Logan L
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at Stanford University
Expertise
Cancer Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology, Chemical Biology
Bio
Hello! I'm Logan. I'm currently a fourth-year PhD candidate at Stanford University in the Cancer Biology Program. My research focuses on a newly-discovered form of cell death and its importance in cancer. I use an array of cell and molecular biology technique to help us understand the pathways involved in this form of cell death so that we can eventually harness this cellular program for cancer therapy to improve outcomes for patients. Outside of lab, I have been extensively involved in science mentorship through the Science Olympiad organization, a national K-12 science competition. I founded a science outreach organization while at the University of Chicago focused on bridging gaps in access to STEM enrichment activities in underserved communities on the south side. At Stanford, I mentor local middle school students in Science Olympiad topics as well. Outside of these activities, I enjoy baking, roller skating, and knitting.Project ideas
Tying together different cell death programs
All living cells must eventually die. However, the manner in which a cell dies depends on a variety of extracellular and intracellular inputs such as stress, developmental programs, or small molecule treatments. Over the years, multiple cell death mechanisms have been discovered; however, it's likely that these pathways are not entirely distinct and that there is some overlap. As an example, glutathione plays a role in both ferroptosis and cuproptosis, two different forms of cell death. You will be tasked with reviewing the literature and constructing a network of known cell death pathways and all of their possible interactions. From this, you will synthesize a report discussing the connections and how this might help us understand the roles of these death pathways in normal physiology and disease contexts.
Identifying molecular targets of small molecules
Small molecules can be used to modulate different proteins and pathways within the cell. While some small molecules have known molecular targets (proteins, lipids, etc.) that they bind to, others act via an unknown mechanism. You will first identify a small molecule that kills cells but that does so via an unknown mechanism. You will then use the Broad's Dependency Map to examine the lethality of the molecule in various genetic knockout backgrounds and compare this with co-dependencies of genetic knockouts with each other to identify potential targets of the small molecule. Lastly, you will use this information to hypothesize the mechanism by which the molecule kills cells and assess its potential translation as a cancer drug.