Kaitlin Bullard
Author: Kaitlin Bullard | Major: Physics | Semester: Fall 2022
Hello, my name is Kaitlin Bullard. I am a pre-med honors physics major with a biophysics concentration and a math minor. I have been working with Dr. Yong Wang in his biophysics lab. I received an Honors College Research Grant for Spring 2022 and Fall 2022 to help fund the development of a device to study DNA interactions utilizing bent DNA and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET).
This is my second Honors College Research Grant. The first grand covered the first stage of this project, which was focused on testing whether DNA interaction could be studied using bent DNA and FRET. FRET works using a donor and an acceptor fluorophore. These two fluorophores have different emissions based on the distance in-between them. By comparing the emissions, we can measure how close together they are. In my experiments, these fluorophores are strategically placed on the bent DNA to be close together when hybridized. Using this we can take measurements of the DNA with different ion concentrations to investigate how the ions affect DNA hybridization. My research showed that FRET with bent DNA is an efficient way to measure DNA interactions.
The second research grant covered the second stage of this project, the development of a device that can be commercialized for use in other labs. The goal of this research was to develop a device to be simple to use and as cheap as possible so that it can be widely used. During the Spring semester, I worked on sourcing needed materials and designing the device and electrical components using 3D and circuit design software. The technique of using bent DNA to study DNA interactions, studied originally by a previous student Jack Freeland, was also officially patented this pervious semester. This patent is an additional reason to develop a device utilizing this technique.
During the Fall semester, I continued working on the design and development of the device. The device can read light intensities, but it is not fully assembled or sensitive enough yet. The device still needs to be fully assembled with the lenses to measure specific wave lengths and it needs to be further optimized to be more sensitive before it can be used for fluorescent intensity readings for FRET calculations. I hope the device will continue to be improved by another student in the lab.
Studying DNA interactions is essential to developments in the medical field. DNA and its interactions affect our health greatly. For example, silver ions, one of the ions I used in my studies, is a known carcinogen that has been shown to cause cancer. Discovering new interactions or a further understanding of existing ones can lead to new and improved treatment and detection options. Current DNA interaction research requires very specialized and expensive equipment, but this FRET based device in development will be easy to use and relatively inexpensive.
Next, I am continuing the development of the device and finishing my Honors thesis during my final semester here at the University of Arkansas before I go to medical school. I am very grateful for the Honors College Research Grants that have allowed me to focus on academics during my college career. Focus on academics is very important to me since it allowed me to become the best student I can be, which helped me get accepted into medical school for the upcoming school year. Being able to conduct my own funded research is a huge accomplishment.
I chose to work with Dr. Wang based off the work done by previous undergraduates under his guidance. Jack Freeland’s work with bent DNA caught my attention because of the impact this research could have on the medical field. As a pre-med student myself, I was very interested in this groundbreaking work given the importance of DNA to health. This project has expanded my knowledge of DNA and other biophysical concepts immensely. Being in this lab has helped me already on my journey to be a doctor. The biophysical concepts that I had the opportunity to learn hands on helped me on the MCAT and I believe it will continue to help during medical school. Dr. Wang has been a key part in my work, and I am forever grateful for his guidance and his push to make me the best I can be.