Cal State Long Beach graduate student Melissa Kaye Jones recently received the 2012 Don Eden Graduate Student Research Award for her work with fruit fly genes that may provide a link to diabetes research.
Jones used fruit flies as a model organism because the genome has been sequenced, which allows for comparisons to be drawn to human genes and human disorders, such as diabetes.
She said she hopes her research can be used to model diabetic states by establishing that fruit flies have an enzyme called myo-inositol oxygenase (MIOX), which helps break down the sugar myo-inositol that plays an essential role in various biological processes.
The MIOX gene is known to exist in mice, but this is the first study regarding the gene in fruit flies.
“[The study involves] a gene in fruit flies that codes for a protein which is 54 percent identical to the mouse oxygenase (MIOX) protein and contains a number of features known to play a role in the functioning of the MIOX protein,” Jones said.
Jones earned her bachelor’s degree in cell and molecular biology with a certificate in biotechnology, and is now working on her master’s degree in biology.
“Research never goes as smoothly as you would like it to, but you take the bad with the good and keep going,” Jones said.
However, she overcame troublesome days by getting help from her peers in the lab.
“The members of our lab are very supportive,” Jones said. “We acknowledge the hard work it takes to conduct research and everyone is always willing to help each other.”
Jones is currently applying for Ph.D. programs. After completing her education, Jones said she hopes to become a biomedical researcher, studying gene translational research.
The Don Eden Graduate Student Research Award recognizes graduate students in the Cal State University who are involved in biotechnology-related research, which covers topics in cellular, molecular, chemical and physical life science studies. The maximum award amount is $1,750.
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