Research Intern - Urology Research

Urology Lab is interested in developing novel therapies for Bladder cancer. One of the research projects involved developing novel gene therapy for bladder cancer using interferon genes. Recently, this therapy has been approved by FDA to use in patients with BCG-unresponsive bladder cancer. The current lab focus involves identifying predictive biomarkers for therapy and identifying mechanisms of resistance using cell lines and animal models. Also, the lab is interested in developing combinatorial strategies to overcome resistance. The Research Intern position in Dr. Dinney's lab is a mentored
research program and will involve hands-on research training on several molecular biology and cell biology techniques in the lab. Dr. Sharada Mokkapati, Asst. Prof. in the research lab will oversee the research work and will guide the intern on a day-to-day basis.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
During the internship, the trainee will work closely with Dr. Mokkapati and use cell culture and molecular biology tools to understand the mechanism of resistance to interferons in bladder cancer cell lines. For the combinatorial strategies, bladder cancer cells will be sequentially or concomitantly exposed to a combination of drugs. Trainee will also develop knowledge in next-gen sequencing techniques and analysis as required. Data analysis, interpretation, and presentation will also be a part of the program. Software for sequencing analysis, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Excel programs will be introduced to interpret the data.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Bachelor's degree. BS in Biology a plus