Nida

Nida
B.M.C Durfee High School
Fall River, MA

Mentor: 
Patricia Rogers
Flow Cytometry
 

Nida applied to BSSP because she is “excited to find answers to real-life medical problems relating to diseases and illnesses through conducting research and experiments.” During her time in the program, she conducted research at the Flow Cytometry Facility, collaborating with a team of skilled professionals who process a variety of sample types for rapid, multi-parametric analysis of single cells in solution. While traditional flow cytometers analyze cell features as they pass through one or multiple lasers, scientists at the Broad Institute are now exploring the BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter, a cutting-edge technology that not only measures the physical and chemical characteristics of single cells but also provides detailed microscopic images of them. Over the summer, Nida and her partner developed a protocol capable of differentiating apoptotic cells from healthy ones using various fluorescent dyes. They successfully designed a method to detect healthy, apoptotic, and post-apoptotic cells with propidium iodide (PI) and Annexin V-FITC fluorescent dyes. Their work has direct implications and can now be adopted as a standard practice in the Flow Cytometry Facility, aiding other scientists in cancer research, infectious disease studies, and other fields. Reflecting on her time at the Broad Institute, Nida shared, “Thanks to BSSP, I was able to explore the different kinds of research occurring at the Broad Institute while also receiving information on post-secondary education and beyond. I was able to see the impacts of research on human health, inspiring me to want to do the same.”