Projects
For my senior capstone project, I am developing a handheld pen prototype designed to house a Raman spectrometer for rapid cancer detection during surgery. Currently, surgeons must remove tissue biopsies and send them to a lab for analysis, a process that can take around 30 minutes per sample and limits how many can be tested. Our goal is to create a Raman-based device that allows real-time tissue analysis directly in the operating room.
The project involves designing a disposable handpiece made from 3D-printable, biocompatible materials and integrating an optical lens at the probe tip.
In this project, I engineered 16 CRISPR-Cas9 vectors to explore gene therapy approaches in Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor (DSRCT), a rare and aggressive pediatric cancer with limited treatment options. I completed this project during my SUCRE Fellowship, and more information about the fellowship can be found on my portfolio page for this project. My work focused on investigating tumor dependencies on four key histone deacetylase (HDAC1–4) genes to better understand their roles in tumor survival and proliferation. I performed molecular cloning, bacterial transformation, and mammalian cell transfection to generate and test gene knockout constructs. This project provided hands-on experience in cancer cell line engineering and the application of CRISPR-based tools to uncover molecular mechanisms driving tumor growth and treatment response.
I developed a biodegradable fish gelatin methacryloyl (fGelMA) hydrogel bandage embedded with CBD-loaded lignin-grafted PLGA nanoparticles to promote wound healing. This project focused on optimizing nanoparticle release profiles, mechanical properties, and biocompatibility to create a controlled drug delivery system. The research combined material synthesis, rheological testing, and fluorescence-based release analysis to evaluate performance and therapeutic potential. I completed this work as an independent undergraduate research project my junior year.
