Biology Student Rowan Malmberg and three fellow undergraduate students spent their summer researching treatments for triple-negative breast cancer in Andrew Skildum, PhD’s, laboratory at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth campus. The paid experience meant these students could focus their time on building confidence as scientists and have time to explore Duluth when not in the lab.

“I'm kind of getting the best of both worlds,” Malmberg said.

Malmberg and her peers gained valuable experience with research equipment and protocols, in addition to new computer software. Best of all, they got to be part of an effort to find better treatments for a particularly aggressive form of cancer. 

“Working in this lab is contributing to our understanding of a big problem that affects a lot of people,” Malmberg said. “I feel extremely lucky and excited that I get to be a part of something so big.”

For Skildum, an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth campus, employing undergraduate students to help advance breakthroughs in medicine is an opportunity to prepare the next generation of medical professionals.

“Big issues like breast cancer provide a tangible motivation for undergraduates to learn about science in the classroom and participate in research in the lab,” Skildum said.  “And undergraduates are incredibly creative.”

Skildum and his students are testing a new drug that disrupts a specific metabolic pathway in breast cancer cells. If their hypothesis is validated, “this drug would represent an entirely new method to treat patients with triple negative breast cancer,” Skildum said. “I am certain that by training future scientists to ask creative questions, and then giving them the skills to answer them, that our steady progress as a species will continue.”

While Malmberg is still deciding on a future career path, the experience working in a research lab on real-world problems “inspires me to try new things and get into fields that have a lot of mystery and opportunity to explore,” she said. “Getting this experience and learning the skills that are common in lab settings has been really valuable for me in deciding what I'm going to do in the future.”

Undergraduates contributing to breast cancer research is just one example of how the University of Minnesota continues to drive innovation as Minnesota’s healthcare leader.