UNCG RESEARCH MAGAZINE

Chris Roberts is a junior at UNCG and a first-year MARC fellow.

He began working in Sullivan Distinguished Professor Nicholas Oberlies’ natural products lab as a sophomore, but his admission to MARC has allowed him to increase his lab time considerably.

During his on-campus research experience this past summer, he learned to work through many different phases of research, with the ultimate goal of identifying anticancer drug leads from different fungi.

He began by mastering the extraction of fungal cultures and quickly advanced to techniques, such as high-performance liquid chromatography, for purifying drug leads. Once compounds are isolated, he analyzes their structures via nuclear magnetic spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, gaining valuable skills on UNCG’s highly precise research instruments.

Roberts knew he could succeed in the classroom, but he says he couldn’t have learned how things work in the lab without hands-on research experience – and his mentor agrees.

“There’s something about chemistry that’s very tactile. You just have to do it,” says Oberlies.

In the natural products chemistry lab, Roberts has also found new motivation.

“What drives me is finding ways to cure different diseases. It interests me how different medicines are produced. There are around 5 million species of fungi and only around 130,000 have been investigated.”

Roberts knows that more than half the drugs that treat cancer are derived from a natural source, and, like everyone in Oberlies’ lab, Roberts is eager to test as many new fungal compounds as possible against human cancers. With funding from the National Cancer Institute, they test up to 500 species a year.

“1,500 people will die from cancer today. Our goal is to find a compound to minimize that number in the future,” says Oberlies. “Could that discovery come from an undergraduate? Absolutely.”

Doctoral student Sonja Knowles has served as another mentor for Roberts. “In the beginning, I would be with Chris through every step, to train him on techniques as well as the rationale behind them,” recalls Knowles. “But he has grown tremendously and now works independently, including troubleshooting when a problem arises.”

Now, Roberts is training other student assistants. “Chris has been an asset to not only me but the whole lab,” says Knowles. “He has become a great example for new students.”

As a MARC scholar, Roberts will next complete a summer experience at an external doctoral institution. While positions in every university lab are highly coveted, Oberlies says Roberts is much more likely to be able to find one as a MARC fellow. As a funded student who already has experience in the lab, he is an asset.

Senior kinesiology major Lauren Dorn began her first foray into research as a technician for a High Point University neuroscience professor, studying neuroglial cells and binge drinking.

In 2017 she was selected to join UNCG’s first MARC cohort and began conducting research with Safrit-Ennis Distinguished Professor of Kinesiology Laurie Wideman. They are studying psychosocial factors in children’s lives that impact health and psychological wellness over time.

“The outcome of my first project at UNCG suggested that neighborhood characteristics – park or green space access, crime levels, and public transportation – as well as parenting behaviors impact insulin levels, BMI, and ultimately cardiometabolic risk,” says Dorn. “We looked at c-reactive protein, which is indicative of inflammation and stress in the body. We found a relationship there, so that was really interesting.”

Dorn presented the work at ABRCMS.

“I wanted to research and study medicine, and the MARC program has made it more of a possible reality for me,” she says. “It has allowed me to put myself out there in ways I wouldn’t have been able to.”

For her external summer research experience, Dorn worked at the Mayo Clinic, looking at the effect of Vitamin D on myocarditis, an inflammatory condition that can progress to heart disease.

“I actually have a personal connection with that,” she explains. “Some of my family members have had Vitamin D deficiencies that negatively impacted their health.”

Although Dorn has already completed her second year as a MARC fellow, she is continuing her research with Dr. Wideman, now analyzing Vitamin D as a hormone working in tandem with estrogen in the body.

Their latest work examines a larger cohort of adolescents and more variables – such as seasonal vitamin D level variations and subject demographics. Dorn will also study neighborhood environments, especially factors influencing physical activity and birth control intake. She will present her results at UNCG’s 2020 Thomas Undergraduate Research Expo.

“The goal is to get a manuscript out by the time she leaves campus,” says Wideman.

Dorn, who next plans to pursue a graduate program, knows she will be an asset to the research community, particularly after completing MARC.

“There’s so much information out there that is untouched or understudied. Diversity ensures we have a variety of perspectives and motivations to continue. I like that I’m able to use my own personal experiences in the research and affect my community,” she says. “And we may have the next discovery that helps somebody drastically improve their health.”