MOBILE, Ala. –  Alabama School of Math and Science students Kingston Barnes, Kimberly Gregson, Kahyeon Jeon, and Alayla Roussell interned in the University of South Alabama’s Borchert Lab, assisting in the investigation of small RNA production in colon cancer. The interns and their graduate student mentors, Noel Godang and Anita Nguyen, organized complex raw sequencing data with the long-term goal of helping to develop new therapeutic strategies.

Project leaders nicknamed the team BASIL, or “Borchert-ASMS Summer Ideas Lab.” This designation highlights the strong bonds between the USA research team and the ASMS community. In addition to the four student interns, several contributors are linked to ASMS. Dr. Glen Borchert, who oversees the lab, is the parent of a current ASMS student. Graduate student Noel Godang is a class of 2019 ASMS alumnus. At the top of the org chart, University of South Alabama’s President Jo Bonner is an ASMS Board of Directors member.

New treatments potentially inspired by the project’s findings could improve cancer survival rates for patients in Alabama and around the world. The American Cancer Society estimates that about 150,000 Americans were diagnosed with colorectal cancer last year. Data from the National Cancer Institute shows that Alabama’s incidence rate for this cancer is nearly 10% higher than the national average. Diagnosed Alabamians need an edge in their fight, and the efforts of these ASMS community members might help provide it.

The team’s research is currently under review by microPublication Biology. Kingston, Kimberly, Kahyeon, and Alayla are on-track to receive coauthor credits before earning their high school diplomas. We applaud these students and their mentors for spending their summer helping others.