Mitochondrial Remodeling in Early Development
Alica Caldera Montes
Alica majored in biology and minored in Mexican studies at UCLA. She participated in the Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) program and conducted undergraduate research in Dr. Cristina Puig-Saus’ lab, where she focused on improving neoepitope responses in melanoma. She is currently a scholar in Yale’s PREP program, where she is completing a year of intensive biomedical research and preparing to apply to PhD programs in the upcoming cycle.
Capstone
Overview
I participated in the Duke PRIME-Cancer Research Program, where I conducted an individual 8-week research project. Under the guidance of postdoctoral scholar Dr. Lena Basta in Dr. David Sherwood’s lab, I investigated mitochondrial remodeling in early development. During the program, I developed new skills in data analysis, operating a confocal microscope, and dissecting C. elegans.
The data from my project supported the hypothesis that organelles undergo remodeling during early development. I presented my findings at the Duke Undergraduate Research Symposium as a 30-minute poster presentation to professors, students, and fellow scientists. I also presented this work at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists in November 2024, where I shared my research with three scientists in a 30-minute session. In addition to creating a poster, I wrote an abstract summarizing my research.
Overall, this project was critical to my development as a scientist, strengthening both my commitment to pursuing a PhD and my ability to apply concepts from my biological studies at UCLA to hands-on research.
