The following blog post was written by fellow UHPer and Fall 2024 SURE Award recipient, Simar Kaur (Neuroscience, ’25). Read on about Simar’s research and how she plans to utilize the SURE Award funding to further expand upon her experience!
Coming into GW as a neuroscience major, I knew I wanted to focus on the applications of my education in the real world. I was eager to know how neurotransmitters and neural circuits I learned about in classrooms were being uncovered and studied in laboratories. I hoped to combine the knowledge of my STEM degree with my interest in public health, aiming to uncover interventions assisting patient care strategies and program interventions. After meeting with various faculty members with projects in different neuroscientific fields, I found the Mendelowitz Lab, whose projects used mice models to study the intersection of cardiovascular health and the autonomic nervous system. I jumped at the opportunity to join, as I would conduct experiments that not only manipulate neural pathways, but also research statistics on how these conclusions can be applied to current public health crises.
My project was rooted in tackling issues contributing to the opioid crisis, specifically in finding alternatives to naloxone as the sole medication provided to patients experiencing an opioid overdose. The first phase of this project involved looking at oxytocin as a viable option to be used alongside naloxone to counteract opioid overdoses. We did this by eliciting opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD) in mice models, followed by three treatment options: control saline, exogenous oxytocin, and PVN-stimulating CNO to release oxytocin endogenously. We collected data on respiratory rate and minute ventilation for each mouse in each trial, and determined that oxytocin, whether administered exogenously or endogenously, had the ability to undo respiratory depression after administration of opioids.
The potential of these results doesn’t stop here. Now that we know oxytocin has the potential to counteract effects of the opioid overdoses, we can investigate its applicability to the real world. The second phase of this project is where the SURE Award comes in. During these coming months, my lab team and I seek to interview various stakeholders in the opioid crisis, from patients to first responders and pharmaceutical manufacturers, to determine current levels of satisfaction with naloxone, and attitudes surrounding a new alternative medication for opioid overdoses. With the SURE Award, my team and I can not only present results from our previous experiments with the scientific community, but can also purchase equipment to conduct our interviews, compiling reports on the viability of implementing oxytocin alongside naloxone as the first line of treatment.
Through my time in the Mendelowitz Lab, I’ve come to appreciate how tedious, yet rewarding, the research experience can be. I’ve realized the importance of learning from setbacks and unwanted results, and how to pivot from them; I’ve realized the importance of remembering why we start projects in the first place when it feels as though we keep hitting a roadblock. With the SURE Award, I’ve been given the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them while I do work with my team to contribute to the larger scientific and public health community.
Interested in applying for your own SURE Award funding? Find out more about the application process here!
