Cancer research: A graduate student perspective

Dr. Jenkins speaks with Aerica Nagornyuk, a graduate student in UND’s Department of Biomedical Sciences. A North Dakota native, Nagornyuk chatted with Dr. Jenkins about getting hooked on research early and how you don’t need to be from someplace big to accomplish big things.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:07

Welcome to Health in Action, a podcast from the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences. In each episode, Dean Marjorie Jenkins chats with UND faculty and staff about the latest developments in healthcare education, our changing healthcare landscape, and the latest news from North Dakota's only interprofessional school of medicine and health sciences. Erica Nagornick is a graduate student in UND's Department of Biomedical Sciences. A North Dakota native, Nagornick chatted with Dr. Jenkins about getting hooked on research early and how you don't need to be from someplace big to accomplish big things.

SPEAKER_00 0:55

Good afternoon, Erica. It's so great to chat with you today about your research and also about your journey to UND. Thanks for being here.

SPEAKER_02 1:04

Thank you for the invitation. I'm uh greatly humbled to have the opportunity.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

Wonderful. Well, let's dig right in. Can you can you tell us a little bit about your academic journey to where you are today and being at UND and uh as a PhD student?

SPEAKER_02 1:20

Absolutely. I'd love to. Uh so my academic journey started here at UND when I did my undergrad in biology. And it was through my experiences uh in biology where I got to meet uh some great faculty that introduced me to research and particularly the research experience for undergrad student program. So that was the very first time I um had the opportunity to do research and find out that that's something I was passionate about. Uh from there, I applied into the biomedical science graduate program. And I now work under Dr. Matoki Takaku, and we study epigenetic research. And I am now in my third year of the biomedical science PhD track program. So that's um where I'm at at this point.

SPEAKER_00 2:08

So for those of who may not be scientists that are listening, uh tell us what epigenetics is.

SPEAKER_02 2:15

Epigenetics is a really fascinating subject, I believe, um, because as you said, you know, many people are not so familiar with it. Maybe they're more familiar with the idea of genetics, which is our um inherited the information versus epigenetics is going to be a response that is dictated by your environment. So, for example, maybe uh your diet or the environment around you, maybe like stress responses, the community that you're raised in, they all play a factor in how your DNA is dictated for certain genes to be transcribed, and that produces who you are and maybe what illnesses or diseases you might have.

SPEAKER_00 2:58

So the environment, like an exposure to environmental exposure, right, could actually change our genetics, could change how our genes are transcribed. And really, I think some people might be familiar with the two-hit theory, for instance, in the in the uh discussion around cancer. So is that sort of what you're what you're studying in in the lab with Dr. Takaku? Is the the impact of the environment on our genetics?

SPEAKER_02 3:32

Yes. So we generally look at how certain proteins in our body might be regulating cancer, for example, breast cancer. And one of the proteins that we study, we call this GATA-3, and it can be affected by many other proteins, and your environment might play a role in how those proteins affect the transcription of certain genes, which ultimately impact someone's health. So, for example, the protein that we heavily study is highly mutated in breast cancer. And because it is currently understudied, but one of the most common genes that are mutated, we want to study this further to see its impacts and how it might be playing a role in the outcome of people's like therapy to uh breast cancer.

SPEAKER_00 4:24

Great. So moving your work from the bench, from the lab into say the clinical environment, tell us how your work then connects to that breast cancer patient, for example, eventually, how this might evolve into patient care.

SPEAKER_02 4:42

Absolutely. That's a wonderful question. And it's an area that we are very passionate about. So, one way that we can connect between the patients or the clinicians at the hospital and the research that we have here at UND is being able to establish a connection between them to where maybe we can access patient samples. And the reason why having access to patient samples is important for research and also for research specific to North Dakota is that this will allow us the opportunity to deeply understand how certain environmental factors specific to North Dakota may be impacting the patients here and uh whatever diseases they have. And though we might study it in breast cancer specifically, this can be applied to many other cancers as well.

SPEAKER_00 5:32

Wonderful. So that partnership with our healthcare uh systems and throughout North Dakota is really valuable to taking research from the bench to the patient.

unknown 5:44

Correct.

