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Undergraduate research that resulted in a co-authored publication gave biology graduate Kerry Stormes ’04 a taste of what lay ahead for her after graduation. Energized and motivated by the experience, she pursued several more research opportunities at medical centers in New York and Baltimore that led to another journal publication and presentations at national conferences.
Stormes conducted honors thesis research under the guidance of Robert Kurt, assistant professor of biology, on the interactions among cancer, tumors, and the immune system. Honors theses are among several major programs that have made Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research.
The College sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) each year; 40 students were accepted to present their research at this year’s conference. Stormes presented her research at the 18th annual NCUR.
The researchers’ findings were published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. They examined the role protein signals called chemokines play in tumor cells’ ability to spread throughout the body. They found that inhibiting a certain type of chemokines, RANTES, correlated with an inhibition of cancer cells spreading. The study also showed that RANTES may facilitate the migration of tumor cells throughout the body. Their study could lead to the development of therapies for disabling these mechanisms and preventing tumor cells from spreading. Stormes notes this is especially significant since tumor cells located throughout the body are more difficult to eradicate through surgical removal.
Stormes worked for a year as a research technician at the Center for Neurological Research and Rehabilitation at Helen Hayes Hospital in New York. She co-authored a paper on her electrophysiological investigations of the basic mechanisms of epilepsy. She also presented separate research at Society for Neuroscience’s annual meeting.
Stormes is currently working at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, where she is examining neuroprotective treatments for glaucoma patients. She will share this research at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology’s annual meeting later this year. Stormes will begin the doctor of pharmacy program at Temple University this fall.
“The skills I learned from my research at Lafayette ranged from actual laboratory technique to problem-solving, literature research, writing, independent thinking, data analysis, troubleshooting, time management, and organizational skills,” says Stormes. “Not only have these skills been especially useful in my positions as a laboratory technician, but I am also
confident that they will prove to be valuable in whatever other career paths I may choose to pursue.
“I feel privileged to have had this opportunity and to have had the one-on-one support throughout the entire project of my thesis adviser Dr. Kurt, as well as that of my thesis committee Dr. [Laurie] Caslake, [assistant professor of biology], and Dr. [Wayne] Leibel, [professor and head of biology]. It is also very exciting and motivating to see the research in which I participated published. Every student who has at least some interest in research should take advantage of the opportunities that Lafayette has to offer. It is an opportunity many students at other schools do not have the chance to benefit from.”
A leading cancer researcher, Kurt has mentored more than 20 Lafayette students in research projects. Like Stormes, many have shared their research in scientific journals and/or through conference presentations. Most recently, Kurt received a $192,750 National Institutes of Health grant to continue research with Lafayette students that ultimately may lead to more effective treatment strategies for breast cancer patients. The grant is based on work that he published with Lafayette student coauthors and extends research supported by a $214,000 U.S. Department of Defense grant to study the immune response to breast cancer. He also played the lead role in obtaining a $144,058 National Science Foundation grant for the biology department that funded the purchase of major equipment that has enhanced laboratory exercises and expanded research opportunities for students and faculty, including cancer research.