Biomedical Research as a Career
and a Way of Life
Rose Deeter O’Connor
How I got here…

Interested in biology and medicine for many years.

Received a microscope as a gift in 6th grade.

Finished high school with a interest in biology and
chemistry.

Received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical
Engineering from Lehigh University.

Decided that I wanted to be more “hands-on” and
began graduate school in Biological Sciences at the
University of Delaware.
Where I go when I leave the classroom…
Cell Culture Facility
Main Lab
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://myweb.dal.ca/csinal/Tissue%2520Culture.jpg&imgrefurl=http://myweb.dal.ca/csinal/Facilities.html&h=289&w=432&sz=52&hl=
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Plateau in development
Rett Syndrome
Regression
Pseudostationary
15 months
2 years
6 years
Reading the Genes in Bone-Forming Cells
Mecp2
Genes important for regulating
bone formation
Mecp2
Genes important for regulating
bone formation
Which genes are being regulated by the Mecp2 protein?
Osteoporotic Bone Structure
28 Day Old Mecp2 -/y Mouse
Loss of Mecp2 leads to reduced
skeletal size and kyphosis
8 Week Old C57BL/6J Littermates
Normal Mice
Mice Without Mecp2
Summary
Loss of Mecp2 leads to differences in the skeletal
size and shape of mice
 Primary dysregulation leads to changes on the
molecular level


Questions remain:
– Which bone formation genes are regulated by Mecp2?
– What happens to bone formation when these genes
are dysregulated?
Where I am going…

Will pursue a traditional biomedical research postdoctoral fellowship.

Interested in either career in research or in promoting
the importance of scientific research.

Want to stay involved with science education at the high
school and college level.