Daniel Fulkerson
Major: Biochemistry
Location: The University of Notre Dame
Daniel studied Aquaporin-7 (AQP7), a water and glycerol channel protein that acts as an effective predictor of overall survival in breast cancer patients and a critical regulator of breast cancer metabolism and metastatic tumor growth. He worked in the Littlepage Lab where he utilized Agilent’s QuikChange XL Site-Directed Mutagenesis kit to introduce mutations of interest into the Aquaporin-7 gene. He helped verify the presence of their sample plasmid using restriction enzyme digestion and agarose gel electrophoresis. Once this validation was completed, the lab collaborated with the Notre Dame Genomics Core to sequence the samples.
Daniel says, "I enjoyed befriending the members of my research lab at the Harper Cancer Research Institute. My colleagues hail from across the United States, Mexico, China, and Sri Lanka; we are of diverse ages and education levels, forming a mixture that fosters enriching professional relationships. This environment encouraged my creativity and promoted my critical thinking skills, facilitating my development as a collaborative scientist."