Research Both In and Out of the Lab

Katia Flores worked with Associate Professor Kenneth Tichauer’s team on his cancer research project, “lymph node in vivo.” Her role consisted of studying different imaging agents used to detect cancerous cells.

“My tasks required hands-on lab work and preparations, including culturing cancer cells, caring for the cell cultures, and producing the medium that keeps the cells alive,” Katia says.

She also took a coding-based approach to understand the absorption of the imaging agent by the lymph node when compared to a cancerous cell. Different MATLAB models allowed for visualization of the changes occurring in both the lymph node and the tumor spheroid over time by coding them as darker or lighter colors.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of this project,” Katia says. “I learned enormously from it, and I hope to be able to work with Professor Tichauer and his team again.”