Biomedical Sciences Student Wins Shanthi Sitaraman Summer Research Internship Award

ATLANTA - Rachel Ninson, a senior Biomedical Science and Enterprise bachelor's program student in Georgia State University's Institute for Biomedical Sciences (IBMS), has been selected to receive the Shanthi Sitaraman Student Award. She is participating in a 10-week summer research internship focused on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

After completing the internship, Ninson will receive a $2,500 award and a crystal trophy, and her findings will be presented during the IBMS Digestive Disease Research Day Sept. 4.

The Shanthi Sitaraman Student Award, made possible by generous donations to the Shanthi V. Sitaraman Intestinal Pathobiology Endowment, was established to provide a summer internship in the IBD field to a selected IBMS undergraduate student. The summer internship, which includes lectures and laboratory experiments, gives the student conceptual and practical understandings of IBD.

Ninson, the second recipient of the Shanthi Sitaraman Student Award, has been mentored by Pallavi Garg, a senior lecturer in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences.

This summer, Ninson has been working on a project looking at whether blocking a specific inflammatory signaling pathway, called the MEK/ERK pathway, could help the lining of the intestine heal and maintain epithelial mucosal integrity. She has worked with human colon cells and looked at proteins called tight junction proteins, which act like tiny seals that hold cells together. When these proteins are damaged, harmful substances can leak through the intestinal lining, triggering the immune response and worsening the inflammation.

By studying the MEK/ERK blocker, the research team is trying to better understand how to protect the intestinal barrier and contribute to developing more effective therapeutics for IBD patients, Ninson explained.

"I wanted to participate in this research because I've always been curious about what happens before treatment ever reaches a patient," Ninson said. "As someone who wants to become a physician, I think it's important to understand not only how to treat disease, but also how scientists discover better ways to treat it."

Ninson said she wants to understand the research behind new treatments and, in the future, use that knowledge and experience to provide the best patient care possible. The Shanthi Sitaraman Student Award made this opportunity more accessible by reducing some of the financial burden and allowing her to focus on learning and growing as a student and future healthcare professional.

"I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be part of this research experience and for everyone who has taken the time to mentor and teach me throughout the process," Ninson said. "Every day in the lab has pushed me to learn something new, and it's made me even more excited about pursuing a career in medicine. Opportunities like this mean a lot because they've allowed me to gain experiences that will shape both my education and my future career. I hope to make a meaningful impact on patients one day, both through medicine and by supporting the research that drives it forward."

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