Caiden Golder

Green Fellows project abstract:

“To identify new targeted therapies effective against ESR1 mutant breast cancer, we established in vitro models of endocrine therapy resistance by knocking in the 2 most common ESR1 mutations, Y537S and D538G into ER-positive breast cancer cell line MCF-7. These ESR1 mutant cells exhibit estrogen-independent growth both in vitro and in vivo, thus mirroring the phenotypic characteristics of ESR1 mutant tumors from breast cancer patients. We also performed RNA seq analysis in wild-type (WT) and ESR1 mutant MCF-7 cells and identified Hsp90 as a target that is overexpressed in mutant cells. To evaluate if inhibition of Hsp90 targets ESR1 mutant breast cancers, we treated the mutant cells with an Hsp90 inhibitor, TAS-116. Our results show that Hsp90 inhibition potently inhibits the growth of ESR1 mutant (Y537S) breast cancer cells. Studies are underway to determine the in vivo efficacy of TAS-116 in cell line and patient-derived xenograft models of ESR1 mutant breast cancer.”

 

​​What does research mean to you? 

Research to me is the pursuit of the unknown. Using robust reasoning and creativity, researchers use some of the most advanced scientific techniques to understand the natural world. Research is made meaningful when it can be translated to real-world applications and this to me is the most exciting aspect of science. Using cutting-edge technology and careful analysis, we are empowered to understand the true nature of disease and improve the collective wellbeing in the process.

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Tell us about your journey​!

My academic journey began in August 2019 as a freshman studying chemistry at UTD. I quickly learned about the undergraduate research opportunities on campus and got involved in an analytical chemistry lab in my sophomore year. Though radically changed due to the pandemic, I still found myself more excited for my work than ever before. Research was very different than your typical science class, and the encouragement to understand and discover was an incredible motivator. Through my work at UTD I knew I wanted to continue in research and the Green Fellowship offered the perfect opportunity to continue research and explore a brand-new field. My work during the Green Fellowship led me to a new lab at UT Southwestern that I ended up being accepted to as a research technician. The Green Fellowship solidified in me a passion for research and a lifelong academic curiosity. During my time as a research technician, I plan to apply to medical school and continue working in research throughout school.

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What was your favorite part about the program? 

My favorite part of the program was getting to hear other Green Fellows update the group on their labs. It was so interesting hearing about the work being done in so many diverse fields from computer science to proteomics. I think these talks fostered creativity and out-of-the-box thinking that can sometimes be hard to come by when the people you interact with most often are generally pursuing the same vein of research.

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What was the biggest thing you learned from the program?

I think the most important thing I learned from the Green Fellowship was how to fail. Throughout undergrad, your hand is still held somewhat. Mistakes are diffused across a group and failure is often not concentrated just on you. When you are working on your own project and something doesn’t work, that is solely your responsibility. It can be incredibly frustrating and demoralizing at times, and I have never felt the full weight of responsibility for mistakes as I did during this program. However, learning how to handle and move forward from this is a huge opportunity for growth that I don’t think I would have had until later in my academic career.

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Advice for Future Green Fellows

As with many things in life: you get out of this program what you put in. Go into day 1 with a hunger to learn and understand. You aren’t expected to know everything going into this, but you are expected to put in 100 per cent. UT Southwestern has an abundance of resources and brilliant people to help you grow. Use this time to master new skills and foster growth. It’s okay (and probably good) to fail. Use these failures to learn and avoid those mistakes in the future. UT Southwestern is a diverse community with plenty of motivated people working to better themselves and their community; if you look around you will certainly find advice that will be invaluable for your career and life in general. Most importantly: have fun!