This summer, I was introduced to the up-and-coming industry of immunotherapies for cancer research. Immunotherapies are a type of cancer treatment that uses the patient’s own immune system to attack cancer cells. The company I worked for is called Arcellx, whose mission statement is to advance humanity by engineering immunotherapies that are safer, more effective, and more broadly accessible. The principal products offered by Arcellx are viral vectors that are effective in detecting and attacking cancer cells. Vector is the study of organisms that transmit pathogens or genetic material between hosts. Using vectors, Arcellx has found a cure for multiple myeloma, which is a type of blood cancer that affects white blood cells. I was a laboratory intern, where I studied increasing lentivector production.
Lentivirus is a slow-acting retrovirus. Retroviruses are a virus that infects a cell by taking genetic material (RNA), turning it into DNA, and inserting that DNA into the host cell. So lentivector production is a tool scientists use to deliver new genes into cells that are eventually able to identify and attack patient cancer cells. Over the summer, I studied maximizing the production of lentivectors for better DNA recovery after the purification process, which helped increase product production. I hypothesized and ran a project that tested pH and temperature shifts post-transfection (what happens after introducing new DNA into a cell), using an Ambr250 Bioreactor (a machine used to grow cells and bacteria) to test the impact on lentivector production. The results of my experiment showed that the lower pH increases lentivector production by 1.5 times! This project is something that no one else at my internship did, and I presented this project to my department and manufacturing team members in a boardroom.
In addition, I did protein and DNA expression in mammalian and bacterial cells, and DNA and protein purification. DNA expression is the process of introducing new genes of interest to make a specific protein. DNA purification is just the process of breaking apart the cell to attain pure DNA. Similarly, protein expression is making protein based on the cell's DNA, and purification is separating pure protein from cells. I was able to see the full process of lentivector production- from growing genes of interest in E. coli, transfecting genes of interest into mammalian cells, growing the cell culture, and all the way up to the purification process of the DNA.
I also learned different data assays, like genomic and functional titers, which identify how many viral particles are in a sample. In addition to this, I learned how to efficiently use Excel and manipulate data to pinpoint results. This was a challenge, but it was super fulfilling.
This summer, I really enjoyed my internship experience, and I have intentions to continue my passion for research. I developed a strong relationship with my supervisor, who was patient and communicated well. I am grateful I have this standard for future managers. Currently, I am working in a lab on campus, studying wheat pathogens with Dr. Rawat. In this lab, I am able to use the same lab techniques, but related to what I study closely, plants! I am excited to continue working in a lab and continuing my exposure to cell research.
