AMSBIO and Penn State: Inspiring Future Scientists

Penn State’s CURE program provides hands-on and minds-on opportunities that bring research to the forefront of learning. Instead of carrying out cookbook laboratories, students dive into a real-world research project that tackles critical challenges in health, medicine, and the environment. This semester’s focus? Exploring the endothelial glycocalyx—a sugar-rich layer vital for cardiovascular health.

Students analyzed how various basement membrane substrates such as collagen types I, III, and IV, and laminin promote bovine aortic endothelial cell growth and glycocalyx deposition in cell culture. They employed the major glycosaminoglycan constituent of the glycocalyx, heparan sulfate (HS), as their maker of the glycocalyx using immunofluorescent microscopy and ImageJ.  Using AMSBIO’s high-quality antibodies and substrates with fluorescent probes, and technical support staff, they worked hands-on with technologies typically reserved for professional labs to give the students valuable insights into cell biology. They also worked on imaging using advanced microscopes from the Penn State Huck Institute of Life Sciences – Microscopy Facility.

“Our collaboration with AIMSBIO allows us to push the boundaries of what undergraduate students can achieve in cell biology research,” said Dr. McLaughlin.

As part of our commitment to mentoring future scientists, in addition to supporting the lab itself, AMSBIO also sponsored four Penn State undergraduate students – Benjamin Shoemaker, Farishta Faruk, Fiona Liu, Gabriel Roman – to attend the “Advanced Therapies Congress”. The students were chosen based on the passion for and engagement with science, to help them see what science really achieve in the real world.

Held in Philadelphia in November, this global event is dedicated to breakthroughs in cell and gene therapy. The students explored the latest innovations, met with industry professionals, and gained insights into the rapidly evolving biotech field.

“It was an enriching experience, allowing us to learn about cutting-edge therapeutics and connect with industry experts,” said the students in a joint (and heartfelt) thank-you email on the whole event.

We also know that Dr McLaughlin is keen for her students to be able to ask in depth questions to industry professionals, and we wanted to support that as well. Our Business Development Executive, Aisha Amari, took them out to dinner the night before to answer their questions about careers in life sciences to give them a real insight into what it is like to work in the industry.

“This was a delightful experience that gave insight into many intriguing aspects of the biotechnology industry,” the students added in their email about their time with Aisha.

Our partnership with Penn State is about more than providing reagents or conference tickets. It’s about inspiring future scientists to dream big, think critically, and make a difference. Whether it’s in the classroom, at a global congress, or in the career advice shared over dinner, we’re proud to support these budding researchers.

“AMSBIO’s support empowers our students with real-world experience and industry exposure,” Dr. McLaughlin said. “They leave the program not just with skills, but with the confidence to pursue impactful careers.”

Dr. McLaughlin plans to work with the students who have completed this CURE to publish their results in an undergraduate research journal.  Results indicate that collagen type IV with laminin yields cells with high confluency, a classic elongated morphology, and a greater raw integrated density value per pixel, denoting HS-IF signal, than the other substrates. These results add to the current knowledge base for optimal in vitro culturing conditions for BAOECs in conjunction with monitoring EG deposition via high resolution HS – IF signalling.

We can’t wait to see how these students shape the future of science, and we’re cheering them on every step of the way.

If you’re curious about the Penn State CURE program, check out their official article here.