You may have seen Morgan in your favorite yoga class, walking around the Life Sciences Building on her way to lab, reading a new book in the library or she may have served you a coffee at All In Coffee Shop.
As an Honors senior biochemistry major from Fort Mill, SC, Morgan likes being around like-minded people in the Genetics and Biochemistry Department.
“The Genetics and Biochemistry Department has introduced me to some of my best friends and has exposed me to so many of our incredible research faculty. My research mentors and professors have continuously inspired me to become a better student and researcher, and I would not be where I am today without each one of them.”
For three years, Morgan performed research in Professor Dr. Hong Luo’s lab, which is focused on transgenic turfgrass modifications in hopes of developing genetic lines that are less susceptible to environmental stressors like heat and drought.
“My primary role was in transgene containment to prevent genetic contamination with naturally occurring grass species, but the work that was published dealt with a miRNA that improved crop yield.”
Morgan has had many successes in Dr. Luo’s lab, even having a publication accepted with one of his graduate students. The article is titled “MicroRNA169 integrates multiple factors to modulate plant growth and abiotic stress responses.”
The summer of her freshman year she spent at the Center for Human Genetics under Drs. Trudy Mackay and Robert Anholt studying the genetic underpinnings of cocaine use disorder in Drosophila melanogaster. Morgan researched the effects of a multiple-day period exposure to cocaine in fly lines that were genetically predisposed to cocaine addiction.
“Coupled with behavioral assays that proved cocaine exposure led to adverse physical effects, my research reinforced the idea that prolonged cocaine use disorder has a genetic component.”
This summer, Morgan was granted a position in the Duke PRIME-Cancer program in Dr. Stefanie Sarantopoulos’ lab studying chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease, which is an autoimmune disease that can develop in leukemia and lymphoma patients that receive stem cell transplants. Here, Morgan’s focus was studying the role of the TLR7-IRF5 signaling pathway on the activation of lung fibroblasts, which leads to fibrotic airway diseases that are common in cGVHD patients.
“My experience here was great! I became close with my mentors and the members of the lab, and the program exposed us to so many great researchers around Duke. It was great to meet students from around the country with similar interests!”
When Morgan was named a Seifert Scholar the summer after her sophomore year, she began working in Dr. Kerry Smith’s lab, which is her main focus this year. Her research in Dr. Smith’s lab is centered on the importance of glycolysis in Cryptococcus neoformans, which is a primary cause of fungal meningitis. She has been working to identify biochemical inhibitors that target different steps of glycolysis to prevent their growth as potential therapeutic interventions for patients with fungal meningitis.
“I have identified Baicalein as a potential enolase inhibitor, so I am diving further into that and plan to develop an enolase knockout strain to confirm the phenotypic effects of both. I plan to apply for departmental honors with this project this fall.”
Morgan’s future plans include applying to graduate school this fall to obtain her Ph.D. in biochemistry or pharmacology, hoping to work in project leadership in the pharmaceutical industry. After her Ph.D., she plans to get her Master’s of Public Health to become involved in researching disparities in drug and medical care access in underserved and underrepresented communities around the world.
“My international travels have inspired me to gain work and research experience out of the country as well, so I will be looking for degree and training opportunities abroad.”
