After spending an amazing semester abroad in London, I found my way back to USC as a research intern at the Center for Neuronal Longevity (CNL) this summer. CNL is a cross-campus multi-school venture between the Keck School of Medicine, the Mann School of Pharmacy, and Viterbi. The aim is to develop adaptive and interventive bioengineered systems to treat neurodegenerative diseases with no foreseeable cures through preventing neuronal loss.
I interned at the Louie Lab in the Mann School of Pharmacy at the Health Sciences Campus (HSC). It was nice to be back in LA and explore a different campus while also getting to work alongside grad students, pharmD students, and postdoc researchers. My project focused on analyzing how Alzheimer’s impacts lipid metabolism. We used the 5xFAD mouse model of Alzheimer’s to examine how Deep Brain Electrical Stimulation (DBS) impacts how lipids are metabolized in 5xFAD mice to gain insight on how DBS can be an effective therapy for neurodegenerative conditions.
My days consisted of taking the morning shuttle to HSC and working in the lab on my project and asking the other lab members if I could assist in their projects or simply just observe what they were working on. This was a great way to get to know everyone in the lab and see how all of the different projects are connected to one another. I also discovered an amazing fish taco restaurant just down the street that I am definitely missing now that I am back at the main campus.
The internship program culminated in a final poster presentation where each intern was able to showcase what they worked on all summer while answering questions from different faculty across Keck, Mann, and Viterbi. Altogether, CNL was a very rewarding experience and a great way to gain research experience and additional skills and knowledge that I can use in my future.
The best fish tacos and ceviche that got me through long days at the lab.
