Communicating Science Beyond the Lab
As scientists, we spend a lot of time learning how to communicate our work to other researchers. But being able to explain what we do to people outside of our field is just as important. Clear, accessible science communication can help patients, families, policymakers, and the broader public better understand why scientific research matters.
At this year’s MSTP retreat, students practiced this skill by rewriting their research abstracts for a general audience. Building on that activity, we are introducing a new feature in the MSTP Newsletter highlighting student research written at approximately a 5th- or 6th-grade level.
In each issue, we hope to feature an MSTP student explaining the question their research addresses, why it matters, and what they are learning in a way that anyone can understand. We hope this feature gives students another opportunity to practice communicating their science while also sharing the exciting work happening across our program. Interested in sharing your research in an upcoming issue? Reach out to us at mdphd@vanderbilt.edu!
Zach Ewell (G3): Finding Better CD8 T Cells to Kill Cancer!
Our bodies are made of cells, tiny structures that can do all kinds of things. I study T cells, a special kind of white blood cell that protects us when infections like viruses take over our other cells. One type of T cell is the powerful CD8 T cell, which kills infected cells to keep viruses from taking over even more cells. CD8 T cells are also special because they can kill cancer cells. Cancer cells can grow out of control to hurt us. They can also turn off CD8 T cells, which allows cancer to grow more. Scientists have made medicines that supercharge CD8 T cells to help them overcome and kill cancer. However, these medicines don’t work for everyone with cancer. So, we need to figure out what else we can use to rev up CD8 T cells and make them kill cancer better. Using mice, I compare what happens to CD8 T cells when they fight infections or cancer. When CD8 T cells see an infection, they quickly divide to make a lot of CD8 T cells that can completely clear the infection. These active CD8 T cells also make a chemical called interferon gamma, abbreviated as IFNg. IFNg activates other immune cells and can directly kill infected cells, so IFNg is important for CD8 T cells to do their job well. Before CD8 T cells in an infection start to divide, some of them make IFNg, whereas others don’t. However, when CD8 T cells see a tumor, none of them make IFNg. I think that this early group of T cells that make IFNg is important for helping T cells clear infection. I hope to figure out what controls this group, so we can restore this group of CD8 T cells in cancer. This could provide patients with more powerful T cells that can kill their cancer.