Lorenzo Camobreco (Biology major ‘26) applied for the Summer Scholar program to further his journey into the world of scientific research. He has been a research fellow at Roanoke since his first year and wants to continue developing and honing his skills as a researcher. His project, “rbfox1 gene expression and its impact on neurological development using zebrafish (Danio rerio)” observes how an increase in the expression of the rbfox1 gene impacts neurological development within zebrafish. With this research, Lorenzo hopes to collect data that detects changes within the shape of the brain, behaviors exhibited by affected zebrafish, and molecular changes within the zebrafish resulting from an increased rbfox1 expression. This will provide insight into how rbfox1 impacts the developing brain, hopefully supporting a hypothesized mechanism behind how rbfox1 works to create the neurological disorders observed in cases where it is expressed outside the normal ranges. During his time in the program, Lorenzo gained several research skills and techniques ranging from genetic engineering to embryonic microinjection. Furthermore, he was able to gain a better understanding of how to formulate his thinking when it came to research and was able to apply this skill to his project. Lorenzo would like to thank Dr. Lassiter for all the support he provided in helping to spark his research interest.
Congratulations on all your hard work!