Learning a New (Lab) Culture

Sixth Former Anna Liu’s cancer research at summer externship helps her see the big picture.

BY KATE DUNLOP

Fifth Formers in the Applied Science and Engineering Program (ASEP) devote a Spring Term seminar to preparing for a summer externship. Anna Liu ’25 made the most of that time by building a strong foundation of knowledge about the immune system and immunology, then contacted more than 30 labs in her quest to land an externship. With each cold email she sent, she felt a rush of anticipation, wondering if this was the place that would advance her goal to “better understand human life.”

When Liu’s resume landed with Dr. Russell Jenkins at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, her search was over — he invited her to join his lab and use a novel platform for 3D culture to isolate immune cells from patient samples and study cancer cell-immune cell interactions.

“I believe in the human body and technology. Immunotherapy harnesses our body’s innate immune system to fight one of the greatest antagonists to human life — cancer,” says Liu. “The TANK-Binding Kinase 1 (TBK1) gene has been identified to promote cancer resistance to immunotherapy, and I am researching the impact of blocking TBK1 in uveal melanoma, a rare eye cancer, on immunotherapy response.”

For five weeks, the Sixth Former from Marietta, Georgia, took the train from her summer base to the hospital for full days of lab meetings, working with T cells in the cell culturing room, attending lectures about the latest technology and findings, and reading scientific journals. Liu found herself well prepared for her own lab interactions.

“I felt extremely welcomed and everyone was understanding of my knowledge base and rookie hands,” she says, adding that her experience with cell culture and other molecular lab techniques still impressed her mentors. “We are incredibly fortunate at St. Paul’s to have the [science] equipment we have in Lindsay.”

While Liu’s career goals remain open as she continues to explore the possibilities, her externship helped her learn some important lessons, from gaining firsthand experience with the process of scientific work to appreciating a work environment where expert peers are available for consultation and there are opportunities to test hypotheses.

“I have more confidence now in following the line of proof of concept, peer consulting, experimental design, statistical significance and articulating results,” says Liu. “This experience was invaluable; I would hope that high school students like me don’t shy away from entering professional research spaces — send those cold emails.”