• Events
  • News & Publicity
  • Publications
  • Contact CEET
Perelman School of Medicine
Header
  • Home
    • About the CEET
    • CEET Blog
    • Penn SRP Center
    • AKR Superfamily
  • Members & Themes
    • CEET Membership
    • Air Pollution & Lung Health (AP)
    • Environmental Exposures and Cancer (EC)
    • Windows-of-Susceptibility (WS)
    • Environmental Neuroscience (EN)
    • Community Engagement Core (CEC)
  • Cores
    • Core List
      • Integrative Health Sciences Facility Core (IHSFC)
      • Translational Biomarker Core
      • Exposure Biology Informatics Core (EBIC)
    • Service Request
    • Usage Summary
  • Training & Career Development
    • Summer Programs
    • Environmental Health Sciences Certificate Program
    • Training Grant in Environmental Health Sciences
    • Career Development Activities
  • Funding
    • CEET Mentored Scientist Transition Award (MSTA)
    • Pilot
    • NIH
    • ONES Award
  • Engagement
    • For Community Members
    • Environmental Health Education Programs
    • For Health Care Professionals
    • For Policy Makers
    • Community Engagement Core (CEC)
    • CEC Blog
    • PA General Assembly Environmental Health Legislative Watch
    • Contact CEC
  • Target Communities
    • West Philadelphia
    • South Philadelphia
    • Chester
      • Chester Environmental Partnership Presents:
    • Eastwick
    • Lancaster County
    • Northeast Pennsylvania Communities with Hydraulic Fracturing
    • Ambler
Aug 26

STEER Researcher Jason Soriano describes his research in investigating early detection biomarkers of asbestos exposure

Posted by Community Engagement Core 
· No Comments

Hello! My name is Jason Mark Soriano and I am a rising junior at the University of California, Berkeley (Go Bears!). I am majoring in Molecular Environmental Biology with a concentration in Environment and Human Health. I first became curious about environmental health after completing a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program last summer at the University of Georgia where I conducted R statistical analyses on environmental factors affecting the abundance of kissing bugs – the vectors of Chagas Disease in Central Panama. That experience brought me all the way across the country to explore environmental health in a new setting, that is, in a renowned biomedical research lab. While I am still exploring my post-graduation options, this summer experience has definitely helped me throughout the decision-making process by not only giving me a great amount of skills and knowledge regarding proteomics and mass spectrometry, but also an insight into the life of a graduate student and a researcher. 

What is your summer research project?

This summer, I am grateful to have been given the chance to conduct research in Dr. Ian Blair’s laboratory as a STEER program participant with the help of PhD candidate Kevin Gillepsie. Using analytical chemistry and molecular biology techniques, I explored potential post-translational modifications that crocidolite asbestos may have on HMGB1, an important protein involved in the regulation of DNA-dependent processes and cellular danger signaling. We treated A549 cell lines as a lung cancer model in light of asbestos’ ability to cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, and other pleural diseases.

What are the implications of your research?

Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring fibrous minerals used in building materials that poses a considerable environmental health threat to vulnerable and susceptible populations given its carcinogenic effects upon inhalation. Research has shown that asbestos exposure can lead to a number of pleural diseases including mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, etc. Therefore, the implications of this research are to utilize high-resolution mass spectrometry and molecular biology tools to conduct omics research emphasizing early detection biomarkers of asbestos exposure, mesothelioma, and lung cancer.

What new skills have you gained through your research?

My research experience has allowed me to perform a wide variety of commonly practiced molecular biology techniques. These techniques include passaging/splitting cell lines, Western Blot, Coomassie Blue Staining, and protein extraction. My research has also given me a chance to strengthen my ability in interpreting protein mass spectrometry data, such as analyzing mass spectra and chromatograms.

No Comments
Categories : COEC Blog
← Next Post
Previous Post →

Leave a Reply

Click here to cancel reply.


© The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania | Perelman School of Medicine