Jack Drda

Experience

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  Dickinson College

  Jan 2021 - now

  I study the rare, autoinflammatory disorder mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD). In patients with MKD, an underlying genetic defect prevents them from producing isoprenoids. A reduction in isoprenoids results in an elevated immune response. Working with Dr. Tiffany Frey, I mimic MKD by depleting isoprenoids with the drug lovastatin in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Partnering with the Dickinson College Wellness Center, Dr. Frey and I have developed a blood draw protocol where blood can be collected sustainably on campus through student volunteers. Once PBMCs are extracted, cultured, and treated with lovastatin, the cells are stimulated to produce an immune response. Following this stimulation, microRNA (miRNA) levels are assessed. Since miRNAs can modify gene expression, monitoring miRNA can help explain how the immune system is regulated. Therefore, these results can help clarify how faulty regulation of the immune system leads to the clinical symptoms seen in MKD patients. Show less I study the population dynamics of eastern hemlocks and the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). The HWA is a parasitic insect that feeds on the eastern hemlock’s sugar supply at the base of the tree’s needles. By diverting sugars stores away from the tree, the HWA negatively impacts tree health and can lead to mortality of the host tree. By collecting tree samples and quantitatively measuring adelgid prevalence, I monitor the health of eastern hemlocks relative to HWA abundance for that particular year. Results indicate that each species affects the viability of the other. For example, if for a particular year HWA prevalence peaks, the new growth of the tree is stunted. However, the following year, HWA populations start to decline due to the HWA preferring new growth. With this decline, the host tree produces new growth, which can perpetuate a peak in HWA prevalence in the following years. Dr. Carol Loeffler and I have found that this process cycles over a four year period in Central PA forests. The results of this long-term study are currently being published. Show less

  • Student Researcher

    Aug 2021 - now

  • Student Researcher

    Jan 2021 - now
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  UPMC

  May 2021 - Aug 2021

  Undergraduate Intern

  During the summer of 2021, I was an undergraduate intern at UPMC Central PA hospitals, where I gained clinical experience in the fields of oncology, gastroenterology, cardiology, emergency medicine, surgery, anesthesia, internal medicine, addiction medicine, and street medicine. I would attend daily lectures with the hospital residents, conduct rounds with the attending physicians, and participate in medical literature reviews. At this internship, I developed a passion for clinical medicine and studying gastrointestinal diseases. Show less

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  Georgetown University Medical Center

  May 2022 - now

  Undergraduate Researcher

  I am a research fellow at Georgetown College of Medicine. My research project involves studying hepatic cancers, specifically the role of the cholecystokinin B receptor in the progression of hepatic stem cells to hepatocellular carcinoma. I employ murine models of liver injury to conduct this research.

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  National Cancer Institute (NCI)

  May 2023 - Aug 2023

  Cancer Research Trainee Fellow

  During this NIH/NCI training opportunity, I worked in the Lab of Metabolism, Cancer Innovation Consortium. There, I studied the impact of gut metabolite and microbiota changes on colon cancer growth. To detect metabolites and microbiota that were modulated in colon cancer murine models, I employed mass spectroscopy/targeted metabolomics and 16S RNA sequencing, respectfully. Additionally, I gained experience in cholesterol and bile acid signaling through the FXR.