Inside the Internship: A Summer of Impact at LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center
For some, a love of science starts with a favorite class. For others, it’s something more personal.
For Alexis, who is now going into 12th grade, the spark was lit in 6th grade, when her father was diagnosed with colon cancer. Watching him recover ignited a deep curiosity not just about cancer itself but about the science behind the treatments that saved his life. By high school, she was hooked. Chemistry became her favorite class, and she began to imagine a future where she could turn her questions into answers for others facing similar diagnoses.
Then there is Elise, also heading into 12th grade, who practically grew up in the halls of hospitals. With a dad in public health and a mom working as a nurse at a children’s hospital, healthcare was a regular topic at the dinner table. But it wasn’t the stethoscopes that called to her – it was the science and research behind the scenes. From a young age, she begged to tag along to the hospital, eager to soak in the environment. She even, surprisingly, was delighted to get shots. Her parents nurtured that love of science, encouraging Elise to explore both the clinical and research sides of medicine.
This summer, their paths led them to LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center’s research internship program – where passion meets purpose in the labs, clinics, and conversations that make up our mission.
Inside the Lab: Exploring the Science Behind Cancer Cell Behavior
While this was Alexis’s second summer interning with Dr. Kelly Jean Sherman, Assistant Professor of Research at LSU Health New Orleans, it was Elise’s first. While they were two slightly different experiences, both summer interns were deeply entrenched in hands-on cancer research focusing on how oral cancer cells behave differently depending on their HPV status – a key factor in how patients respond to treatment and their long-term outcomes.
“I work a lot with voltage-gated sodium channels in two oral cancer cell lines – one HPV-positive and one HPV-negative,” explains Alexis. “In recent studies, it has been shown that HPV-positive cancers have a better survival rate than HPV-negative cancers.”
Alexis used a process called antibody staining, where proteins are highlighted with fluorescent markers and viewed under a microscope. By observing how these proteins are expressed and how the cells grow or migrate, she helped uncover clues about what might make some cancers more aggressive than others.
Meanwhile, Elise focused on how those same cancer cells move under different conditions – specifically, how they respond to high vs. low glucose environments. She spent her time culturing cells and running invasion assays, where cells are placed in a gel-like medium that mimics the body’s extracellular matrix (proteins and other molecules that surround cells and tissues in the body). These experiments allowed her to track how far and fast the cells move, giving insight into how tumors might behave in the body and why HPV-positive cancers tend to have better prognoses.
“We’re kind of working on very similar things, but we’re testing it out in different ways,” Elise explains.
Together, their work contributes to a better understanding of how cancers spread and what factors may drive those differences – an essential step toward more targeted, effective treatments.
Summer Highlights: Small Wins, Big Impact
For both Alexis and Elise, the most rewarding moments this summer weren’t flashy. They were hard-earned victories after weeks of persistence in the lab.
For Alexis, the challenge was troubleshooting a protocol that wasn’t working with the two oral cancer cell lines she was studying. Countless adjustments later, she finally captured clear, usable images under the microscope.
“When we finally got good images, I was so happy. That was one of the best moments of my life,” Alexis recalls.
For Elise, it was all about growth – literally. After struggling to grow the more finicky HPV-positive cells, she checked the count one day and found 4 million cells per milliliter with 90% viability. This was a huge milestone.
“Basically, they were all alive. I was just so happy,” Elise says. “I thought, ‘Everything's alive, everything's good.’”
In science, progress is often measured in tiny details. For Alexis and Elise, those details made all the difference both in their research and their summer experiences.
Lessons Beyond the Lab
While Alexis and Elise gained valuable research experience this summer, what they walked away with went far beyond lab techniques.
For Elise, one of the biggest takeaways was time management. Coordinating complex experiments, like capturing cell images at precise timepoints, taught her how to structure her day with purpose and efficiency.
“I needed to plan my day around it, which helped me organize my day better,” Elise says.
Alexis and Elise both gained a deeper appreciation for the tools and techniques behind medicine – insights they say will make them more informed and thoughtful healthcare professionals in the future.
“You learn a lot about the equipment, how to maintain a lab, what you need to do for your day’s work,” Alexis explains.
“Even if I don’t go into research, I still think it's important to understand, as a healthcare worker, what's going on with all of this. That way, you're better informed of what you're using,” Elise adds.
Whether it was mastering equipment, running assays, or problem-solving on the fly, both interns left with a deeper understanding of what research looks like in practice and how that connects to the bigger picture of patient care.
Inspired by the Inside View of Cancer Research
For Alexis, this internship didn’t just shape her summer – it shaped her future.
“This internship is what made me want to be a researcher. Before this, I knew I was interested in the science field, but I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do,” explains Alexis. “When I did this internship last year, I absolutely loved it. It was just one of those great experiences that made me realize, this is what I want to do.”
For Elise, time in the lab confirmed her path toward clinical care while deepening her appreciation for the science behind it.
“It only furthered my interest in the field. Ever since my first chemistry and biology class, I’ve always really liked microbiology and biochemistry,” Elise says. “Getting the feel of being in the lab was really nice, and it just made me more interested in science in general.”
Though their futures may take different shapes – one in research, one in clinical care – both Alexis and Elise are walking away from this summer with a stronger sense of purpose, deeper scientific curiosity, and a firsthand understanding of the work being done every day to improve outcomes for people with cancer.