The students in New Rochelle High School’s Science Research Program explore a dazzling range of topics under the mentorship of experts from some of the top institutions of learning and exploration. Students’ projects will regularly be featured in this Newsletter.
Student: Andy Nunez, senior
Mentor: Casey A. Dougherty, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Biochemistry, Iona College
When Andy Nuñez was in elementary school, he often found himself tuning the television to the Animal Planet channel — specifically the TV show “Monsters Inside Me.”
“The show sparked my interest in the human body and science as it dealt with parasites and their effects,” said Nuñez. “I have become far more interested in cancer research. Both my grandparents have battled cancer in the past, so this topic is very close to my heart.”
That interest led Nuñez into New Rochelle High School’s Science Research Program. Nuñez has been engaged in a project focused on making a molecule that would allow for the creation of a drug that kills only breast cancer cells.
Nuñez’s goal in synthesizing the molecule was to use it to create a viable drug that would treat HER2 positive breast cancer by killing only cancer cells while keeping healthy cells safe. To accomplish this, several reactions were completed.
To determine if the molecule was synthesized, a dye would become fluorescent. That would happen only if the molecule it was bound to also was synthesized. The molecule and dye would be mixed together and put into a fluorimeter to see if there was any light coming from the molecule.
While Nuñez’s study did not produce a properly synthesized molecule, he believes it is a step closer to finding the right formula, and he is eager to continue the work.
“My experience in this program is going to have a huge impact on me after high school,” he said. “After doing research for four years, I am extremely excited to continue this in college. I plan on entering either cancer research or neurotrauma research at whatever college I go to.”
