The question behind the work
In the Oguro Lab, we study how hematopoietic stem cells renew themselves and how that process can turn cancerous. These are the stem cells that give rise to blood cells. The laboratory works with genetically engineered mouse models, patient samples, and human induced pluripotent stem cells.
My contribution
My job includes confirming that each mouse carries the expected genes. I've run more than 100 genotyping PCRs, along with gel electrophoresis and genome sequencing, to verify transgenic and mutant alleles across the mouse cohorts.
I also help maintain the mutant colonies that support our blood cancer studies. Through molecular cloning, I built plasmid vectors to support a manuscript on blood cancer.
Why the details matter
The work is slow. If a sample is mixed up, the data can be wrong. Getting the genotype right helps establish which animals belong in each experimental group, so the work that follows rests on a reliable foundation.
Good science means being careful—and repeating the work until it's right.
That has changed how I think about research. Progress isn't only a new result. It's also the discipline to make sure a result can be trusted.
A technical task with a larger purpose
Confirming an allele is one part of a much larger research effort. For me, that is a useful way to understand my role: I am supporting the laboratory's ability to study its biological questions with correctly identified cohorts. It connects a routine laboratory task to the quality of the experiment that depends on it.
Molecular cloning added another kind of contribution. Building plasmid vectors to support a manuscript gave me experience preparing tools for research, alongside the work of checking samples and maintaining colonies.
Connecting this to genomics
My clinical genomics training in Hartford introduced me to DNA extraction, PCR, and the relationship between gene variants and medication response. At UConn Health, those laboratory skills connect to a different question: how blood stem cells function, and how their biology can go wrong.
Both experiences have strengthened my interest in biomedical engineering and in the careful work behind more precise care.