This month, six (6) Roselle Park High School (RPHS) students – under the tutelage of RPHS science teacher Raymond Bangs – took part in real-life laboratory research at the New Jersey Center for Science, Technology & Mathematics (NJCSTM) in Kean University.
The cancer research involved proteomics, which studies the structure and function of proteins in the humans body. The word “proteome” is derived from PROTEins expressed by a genOME, and it refers to all the proteins produced by an organism. The group of students worked with Salvatore Coniglio, Assistant Professor of Chemical Biology at Kean University, to determine how proteins are affected by cancer cells. This, in turn, shows students how administered treatment can combat cancer.
RPHS students Nathaniel Bayot, Alyssa Bellomo, Alex Chacon, Amanda Meyers, Riva Patel, and Victor Suarez participated in such activities such as examining macrophage invasion of proteins using the digital fluorescent microscopes, using laboratory equipment to transfer proteins, injecting macrophages into protein sample; running microcentrifuges, and operating real-time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) to duplicate RNA (ribonucleic acid).
“This was a unique opportunity to conduct actual research in proteomics,” Mr. Bangs stated, “We hope this partnership can expand since Kean University is so close to Roselle Park. The state-of-the-arts facilities provide students with the practical reality of the work we prepare them for through books. This is a win-win for everyone.”