Shelby Adler ‘16

Shelby Adler“During my Field Work Term, I worked in a NeuroAIDS research lab at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, under the PI (Principal Investigator) Joan Berman. The Berman Lab is focused on understanding the mechanisms of how HIV transmigrates across the blood-brain barrier to cause HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders, otherwise known as HAND. I gained experience in creating media for cells, plating cells, counting cells using a hemocytometer, following procedures for chromatin immunoprecipitation and fluorescence-activated cell sorting, using a PCR machine, and analyzing data from PCR. I was also assigned my own project examining how the viral protein Tat produced by the HIV virus can interact with macrophage host genes, altering gene expression. Specifically, I infected cells with Tat, differentiated monocytes to macrophages, and examined the change in gene expression for eight different genes after 24 and 48 hours. I then characterized and analyzed gene expression using PCR.

“Overall, this experience was wonderful and truly insightful! Research is fascinating, and I have become much more knowledgeable on the topic of HIV, and scientific research in general. I am very thankful to have had this opportunity.”