Daniel O'Shea
Major: Biological Sciences, Economics
Research Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Daniel worked as a Research Assistant at the Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy Center, housed in the University of Michigan School of Medicine. As an RA, Daniel studied the degree of immunity against COVID-19 variants provided by infection vs. vaccination with wild-type virus. The lab examined subjects categorized by SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination status with sera collected three times at 3-to-6-month intervals between April 2020 and June 2021. While at the lab, Daniel performed a pseudoviral neutralization assay every weekday which involved cultivating cells, exposing them to viral particles with patients' sera, and allowing them to incubate. A few days later, he would read the cell plates to register their antigen levels.
Daniel says, "I was interested in participating in hands-on research. I was also excited to work on immunology and make an impact on public health. This experience strengthened my desire to continue to pursue research and clinical research while in medical school."