By Wendy Humphrey
Mercer County Community College (MCCC) science students continue to represent the college with distinction in the world of clinical research. Two students, Fabiola Pincay, of Trenton, and Utsav Patel, of Monmouth Junction, both of whom are moving on in college and careers, returned to the West Windsor campus in October to present the Honors Research projects they completed over the summer.
MCCC Professors Helen Tanzini (Chemistry) and Diane Hilker (Biology) invited the college community and the researchers who worked with the students to attend the presentations, which focused on highly specialized areas of biology and chemistry.
Pincay, a May graduate who earned associate degrees in Biology and Chemistry, completed work on “Iron Limitation Effects on Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Persister Formation” under the guidance of Dr. Mark Brynildsen at Princeton University. The research investigated how iron influences the growth of the bacteria Pseudomonas. Pincay is now in her first semester as a transfer student at Rutgers University, where she is majoring in Biochemistry.
Patel worked on “Extraction and PCR Techniques Required for Cancer Biomarker Research” under the guidance of Dr. Thuy Do of Medical Diagnostics Laboratory (MDL), a subsidiary of Genesis Biotechnology Group (GBG) in Hamilton. The project involved the use of various methods to extract specific DNA sequences that indicate a predisposition for cervical cancer. Patel, who graduated from Mercer in 2009 and went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience, returned to MCCC to gain an even stronger foundation in the lab. MDL was so impressed with his clinical skills that he was offered a full-time job there. (Six other students have previously completed internships at GBG.)
“It was wonderful to share our pride in these students with faculty, staff and other students," Tanzini said. "The two students were very excited to have this opportunity to explain their novel and complex projects. We know how hard they worked."
