Ananth spent his summer doing research at a stem cell laboratory and is currently studying Biochemistry as a junior at the University of Chicago. He is really enjoying his classes this quarter—studying Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry IV, Mechanics, and Music in Western Civilization. He finds taking Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry IV at the same time particularly interesting. Ananth says, “Orgo IV talks a lot about the molecular mechanisms of biological interactions, and also discusses the implications of these on a cellular level. On the other hand, Biochemistry is about learning the reactions molecules follow on a (e.g., the citric acid cycle).”
Ananth says, “As far as activities go, a good portion of my time outside of class goes into research! I am currently in a skin engineering lab trying to create a sensor for congestive heart failure. It works by growing a skin graft with modified cells in it that are capable of responding to certain signals the body releases during congestive heart failure. That is, the skin cells in the graft glow during heart failure and thus act as a sensor for heart failure.The work has been pretty exciting, and I’ve learned a lot of basic lab techniques like molecular cloning to modify the cells, as well as specialized procedures such as skin graft transplantation onto mice.”
Ananth also helps plan events on campus through a club called Phoenix Biology. They put on events ranging anywhere from guest speakers on the ethics of CRISPR babies to heart dissections on Valentine’s Day! In addition, he helps write and edit articles for a student-run campus magazine called Scientia.
One of Ananth’s future goals is possibly pursuing biomedical engineering research, but first he would like to attend medical school. We wish him much success!
