Rozemary Howard

Research:            In-situ Hybridization on Mice Brains

All cells have DNA, which contain genes, which are then transcribed to messenger RNA (mRNA) which will code for proteins. When studying gene expression, it is much easier to measure gene expression by determining the abundance of mRNA rather than the abundance of proteins. An excellent procedure once existed that used a silver emulsion produced by Kodak, however, Kodak has discontinued production of this emulsion and remaining alternate methods did not produce the same level of results. Rozemary believes that the procedure she is working on, Fluorescent In-Situ Hybridization (FISH) will be a good replacement for the emulsion-based method.

Why it matters:                

Rozemary says, “The ultimate benefit of my research is that we will have a new protocol that allows us to visualize low abundance mRNA molecules and quantify them as well. This protocol will be available to anyone who would like to use it for scientific purposes.” In-Situ hybridization (ISH) has applications in many research fields, including medical research and diagnosis, biology, pathology, and plant breeding and a wide variety of applications, including chromosomal gene mapping and diagnosis of viral diseases.