Naomi Gotlieb '09, Biology
Quantification of Apoptosis in Embryonic Hearts of the Ts65Dn Mouse Model for Down Syndrome
When Associate Professor of Biology Clara Moore asked Naomi Gotlieb '09 to conduct laboratory research with her, Gotlieb was thrilled. As a pre-med biochemistry and molecular biology major, she immediately saw the potential implications of Moore's ongoing research on cardiovascular development in genetically altered mice.
"This study could lead to a greater understanding of how human congenital heart defects are formed. That's our hope," Gotlieb said. Having attended high school with a fellow student with Down syndrome, Gotlieb was aware that 50 percent of people born with Down syndrome have heart abnormalities. This research may lend insight into precisely how these defects arise.
Working with mice with triplication of chromosomes to simulate Down syndrome, Gotlieb and Moore painstakingly examine programmed cell death in samples of embryonic mouse heart tissue, searching for abnormalities that could shed light on how genetic insults like an extra copy of some genes may lead to congenital defects. It is a slow process that requires ample amounts of diligence, concentration and, above all, patience.
Gotlieb's research is dependent on the lifespan of her mouse subjects and requires time-consuming techniques and protocols. "It can take six hours just to produce one set of slides and a day's work to conclude one set of protocols," she said.
The hard work and perseverance are worth it, said Gotlieb, who is applying to medical schools for the fall with the plan to become a family physician. "Although it takes months and months to collect these results and analyze them, I think that by the end of the study the results will speak for themselves and show quite significant data."
Prior to her work with Moore, Gotlieb gained valuable laboratory experience while conducting research in Professor Claude Yoder's inorganic chemistry lab at F&M. She also spent four weeks this past winter immersed in French life and working in a biology lab in Lyon, France, for her Marshall Project. Although performing laboratory work and analysis entirely in French was initially difficult, she quickly learned the necessary scientific and medical vocabulary to make the most of this research collaboration.
Gotlieb said she is "incredibly grateful to have had these research experiences. I honestly don't believe that if I had gone to college anywhere else that I would have had these same opportunities."
Moore called Gotlieb "motivated and insightful. Her enthusiasm is infectious, so she raises the level of engagement for others she interacts with in the lab. I just know Naomi will be successful and make a difference in the lives of others with whatever career path she chooses."
