, contains too much thiamine for the EDU uptake to occur.  The problem was that the Ecoli would not grow in M9 Minimal Media.  I was given the project of finding the highest ratio of M9 to LB media that would still allow the cells to grow.  I found that the Ecoli GFP DH5 will grow in 90% M9 Minimal Media and 10% LB broth when initially started and grown overnight in LB media.  I then grew the Ecoli in the presence of EDU and did a plasmid purification so that the amount of EDU uptake could be determined. 

My curriculum module deals with finding a cure for the Tennessee Fainting Goat.  The fainting goat falls to the ground when frightened not due to actually fainting, but due to a genetic mutation caused originally by the rabies virus. The module is designed for Anatomy and Physiology and teaches skeletal muscle fiber anatomy, action potentials, muscle contraction, and ion channels.  The unit also highlights the profession of biomedical engineering .