WVU immunology senior finds passion for discovery through a vision research program

Through an innovative, hands-on summer vision research program supported by the NIH Visual Sciences CoBRE grant at West Virginia University’s School of Medicine, eight undergraduate students from across the U.S. had the opportunity to make new and exciting discoveries about ocular diseases and treatments.

Senior Immunology and Medical Microbiology major Jack Evans said his time in the Summer Undergraduate Vision Research Fellowship Program provided fuel for him and other young scientists to ignite a lifetime of passion and potential for discovery.

“I never had the opportunity to participate in research like this before,” Evans explained. “I got to come into a lab, and for the first time, not know what result I was going to get. I found that very exciting.”

The 10-week program led by the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine research faculty emphasizes components of basic vision research with focuses on ocular diseases and the exploration of new diagnostic and treatment methods.

Though Evans hadn’t had any ophthalmology experience prior, he was excited to apply for the program because it involved one of his greatest passions – further understanding the science behind the human body.

“I came to WVU to study immunology because I had always been fascinated by science and the way the human body worked,” Evans said. “Though ophthalmology may not relate to immunology directly, I was still excited by the idea of developing a better understanding of the human eye through vision research and to be introduced to a new area of science.”

Upon being accepted to and joining the program supported by the Visual Sciences CoBRE grant, Evans got the opportunity to work under Saravanan Kolandaivelu, Ph.D., who is the co-fellowship coordinator for the program alongside Michael Robichaux, Ph.D. Together, Evans and Dr. Kolandaivelu conducted research on the importance of electric impulse retinal function.

“While working with Jack as his mentor, I immediately took notice of his immense drive as a young researcher. He showed extraordinary interest and brilliance in our research topic and I have been happy to play a role in his academic journey,” Kolandaivelu said.

At the end of the program, Evans concluded that removing an enzyme crucial for maintaining electrolyte gradient in the photoreceptor cells affects its functions. He said he was excited to be able to come to a conclusion in the program’s timeframe, but that he plans to continue expanding upon that research.

“Since I am a student here at WVU, I’m going to have the opportunity to continue volunteering in Dr. Kolandaivelu’s lab and keep working on this research. Our goal is to publish a paper on our findings this year,” Evans said.

Dr. Robichaux said that as a fellowship coordinator, he finds it very rewarding to introduce scientifically-minded young people like Evans to basic science research for the first time and provide them with the opportunity to conduct hands-on research in a lab and make discoveries themselves.

“Most undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing a medical degree or Ph.D. have limited exposure to the day-to-day proceedings of a research lab at a major biomedical research institution like WVU,” Robichaux explained. “Providing that opportunity alone is rewarding enough, but it is even more exciting when I get to participate in the positive experience of helping students complete experiments, reach scientific conclusions and present their findings to an audience. We are thankful for the NIH Visual Sciences CoBRE grant for funding and providing us with these opportunities.”

Robichaux added that since basic science research in vision is often a field that is lesser known by students interested in pursuing a career in medicine, he appreciates the responsibility he and his colleagues have to introduce the importance of vision research to students and help them understand how it translates to clinical ophthalmology.

To learn more about the research being conducted by the Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, visit medicine.hsc.wvu.edu/eye/research and medicine.wvu.edu/biochemistry-and-molecular-medicine/research.

For more information on the Visual Sciences CoBRE grant, visit medicine.wvu.edu/biochemistry-and-molecular-medicine/visual-sciences-center-of-biomedical-research-excellence