Major: Molecular, Cell, Developmental Biology
Mentor: Lisa Maves, Seattle Children’s Research Hospital – UW Medicine department of Pediatrics
Contact: ajoshi02@uw.edu
Current research project: Modeling Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in Zebrafish using CRISPR Transgenics
Arush is a junior studying MCD Biology at the University of Washington. Since his sophomore year, Arush has performed research with the Maves Lab at Seattle Children’s Research Institute. He is currently working on a project about muscular dystrophy modeling in zebrafish.
Translate your work so that we can all understand its importance
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a degenerative muscular disease caused by faulty dystrophin, a protein which normally protects muscle fibers from damage during contraction. The goal of the project is to create a new model for this disease in zebrafish using CRISPR transgenics. This would give us insight into early skeletal muscle development and could potentially be influential in testing various drug therapies to help reverse the effects of DMD.
When, how, and why did you get involved in undergraduate research?
I was fortunate to receive the opportunity to work at the Helms Lab at Stanford University since high school as part of a summer internship. The internship furthered my interests in bone and muscle biology, and when I came to the UW, I wanted to do more research in that field. I reached out to several professors who posted opportunities in the URP database and picked the lab that aligned best with my interests.
What advice would you give a student who is considering getting involved in undergraduate research?
Follow your interests and keep an open mind. There are plenty of amazing research opportunities you can explore at the UW.