.jpg) Microbiology and Immunology Graduate Program
B.S., Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus (UPRM).
Email: luz-jeannette.sierra@drexel.edu
Advisor: Julio Martin-Garcia, Ph.D.
Thesis Research Summary:
There is a need for scientists to continue to build on the vast knowledge we have in the area of virology. Since childhood, I have been concerned that, in a lot of places, there are people dying from viruses and other pathogens because treatments have not yet been developed. I was born and raised in a small, beautiful and spring-like town named Cidra on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. On this island, many people still suffer every year from infections such as Dengue Fever. Seeing all these events encouraged me to study biology at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus (UPRM). After my third year of college, I completed a summer internship to complement my education. I also had the great opportunity to be part of the Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) at UPenn, which provided me the tools to become a better scientist. The PREP program is an NIH-funded program to help minority students in their transition between their undergraduate education and graduate school. Being part of this program helped me to improve my public speaking skills and scientific writing. Also, it allowed me to acquire more laboratory experience.
In the fall of 2008 I became a graduate student in the Microbiology and Immunology Department of Drexel University College of Medicine. Recently I joined Dr. Julio Martin-Garcia’s laboratory in order to study the role of specific residues in and around the gp120 V3 region in the phenotype of a brain-derived HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein to identify the importance of unique amino acids in HIV-1 envelope isolates from the CNS for the resistance to entry inhibitory drugs. Some HIV adaptations to replication in the CNS select for envelopes that have reduced CD4 dependence and increased fusion activity. Previously Dr. Martin-Garcia’s laboratory was trying to identify the specific region of the envelope glycoprotein gp160 that conferred to different HIV-1 isolates from the brain and the periphery to be resistant to entry inhibitor drugs (BNS-378806, HNG-105) and fusion inhibitor drugs (T-20 and T-11249). Preliminary studies suggested that the gp120 domains such as V1/V2 and V3 are the specific domains that are providing either resistance (in the case of the brain envelope) or sensitivity (in the case of the spleen isolates). Other important differences between the spleen and brain isolates are the ability of the brain isolate to be CD4 independent and resistant to all the drugs mentioned above. All the domains are now characterized, except the V3 loop domain on its own. Therefore, my project is to attempt to make V3 loop envelope chimeras, between brain and spleen HIV envelope, in order to identify the role of this region in the resistant phenotype to drugs of the brain isolates.
In addition to doing virology research, I would like to encourage future scientists, especially minority students, by setting my goals towards academia. As such, I would be an example for all of those who, like me, are the first in their family to go to college, let alone graduate school. Thus, showing that even without enough economic resources for education, having enthusiasm, passion and working hard for research can lead to a successful and gratifying career. |