Written by Gladys Michelle Rios, MSc, BS, MD candidate at Ponce Health Sciences University, and participant in the 2024 Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program
As a young researcher looking for growth opportunities, this summer I have the incredible opportunity of participating in the Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program – RADIANCE Track, under the mentorship of Abhinav Diwan, MD, Xiucui, Ma, PhD, and John Murphy, PhD. In my project, I am examining the response of starvation-responsive during refeeding conditions in Caenorhabditis elegans at the Center for Cardiovascular Research.
Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is a nematode widely used for genetic research. In fact, its genetic information or genome has been studied for decades and shares over 7,663 protein-coding genes with similar functions in humans. For this reason, we are using worms to study starvation-responsive genes that promote survival during diverse nutrient deficiency conditions. The importance of the starvation-responsive genes is that they encode for the expression of proteins that stimulate fatty acid breakdown as a source of energy, the production of new lysosomes for the degradation of nutrients, and recycling of mitochondria during starvation conditions.
Since much is known about short-term starvation, but less is known about the recovery from starvation. Specifically, the introduction of nutrients, such as proteins, sugars, and fatty acids, which could be crucial for the survival and recovery of Caenorhabditis elegans.
This study is relevant as an improvement of treatment and better understanding of nutrient deficiency diseases, such as ischemic cardiac disease. A condition where blood flow to the heart muscle is inadequate, leading to decreased supply of nutrients to the myocardial tissue. This is typically restored and improved by coronary revascularization and most of the time, it isn’t enough to rescue the cardiomyocytes that are in the trajectory to die. Just imagine how helpful essential nutrients by IV before revascularization could be to keep the cardiomyocytes alive!
Lastly, as a second-year medical student, I am beginning to grasp the importance of studying nutrient deficiencies, and with a family history of cardiovascular diseases, I appreciate the potential benefits this research could offer for the well-being of both my family members and my future patients. Undeniably, I agree with Antoine de Saint Exupery, as he said, “As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it.”