Two UCI grad students won first place and third place respectively in the 2022 UCI Grad Slam Championship. Grad Slam was held virtually on March 3rd and is a unique experience highlighting 10 of UCI’s top graduate researchers as they pitch their impressive research and it’s importance, live in a competition setting in just three minutes.
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| Pictured: Rachel Sousa |
Rachel Sousa, a graduate student in the School of Biological Sciences, Mathematical, Computational and Systems Biology Graduate Program who is co-advised by Drs. John Lowengrub, Chancellor’s Professor in mathematics from the School of Physical Sciences, and Francesco Marangoni, assistant professor in physiology and biophysics at UCI School of Medicine, won first place and a spot in the 2022 UC system-wide Finals Competition for her presentation: Curing Cancer with Math.
“Math has a bad reputation: many students often complain about math and ask when they would ever use it outside of school. However, math should be better appreciated as there are a wide range of powerful applications for math. I use math to study biological systems and, in particular, cancer biology. My research aims to build a set of equations – or a mathematical model – of the immune system in a cancer environment to identify the critical features associated with the immune system eradicating cancer versus those that allow cancer to persist in the body. With my model, I perform virtual experiments where I study and predict how immune cells interact with cancer cells. Furthermore, I can model the effects of various cancer therapeutics to predict the best combination of drugs, doses, and schedules to use to eliminate cancer. I can then test my model predictions experimentally in mice to validate the results of my model. Once validated, we can use my model to inform human cancer treatment. My research will help us gain a better understanding of the human body and result in more effective cancer treatments, ultimately revolutionizing cancer treatment and saving millions of lives.”
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| Pictured: Desiree Macchia |
Desiree Macchia, a grad student in the Department of Physiology & Biophysics won third place for her presentation: Changing Brain Circuits in Alzheimer’s Disease.
“Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most prevalent forms of dementia and affects approximately 5.8 million Americans today, making it the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. AD is characterized by the presence of protein aggregates and associated cognitive decline. In clinical trials, researchers have targeted or removed these protein aggregates, yet they were not able to significantly slow AD progression or improve cognitive decline. To reach an effective treatment for AD, researchers are employing new hypotheses and approaches to combat the disease. One of these hypotheses is that AD may begin with brain hyperactivity due to overactive neuronal networks. My research aims to identify and target these hyperactive brain circuits and investigate whether they contribute to eventual memory loss and development of the protein aggregates. The results from my work have revealed novel brain circuits that are associated with the earliest detectable changes in AD and thus these cells and circuits can be targeted for therapeutic interventions.”
See all 10 finalists here.