Intern Success Stories - Biology
Patrick Barnes, Lisa Mettler, Laura Sanders and Leah Staskiewicz teamed up with their biology professor to help change the outlook for patients stricken with pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary fibrosis, serious lung diseases that elude effective treatment and, consequently, limit life.
As interns at the University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center, the biology majors are working with Michael Yeager, who fills his time as a visiting professor of biology at Metro State and an instructor at the Health Sciences Center.
“Having the Health Sciences Center nearby offers an incredible opportunity for Metro State students to take advantage of the research occurring there,” says Yeager, whose connection to both institutions is sure to foster more important collaboration.
The students’ research compares the DNA, RNA and proteins in lung tissue, animal models and cultured cells—a challenging prospect that Sanders says has expanded her understanding.
“This is different from a classroom lab where there are standard experiments with predetermined outcomes,” Sanders says. “This is the real world where you design your own experiment from beginning to end and you have no guarantee of what will happen.”
