Denise

Denise
Wellesley High School
Wellesley, MA

Mentors: 
Allison Uebele and Laura Drepanos
Genetic Perturbation Platform
 

In her BSSP application, Denise mentioned that last summer she attended a scientific talk at the Broad Institute given by Professor Zhang. She recalls, “He was talking about genetic editing. The talk was so fascinating, and it sparked an interest in me in genomes and genetics.” Driven by this newfound passion, Denise was paired to work with the Genetic Perturbation Platform (GPP). The GPP focuses on functional genomics, developing tools to understand gene functions and how gene disruptions can lead to disease. Denise and her partner were tasked with developing new vectors for CRISPR screening. They designed these vectors in silico using an online platform developed by the GPP called Fragmid, and then cloned the fragments of interest into a destination vector using Golden Gate assembly. After successfully transforming E. coli and extracting the plasmid DNA, they confirmed that their vectors were properly assembled and ready for use in CRISPR screens. After such a successful summer, Denise cherishes the opportunities BSSP provided and says, “Without this experience, I would've never gained the knowledge that I have now on the development of CRISPR technology.”