SPEAKER_00 5:45

So um I heard that your research also involves something called a patient-derived organoid. Can you tell us what that is?

SPEAKER_02 5:55

Absolutely. So a patient-derived organoid is essentially a miniature three-dimensional version of a patient's tumor. And we can take that tumor and we can grow it in the lab so that we can test it against certain therapies to see how uh cells from a particular patient actually respond to those therapies. And once we have that information, we can even take it back to the clinicians or the hospital so that they can process it and provide the best treatment that they can possibly give to those patients.

SPEAKER_00 6:30

Wow. You know, in some cancers and some breast cancers, patients might be prescribed three or four chemotherapy agents. But right now, we're not sure all of those are really treating the cancer itself. So we we haven't really gotten to precision cancer treatment yet. But what you're telling me is that it is very feasible in the future to do that.

SPEAKER_02 6:56

Yes, I believe it is definitely possible.

SPEAKER_00 6:59

Wonderful. Wonderful. That would be so beneficial to patients. So we are have been discussing, and I know you guys have been discussing as well and your team with Dr. Takaku about creating a local biobank between UND and an all true. Can you tell me a little more about what that is and why it's so important?

SPEAKER_02 7:21

Yes. So the reason why establishing these local biobank pipelines, or I guess to start off with what a biobank pipeline would look like, is to be able to have a place where clinicians can, so to say, deposit uh patient samples, of course, if the patient so agrees, and it can be housed, stored there for it to be properly processed and have high quality of processing. And then if it had a central location, then not only could UND, but maybe even other universities who are doing research within our area could then have access to high-quality preserved patient organoid samples. And then we could take those into the lab and test them and get those results.

SPEAKER_00 8:09

I think one important thing you said is that this really engages with patients who may want to help us discover answers for the future. And so research requires patients to be informed and to give consent. And then it also requires these great partnerships, like the one we're building with All True and other healthcare partners around the state. And it sounds like for research like yours, where we want to drive precision treatment, that this is invaluable to answers for the future of cancer treatment. So I am so excited about your work. And I I appreciate you sharing that with us today. Is there anything else you want our listeners to know about you or about your work?

SPEAKER_02 9:03

I guess one thing I would uh like to share with the listeners, especially essential here to North Dakota, is that you don't necessarily have to have a scientific background or have to come from maybe a high, like a higher-end school on like the East Coast or anything like that. But that if you even come from like a role background as I have in North Dakota, that UND, as well as the professors here at UND and the staff that we have at Ultru are definitely helpful resources that can help establish local residents to go to school and become scientists and researchers. And as scary as it might seem at first, you can definitely be a part of something great here in North Dakota.

SPEAKER_00 9:48

Tell our folks where you grew up, Erica.

SPEAKER_02 9:50

Uh, I grew up in Laramore, North Dakota, which is like half an hour from here. And how many people live in Laramore? Oh, I think when I was growing up, maybe about 1100, it might be closer to 1300 now.

SPEAKER_00 10:03

I love that you shared with our listeners about coming from a rural area and being able to come in and be a PhD student, a scientist. We say the same thing about all of our programs here, that you we just want people to hear you can. And you are such a great example of uh an evolving, you know, scientist and saying, yes, I can do that. I'm interested in finding answers for the future. So we are just thrilled to hear about your work and thank you again for sharing a little bit about yourself and about the work you're doing with Dr. Takaku. We appreciate it.

SPEAKER_02 10:40

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 10:50

Founded in 1905, the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences is the only MD granting institution between Minnesota and Washington State. In addition to its four-year program in medicine, the school houses degree programs in athletic training, medical laboratory science, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician-assisted studies, and public health. It also hosts master and doctoral programs in biomedical science, clinical and translational science, and indigenous health. Since 1973, our historic Indians Into Medicine program has produced hundreds of indigenous physicians, therapists, lab scientists, and other health professionals for practice in rural and underserved areas. Learn more at med.und.edu. The opinions expressed on this podcast do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the University of North Dakota, the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences, or the North Dakota University system. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use this program as medical advice to be used in the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition for yourself or others. Consult your own health providers for any medical issues you may be experiencing.