Raquel Lopez de Boer '21

2020 SOAR Profile

Protective effects of curcumin in the production and metabolism of dopamine in the 6-OHDA model of Parkinson's disease

Major and Minor: Neuroscience and Chemistry
Hometown: Sevilla, Spain
Project Advisor(s): Dr. Cecilia Fox

Briefly describe your project.

Dr. Fox and I divided our research animals into four groups based on what they would be used for in the experiment. Two groups were lesion with the intranigral 6-OHDA and reserved for analysis with high performance chromatography (HPLC) and the other two groups were given the same lesion but would be used for cells counting survival as a replication check. From the groups, half of the animals received curcumin prior to the surgery and six weeks post-surgery. Following the surgery, behavioral analysis was performed to test the degradation of the animal's motor abilities. The animals needed for the HPLC analysis were euthanized and the brain tissue was prepared for this chemical analysis. Animals from the remaining two groups were euthanized and the brain tissue was conserved for immunohistochemistry. 

Describe the origin of your project. (E.g., did you pitch the idea and choose a faculty member, or did they come to you with an idea?)

Dr. Fox’s work has always been of interest to me, so when I told her that I wanted to work with her, we came up with this project together. Since I was also interested in chemistry, we wanted to include a more chemical focus, hence the interest in looking at dopamine metabolism as a result of oral treatment. 

What’s the best part about working with your faculty mentor? What valuable insights have they brought to your project?

Dr. Fox is a wonderful mentor. I learned so many things from her, both in and out of the lab. I really like how approachable and helpful she is, and I was able to get to know her better during the summer because we spent a lot of time together. 

What has been your biggest obstacle so far?

Due to COVID-19, the lab guidelines are very strict, which is taking a bit of the fun out of it since we have to rush sometimes to get things done just in case the pandemic gets worse. Nevertheless, I am very happy that I was able to do research thanks to SOAR during this crazy time. 

What has been your biggest takeaway from this experience?

Research doesn’t always go well and the important thing to learn is that, as researchers, we need to constantly adapt to different conditions and results in order to keep learning. 

What was the result of your project? 

Behaviorally, it seems that the oral treatment with curcumin protected those animals from a motor decline for at least the first two weeks of treatment. 

In your own words, how do you feel about being awarded this opportunity? Why should other students take advantage of the SOAR program at Moravian?

I am grateful that I was awarded this opportunity because I got to experience what it’s like to be in charge of my own project and have to meet deadlines, set up my own schedule, and do research. I absolutely recommend this experience to anyone that is interested in learning more about a topic, as it really makes you an expert in what you study 

Have you, or do you plan to present this research outside the SOAR presentations? If so, where? Be specific, if possible.

I plan to present this research at NCUR, Lehigh Valley SfN, Scholars Day, and Tri-Beta National Conference.