Isabelle Fitzgibbon ’27: Research Student at Mansour Lab, Massachusetts General Hospital

An infectious disease lab, the Mansour Lab studies immune responses to life-threatening fungal pathogens.

• This summer in the lab, I spearheaded a project investigating how neutrophils, a type of immune cell, respond to isolates of the fungus Candida from patients. We hoped to address the need for a more clinically relevant assessment of the neutrophil response to Candida.
• Throughout the summer, I optimized an assay to measure the neutrophil response to the fungal isolates, and I then tested over 55 isolates.
• This phase of the project culminated in a final presentation at our weekly lab meeting (see photo below), but I will continue work on the project throughout the fall.
• Outside of the lab, I shadowed Dr. Michael Mansour, allowing me to better understand the clinical importance and background of my research.
• Through my research, I practiced valuable lab skills, such as neutrophil isolation from blood, while also working through the challenges of the research process.
• Participating in an Immunology course at Harvard Medical School allowed me to gain a better understanding of novel research in the field. This course culminated in a poster session at which I presented my work from the summer.

Internship funded by Peter Buck Internship Fund