cardiovascular disease | APS Undergraduate Researcher

Research Project

With a quickly aging US population, research to help us live a longer life is on the forefront. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in the US, so finding ways to decrease cardiovascular disease risk could be the answer. At the Integrative Physiology of Aging Laboratory (IPA Lab) at the University of Colorado Boulder, we focus our research on finding ways to decrease this risk. A recent 5 year clinical research trial tested the effects of a sodium nitrite supplement on cardiovascular disease risk in middle aged and older adults. Sodium nitrite provides the body with a very important signaling molecule called nitric oxide, which specifically targets the blood vessels allowing them to dilate and increase blood flow. Nitric oxide production can decrease as a person ages. Past studies in the IPA Lab indicate that increases in nitric oxide are associated with improvements in the function of the blood vessels, thereby decreasing cardiovascular disease risk (1). Now that the 5-year study is complete, myself and a team of researchers are analyzing endothelial cells collected from subjects. Endothelial cells are found, on the innermost layer of blood vessels and control dilation and constriction of the blood vessels. We are hoping to find mechanisms that sodium nitrate may be acting through to decrease cardiovascular disease risk in middle age and older adults.

Realities of Research

In a perfect world, research would flow without any issues. There would be no problems, no set backs, and no recollecting data. The reality is that this is impossible. There are always mishaps along the way, but the key is overcoming and problem solving these mishaps. Working in the IPA Lab over the past summer, I’ve learned that imaging endothelial cells is an imperfect art. Even if you complete the procedure correctly there are still some slides that don’t stain as well as others or have no cells on them to analyze. Our research team is constantly trying to improve our technique with endothelial cell staining and we have recently made changes to the collection procedure hoping to provide better staining images for the future.

Life of a Scientist

Over the past summer I have also gained insight on what the real life of a physiology researcher is. At times it can be frustrating if your procedure doesn’t work or you don’t receive the results you were expecting, but that’s part of the job. As a researcher it is essential to develop problem-solving skills to work past these frustrating times and to work as a team of researchers helping each other solve problems in the lab. At the same time though it can be one of the most rewarding careers. When you finally finish a paper and publish in a journal, you feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and feel as though you and your team of researchers have made a true impact on the future of science.

After staining the endothelial cell slides, I use a microscope to visualize the immunofluorescence of the cells.

References

Seals DR, Jablonski KL, Donato AJ. Aging and vascular endothelial function in humans. Clin Sci 120(9), 357-75 (2011)

Kayla Woodward is a senior majoring in Integrative Physiology at the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO. She is a 2018 Undergraduate Research Excellence Fellow (UGREF) working in Dr. Doug Seals’ Integrative Physiology of Aging Lab at the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO. Kayla’s fellowship is funded by the APS. After graduation this spring, Kayla plans to apply to medical school pursuing a career as physician and researcher.

In the summer of 2017 I spent my time working an unconventional full-time job in the lab growing as a scientist. I was given an opportunity to be mentored by an established research professor who I look up to greatly. She helped me step by step go through the process of coming up with a project, understanding the current research in the field, and guiding me through the behind the scenes documentation to get fully approved by local, state, and federal agencies.

My project that I am undertaking is geared towards ultimately understanding the roll of dietary choices and its implications on oxidative stress, leading to potential for cardiovascular disease. My lab and I are utilizing birds as a model to demonstrate the effects of a high-carbohydrate diet and its ability to cause a hyperglycemic condition. For the study, Mourning Doves will be used due to their high density in the Tempe, AZ area and much of the studies leading up to this used the same birds. They have a unique ability to combat the oxidative stress that is commonly seen due to high blood sugar. We hope to better understand how their body combats the negative effects of hyperglycemia in efforts to process the information regarding the protective mechanisms of the vascular system.

Realities of Research

The idea of moving research forward can be very attractive. The actual process of progressing it may not be as attractive. Research is a very meticulous, detail-oriented task that needs to be well planned, documented, and thought-out for it to properly work. There is no book you can read that gives you the exact answer to what you are doing. This is the world of the unknown and if properly done could potentially help shift the understanding for those to come after you. However, a major hiccup that I believe is frequently over looked as a young scientist going into a research lab is that it’s quite common to get negative results, or even though the data seems to support what you thought, it is not statistically valid based on the mathematical analysis. This is a huge part of research and can be very testing of resiliency as the process of getting this far could take months or years.

Life of a Scientist

Although, it is common to see science hitting the news headlines frequently on your phone and social media feed, it is a much longer process of meticulous work than what is publicized. In the efforts of using an animal in the aide of progressing the scientific community there is a very stringent process of approvals needed to work with them. For example, Mourning Doves are migratory birds, so my project requires an approval by the Arizona State Game and Fish Department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife services, and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) before I can begin the research itself. I was surprised as I began to work in the lab by all the intricacies of administrative background work that went into being able to conduct research. While repeating experiments take a lot of time and effort, I now feel as if there is equal if not more effort done in paperwork and formalities than physical experimentation. I, myself am still waiting to begin the physical hands on portion of the research. I have worked through the course of the summer gaining valuable experience in the creation of the protocol and understanding the approval process. I have also been given the opportunity this summer to work very closely with another research project that is much larger than my own.

This summer has been an invaluable experience in research that I would not have gained otherwise without the gracious efforts of the APS.

References

Braun, and Sweazea. “Glucose Regulation in Birds.” Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part B1 (2008): 1-9. Web.
Smith, Toomey, Walker, Braun, Wolf, Mcgraw, and Sweazea. “Naturally High Plasma Glucose Levels in Mourning Doves ( Zenaida Macroura) Do Not Lead to High Levels of Reactive Oxygen Species in the Vasculature.” Zoology3 (2011): 171-76. Web.
Sweazea, Braun, and Sparr. “Novel Role of Insulin in the Regulation of Glucose Excretion by Mourning Doves (Zenaida Macroura).” Zoology122 (2017): 58-62. Web.

Will Clark is a senior biochemistry student at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ. He is a 2017 Integrative Organismal Systems Physiology (IOSP) fellow conducting research in the lab of Dr. Karen Sweazea at Arizona State University. His long-term goal is to become a Physicians Assistant, and join the health care workforce to help improve the health and well-being of others.