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Biology major James Lepre ’05 (Carbondale, Pa.) has co-authored an article for a scientific journal about his research on the immune responses of tumor cells, and will be among the 14 Lafayette students who will present their research with biology faculty mentors to the 80th Annual Pennsylvania Academy of Science.
Lepre used the plasma from E. coli strands and injected it into tumor cells, then grew and cloned the cells. He then screened them to see if they would produce two chemokines, which are proteins that work to stimulate the body’s immune response.
He conducted the research with Robert Kurt, assistant professor of biology. In previous projects, Lafayette students created tumor cells lacking only one protein to determine the immune response of the cell. Lepre sought to discover whether this response is better in the absence of both proteins or one. To do so, he had to genetically manipulate tumor cells to simultaneously stop producing both chemokines.
“James was great to have in the lab,” Kurt says. “After working with him and seeing what he was capable of, I asked him to continue [with the research]. Luckily, he agreed.”
A leading cancer researcher who regularly involves Lafayette students in his work, Kurt has received National Science Foundation and Department of Defense grants totaling more than $350,000 since 2001. His research has been published in ten different scientific journals, including articles coauthored with Lafayette students. He is serving his second year as a scientific reviewer for Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs for Prostate Cancer Research.
The collaboration was part of Lafayette’s distinctive EXCEL Scholars program, in which students assist faculty with research while earning a stipend. Lafayette is a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the more than 160 students who participate in EXCEL each year go on to publish papers in scholarly journals and/or present their research at conferences.
Lepre found in repeated tests that the cell could not survive with the absence of both chemokines. Over the course of the project, he grew over 50 tumor cells.
“The project gave me a lot of laboratory experience,” he says. “It sharpened my skills, because I had to do all the work. Usually you have a lab partner [in class], but this was more like my own project.”
“This project [provided] James with exposure to immunological research and experience in techniques also utilized in other fields of biological research such as cell and molecular biology,” Kurt says.
Lepre is pleased with his experience at Lafayette and its EXCEL Scholars program. He likes being able to work directly with the professor instead of with a graduate assistant or teacher’s assistant.
“The student/teacher ratio is a lot lower here [than at other institutions],” he says. “It’s more one-on-one and the professor knows you on a more personal level.”
“At Lafayette, the students really get to perform the work and interact daily with the professor and not a technician, graduate student, or post-doctoral fellow,” Kurt adds.
Lepre says Kurt was there every step of the way.
“He had to show me a couple of things,” Lepre explains. “He was both professional and personable at the same time, and he was definitely someone I wanted to work with.”
Lepre is secretary of the Chi Phi fraternity and participates in intramural sports. He is leaning towards applying to graduate school to pursue a scientific research-oriented career.
As a national leader in undergraduate research, Lafayette sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year. Forty-two students have been accepted to present their work at the next annual conference in April.