METEOR Experience - Will Bishop

My name is Will Bishop and I am a senior at Jackson Reed High School. I have been passionate about science since elementary school when I chose to write a research paper on viruses. From there, I started reading books and finding online resources to learn more and more. When I got to high school, I was able to enroll in my school’s Biomedical Sciences Academy where I could take specialized classes that prepared me for a career in medicine. One of the components of this academy was participating in a Career Ready Internship (CRI) for the summer of my Junior year. I chose to apply to METEOR vHs because it included hands-on research experience and took place at Children’s National. 

I had expressed my interest in immunology during the interview process, and to my pleasant surprise, I had been placed under the mentorship of Dr. Dalia Haydar in the Center for Cancer Immunology Research. Dr. Haydar specializes in CAR T-Cell therapy, a novel immunotherapeutic asset in which patients undergo leukapheresis so that their T-cells can be modified ex-vivo through retroviral transduction to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). CARs consist of two parts, an extracellular ectodomain comprised of an Sc-Fv light and heavy chain as well as an intracellular endodomain. The Sc-Fv is a fragment of an antibody, and the endodomain contains activation proteins that contribute to intracellular activation cascades that regulate effector functions. While CAR T-Cells have demonstrated profound efficacy in the treatment of hematologic malignancies, they are impeded by the suppressive tumor microenvironment (TIME), antigen heterogeneity, and exhaustion when treating solid pediatric brain tumors. Resiquimod is a promising new drug that has been shown to repolarize macrophage populations within the TIME in mouse models to a pro-inflammatory subtype and thus improve treatment outcomes of G3 Medulloblastoma. My project didn’t look at the effect of Resiquimod on the TIME, but on CAR T-cells themselves because, if Resiquimod could potentially improve CAR T-Cells, it’s important to highlight any contraindications. I plated one million CAR T-Cells in four wells, each with an increasing concentration of the drug as well as media. I incubated the CAR T-Cells and recorded the cell counts. My results suggested that, when incubated with Resiquimod, CAR T-cells had improved cytotoxicity but also reduced expansion. 

I was also lucky enough to have the experience of shadowing in the Neurology Ward along with my colleague over the summer. We met in the staff room on the Neurology floor and listened to all of the med students, nurses, and neurologists planned for the day and scheduled rounds. I was surprised that it felt almost like a classroom, with residents constantly being quizzed and asked to answer questions. Then we walked into the hallways to conduct morning rounds. We had to stand to the side of the hallways because people and carts were constantly coming through. I found out that many of the patients on this floor had been recurring patients for many years and that some of the more senior members of the team had good rapport with them and their families. What really struck me was the importance of strong communication. The head neurologist asked a resident to make a phone call to the mother of a patient and tell her what they’d concluded after running an EEG. The resident made it seem like they didn’t know what was happening, and the mom started to become distressed over the phone. At this point, the head neurologist took over and quickly calmed the parent down and brought the situation under control. This experience taught me a lot about the importance of coming across as confident and collected, even when the situation is difficult, because it’s important to make sure families aren’t distressed.  

One of the most memorable learning experiences we had took place in the first few weeks of the program where we went to the morgue and viewed the processing of a human brain by a pathologist. We had to don full PPE, including masks, gloves, and aprons. Around the area were shelves and shelves of containers with patient samples. There were extracted lymph nodes, tonsils, and soft tissue waiting to be sliced and viewed under the microscope by pathology. The brain was first stored in formalin to solidify it to make it easier to handle. It came in a large bucket of yellow fluid. The pathologist took it out and sliced it coronally. We were able to observe major structures such as the nuclei, ventricles, thalamus, and pituitary gland. It was very sobering to find out that this brain had come from someone my age and it did make me uncomfortable. However, I also understand that this was an educational opportunity that many people don’t get until well into medical school, so I had to push those feelings aside while still being respectful and mindful. Overall, I was able to learn a ton about neuroanatomy and pathology. It was also an important reminder that a lot of the work in the medical field can be very heavy, and that it’s important to treat people with respect and dignity. 

Overall, the METEOR program has by far been the most enriching experience I’ve had in high school. Not only was I able to attend valuable lectures and learn about neuroscience, I formed a ton of practical skills in the lab. While at first I was intimidated by the professional environment and large amount of information thrown at me, I was able to grow monumentally as a future scientist and researcher. Beyond that, I’ve made incredible professional connections, but also valuable friendships with my colleagues. Before I began, I was afraid that I was going to miss out on summer fun. However, I was able to have all of that fun and then some while also growing as a learner and building valuable professional skills.