Jeremy C.

Jeremy C.
Cambridge Rindge and Latin School
Cambridge, MA

Mentors:
Christina Scherer
Director, Anti-infectives Discovery

Jennifer Beaudoin
Research Associate III

Jingqiang Wei
Research Chemist II

Jeremy grew up visiting the Harvard Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Science in Boston. His interest in science continued to develop as his classes became more fascinating and applicable. He was interested in gaining laboratory experience at the Broad Institute and spent his summer working on a project involving Plasmodium falciparum, a parasite that causes malaria. His goal was to synthesize and test diversity-oriented synthesis (DOS) compounds to see if they could inhibit an enzyme that the malaria parasite needs to survive. DOS compounds are customized molecules created at the Broad Institute that have complex shapes and structures. These compounds are able to hit challenging biological targets, and if found to inhibit the enzyme needed by malarial parasites, could lead to the development of new, targeted therapeutics for the disease.

Jeremy felt that his internship allowed him to see real-world applications of biology and chemistry and helped him determine what type of career he wants to pursue in the future. In his free time, he plays on his high school varsity soccer team, is president of his school’s Latin Club, and partakes in Falcon Friends, a club in which he has lunch with students in his high school’s special education program.