Uzair Bilal, COL ’27, Edinburg, TX
This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to conduct breast cancer research in Dr. Lewis Chodosh’s lab at Penn Medicine under the guidance of Hamza Turkistani. My project focused on breast cancer dormancy, a period where cells are inactive for extended periods before potentially recurring. I looked at whether disrupting the JAK/STAT pathway could unintentionally disturb this dormant state and promote breast cancer recurrence.
Understanding the cellular mechanisms behind breast cancer dormancy can help us better understand clinical latency and recurrence. Through my project, I wanted to contribute to this growing body of knowledge by looking at how signaling pathways, specifically JAK/STAT, affect the fate of dormant cancer cells. Our findings can potentially inform clinical decisions about pathway-targeted therapies and their long-term implications for recurrence.
Throughout the summer, I learned various lab techniques that helped me with my research. I learned how to culture cells, perform in vitro dormancy (IVD) assays, and use advanced cell imaging and analysis. More importantly, I learned how to troubleshoot experiments and think critically about experimental design. My previous coursework in Biology and Genetics was very helpful in understanding the bigger picture of the signaling pathways I was studying. It was exciting to see how concepts I learned in class—like gene expression and cell cycle regulation—could be directly applied to real-world research.
As a pre-med student, this research experience was valuable. I have always been attracted to medicine because it can change lives, and this summer reminded me that research plays a significant role in that. I believe that as a future doctor, I should be able to practice medicine and contribute to the scientific knowledge that guides it. Thanks to Penn Career Services, I had the opportunity to conduct research in an area I care deeply about and gain exposure to scientific work that complements clinical practice.
This is part of a series of posts by recipients of the 2025 Career Services Summer Funding Grant. We’ve asked funding recipients to reflect on their summer experiences and talk about the industries in which they spent their summer. You can read the entire series here
