Biomedical engineering major Kristin Kim, a rising senior, is a research fellow this summer at a National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Cancer Institute (NCI) program at Yale University.

Kim was selected for the 2019 NCI Systems Biology and Physical Sciences in Cancer Summer Research program, which provides opportunities at 15 research institutions pursuing a multi-disciplinary approach to cancer research. Kim’s faculty adviser at VCU College of Engineering is Christopher Lemmon, Ph.D., associate professor and associate chair in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

For the 10-week fellowship, Kim is working in the lab of Sidi Chen, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Genetics and Systems Biology Institute at Yale.

“I was really excited that I was accepted into the program,” Kim said. “We are working on precision cancer modelling using CRISPR-activated in vivo gene editing. This involves increasing the immunogenicity of different tumors to enhance anti-tumor immune responses. I have learned new techniques and it’s been fun learning about the project and the other people in the lab.”

Kim, who said she is enjoying exploring New Haven, Connecticut, will also participate in a summer undergraduate research conference at NIH in Bethesda, Maryland, on July 18-19, 2019.

She is pursuing a minor in mathematics in the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences.