By Yechezkal Freundlich, Science and Technology Editor
Yechezkal Freundlich (YF): Hi Adin (AB). Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. Let’s start by getting to know you.
AB: I am from Boca Raton, Florida. I went to Katz Yeshiva High School and then Yeshivat Orayta. In high school, I pursued many different ventures, including Boy Scouts – where I achieved the coveted rank of Eagle Scout. After my time in Israel, I started YU, pursuing a degree in biochemistry. This is my third year at the university. After college, I plan to earn a PhD in genetic engineering and then found a biomedical startup.
YF: Whose lab do you work in and what do you study?
AB: I work at Columbia University in Dr. Cathy Mendelsohn’s lab. We study genetic mutations in colon cancers. Certain proteins are more or less present in different layers of the colon in a normal specimen. When cancer develops, certain proteins are produced in the wrong place and wrong time. By selectively mutating the genome and comparing the results, we are able to gain a better understanding of the development and mechanisms of control for these cancers.
YF: How did you get involved in this research?
AB: Last summer, I tried to get into a YU lab, but that did not work out. Disillusioned with that process, I asked around elsewhere.
YF: What did you hope to gain from this research experience?
AB: The lab experience is invaluable, especially when you want to go into research. Getting into a PhD program is primarily based on publication and research experience.
YF: What role do you play in this lab?
AB: Being the newest member of the team, I do the technical work so that the senior researchers can spend their time on analysis. I am given tissue samples encased in wax which I need to convert into photos. I take the wax and use what is effectively a diamond cutter to slice the tissue into hundreds of ultra-thin sections, which are then placed on slides. These slides are either exposed to dyes or fluorescent antibodies that accentuate certain proteins or areas of interest under a microscope. I then use the microscope to take photos and arrange them so they are easily digestible.
YF: Is there anything you encountered that was especially difficult during the research?
AB: Many things I do require a light touch, in a manner that is not naturally habit. It took a while to acquire that skill.
YF: What did you find most interesting about your research?
AB: The prospect of just how useful the skills I am learning can be for humanity. Our current ability to manipulate the genome was science fiction just ten years ago. It will revolutionize the human race over the next hundred years and I get to be there in its incipient stages.
YF: Lastly, do you have any advice for students interested in lab positions?
AB: If you do not understand what is happening at an intuitive level, ask until you do.