Apply knowledge of biology to one or more contemporary issues.

Applying biology knowledge isn’t hard, but it’s particularly interesting when it comes to what the world is going through right now, a global pandemic. COVID-19 has caused so many issues, but it also has allowed us to be able to teach the public about new technological advances in order to prevent more spread. Example one is the mRNA vaccine. As a biologist, learning that mRNA is what turns into proteins, we understand that the mRNA vaccine should not be harmful to the human body, but help to fight off the pathogen. People who don’t have the scientific background would be terrified to get this vaccine, because they do not know what mRNA is or how the pathogen even works. By providing this information to help non-scientific people to understand, we made the population that did take the vaccine safer from death and severe symptoms of this.

Another example of how I have used biology with a contemporary issue is when I took an Immunology course here at Longwood. We were tasked with helping to prevent, or treat, a disease, pathogen, etc., based on research that we had performed and thinking outside of the box. I did my presentation on how to use Glutathione (GSH) to help in treating keratitis from a specific bacteria names Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This bacteria is the worst bacteria that could cause keratitis, and is the most antibiotic resistant. Using GSH, it could neutralize the toxin that the bacteria secretes, to limit the symptoms given by that. One other benefit is that because the toxin would be neutralized, the neutrophils that could attack the bacteria now can attack and help the body fight it off because the toxin killed the neutrophils. More information on this discovery is below.

I did a similar presentation to my Immunology presentation but a few years earlier. I did a presentation on how CrisperCas 13 could be used to help with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a disease that often causes children to go blind. I discussed how Crisper could be used to cleave the genetic material that causes RP to make it so that the light receptors in the retina no longer degenerate. This presentation is also linked below.

Using the knowledge gained in all my classes at Longwood is very beneficial because it will allow me to understand why new technology has come out in my future. One of the traits a doctor needs is to be able to adapt to new technology as it can help to better diagnose a patient. Understanding how the technology works can also help me to explain it to a patient if they think that it looks scary or are worried about what it is looking for exactly.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1thn80-FFrXsuLTPwPLeqE7BK3L8E_bZtSMbMuBiNu_k/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1eCeCC2VzdL_0zo4O9yvtPrMfm80N1tKJdxjKKoP8d9I/edit?usp=sharing