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Of Worms and Men
Jasper Harris studies worms.
Not just any worms, mind you. Caenorhabditis elegans
(C. elegans) are microscopic worms with a genetic makeup similar
to that of humans. As an assistant in Dr. Shawn Ahmed's genetics
lab, Harris uses the worms to learn more about cancer.
During DNA replication,
natural DNA damage occurs. DNA
damage-checkpoint proteins sense this damage and help repair
it. C. elegans mutants are "checkpoint
defective" and cannot sense DNA damage, so they mutate at rates
tenfold higher than normal. Harris’s research shows that the mutations
are primarily small deletions. Checkpoint defects also occur
in human cancer cells; therefore, Harris's findings may extend
to the mutations
that occur in human cancer cells.
A senior biostatistics major,
Harris got his first taste of research through the UNC School
of Medicine’s
Research Apprenticeship
Program,
in which he worked
with research scientists at the N.C. Neurosciences Hospital.
Harris says working in the lab gives him "the opportunity
to be a part of cutting-edge research and learn valuable
laboratory techniques for a potential career
in science."
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