Studying Alzheimer’s Disease Via Genetic Mice Strains

This summer I worked as a research assistant intern with the Model Organism Development and Evaluation or Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease (MODEL-AD) consortium located at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine. The Jackson Laboratory is a biomedical research institution world- renowned for mammalian genetics and neuroscience research. MODEL-AD specifically creates and characterizes genetic mice strains to generate a more effective animal model of Alzheimer’s disease to promote further Alzheimer’s research efforts worldwide. Several factors including gene changes, the aging process, and environmental factors result in the gradual development of Alzheimer’s disease. However, there is much work to be done in the field to tease apart these risk factors, explore disease-causing mechanisms, and identify treatment methods that might prevent or delay the onset of the disease.​​

Over the course of the summer, I took on a project developing and assessing new protocols for antibody immunofluorescence staining of mouse tissues. I learned staining and imaging techniques as well as experimental design and longitudinal study standards and patterns. In speaking to individuals in the Jackson Lab community, I also gained insight into the landscape of the field of neuroscience research broadly. Naturally, I also became intimately aware of the challenges of researching Alzheimer’s disease and the current understanding of the disease's mechanisms of action and the state of the field of research. I most enjoyed the passion and patience of my co-workers for this research.

Internship funded by the Annual Fund for Career Readiness.