Maria Fernanda Barajas Mendoza, Biomedical Engineering, Senior, 2021

Undergraduate Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Carlito Lebrilla
Three words to describe me: Curious, resilient, collaborative

What are your future plans and/or goals?

After graduating I aim to work in the biotech industry. There I hope to get experience with the manufacturing aspect of the development of life-saving therapeutic drugs. After gaining hands-on experience and learning about my interests, I plan to attend graduate school.

In what ways has engaging in undergraduate research impacted your future goals and plans?

Engaging in undergraduate research made me realize the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration. Our lab focuses on glycoproteomic analysis by mass spectrometry methods and while that provides a quantitative and chemical analysis of glycans, we often collaborate with medical experts to understand the physiological effects of up-regulation or down-regulation of these glycans. As a biomedical engineer interested biomaterials, I would like to incorporate glycans to biomaterials to control cell-surface interactions to increase biocompatibility and effectiveness of therapeutics. Particularly, with a focus on glycan-immune cell interactions to mediate signaling responses to enhance wound healing. In retrospect, my undergraduate research experience in the Lebrilla Lab has helped me understand the significance of protein glycosylation and contributed to my interest for learning about their applications in engineering of biomaterials and nanobiomaterials.

What contribution(s) will your research make to your field of study?

Current Alzheimer disease (AD) diagnosis relies on evaluating symptoms and documenting cognitive decline, but by the time it is diagnosed biochemical changes in the brain have already caused irreversible brain damage. Our project is quantitatively monitoring glycopeptides in human brain serum samples. Glycosylation is a post-translation modification of proteins that is critical to the complexity and function of organisms. This project has the potential to discover how the down regulation or up regulation of glycoproteins affects AD. This will contribute to our understanding of initiation and progression of AD and has the potential to discover biomarkers for early AD diagnosis. This is important for early intervention and development of therapeutic drugs that can slow progression or cure Alzheimer's disease.

What preparation and research experience did you have before applying to your research program?

Before applying to NSF LSAMP/CAMP research program I had just started my undergraduate research position. I did not have any research background before starting in this lab. This research program helped me navigate through this new, exciting but still intimidating experience. It provided me with a support system that I could rely on to ask questions and have the opportunity to learn from people that were previously in position.

What advice do you have for other undergraduate students seeking research experiences?

Do it. If you are interested in a particular lab or research area, talk to professors, ask to learn more and how to get involved. Ask questions often and do not be afraid of not knowing. You are there to learn, be curious. I recommend applying to a research program because they will support you through this process and challenge you. You also get to be around and learn from other students across different disciplines. You can learn from others and expand your interests.