BSPS student awarded ASPET fellowship
Alyson Meng, a Class of 2022 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences program, was awarded the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF).
According to ASPET’s website, SURF is a 10-week summer laboratory experience designed to introduce pharmacology research to undergraduates. Through the fellowship, undergraduate Fellows:
- Investigate the latest issues in biomedical research
- Get hands-on experience with laboratory techniques
- Collaborate with faculty and other students
- Develop their professional skills, including communication, teamwork and critical thinking
- Build and expand their professional networks
- Learn about careers in biomedical research and related disciplines
Meng’s research will focus on novel arrhythmia mechanisms that involve a sub-population of sodium channels that start abnormal heartbeats. She will use an arrhythmia-prone murine model of calcium mishandling due to the absence of a key calcium buffering/regulatory protein, calsequestrin. Then, she will utilize an array of techniques ranging from immunocytochemistry through live-cell calcium imaging to in vivo electrophysiology.
"This program is a great opportunity for me to investigate how sodium channel dysfunction is related to cardiac myopathy,” Meng said. “I’m also excited to have the chance to learn and practice various new scientific techniques, such as immunolabeling and optical mapping.”
Meng will receive a $2,800 stipend to conduct her research while also having access to the resources from the College of Pharmacy and the Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute.
“Establishing support through ASPET SURF will be a significant milestone in Alyson’s development as a researcher,” Przemyslaw Radwanski, PharmD, PhD, said in Meng’s nomination letter. “I am confident that Alyson will make huge strides toward development as an independent investigator who will make seminal contributions to the fields of cardiovascular physiology and pharmacology.”
“I am excited to continue working with the Radwanski lab to investigate mechanisms of arrhythmia development,” Meng said. “Over the past year, I’ve learned numerous experimental techniques and I’m eager to finally get the chance to put those techniques to apply on my own project.”