WAVERLY, IOWA (July 11, 2022) — Samuel Reyes of Davenport, Iowa, was one of four Wartburg College students to present his ovarian cancer research at the 2022 annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
The 2022 biochemistry graduates presented "Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Promotes Membrane Protrusive Activity in Ovarian Cancer Cells."
"Our group chose to study ovarian cancer because it is the second-most common gynecological cancer in the United States, with over 20,000 new cases in 2021 alone," said Katelyn Finnegan. "Unfortunately, ovarian cancer has a five-year survival-rate of only about 49 percent, mostly because we don't have effective screening-methods, and symptoms often don't appear until later stages of the cancer."
The lab group, led by Shawn Ellerbroek, director of undergraduate research, looked at the effects of a certain protein on the metastasizing of ovarian cancer. The research revealed a correlation between increased amounts of the protein and an increased ability for cancer cells to spread.
"It was such a surreal experience being around so many other brilliant scientists and taking a step back to realize that we too were there to present — that we were scientists," Finnegan said.
"This experience was meaningful to me because I got to work in a close group and learned how to work as an efficient team," said Sam Reyes.
Ellerbroek's lab will continue to research the topic with help from new students.
Wartburg, a four-year liberal-arts college internationally recognized for community engagement, enrolls 1,543 students. Wartburg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and named after the castle in Germany where Martin Luther took refuge, disguised as a knight, during the stormy days of the Reformation while translating the Bible from Greek into German.
