Ashley Gilbert Named an Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher by the Society of Toxicology

By Chuck Carlson

Everyone remembers an Ashley Gilbert from their high school days.

“I was that kid who made the baking soda and vinegar volcanoes,” she said. “I’d mix glue with borax to make slime. I loved seeing how things happened. I have always loved chemistry.”

She has moved on from the ubiquitous baking soda volcanoes that have been the centerpiece of a million science fairs in a million schools, but she has not moved on from her love of chemistry.

Indeed, as a fourth-year chemistry major with a pharmacology and toxicology minor at Michigan State, it has grown and evolved and matured into a journey of discovery that she isn’t certain where it will take her.

Her interests have ranged from forensic toxicology to drug toxicology, the study of the liver and kidneys, and cancer research.

But it was a 10-week period last summer in East Brunswick, N.J., that may have solidified the direction and the research she wants to take on. After spending last spring in Dr. Jamie Bernard’s lab, Ashley was anxious to continue her research growth in a summer program.

“I told Jamie I really wanted to find a good research position for the summer,” Ashley said. “I told her I’d go anywhere, but I just wanted it to be the right fit.”

One of those options was MSU’s well-regarded and long-standing Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF). Another was a similar program at Rutgers University coordinated by Dr. Lauren Aleksunes, who had also been one of Dr. Bernard’s postdoctoral mentors.

She applied to both programs and was offered spots for both, but because of its emphasis on cancer drug toxicology, Ashley decided to spend the summer in New Jersey.

“I don’t regret it because it was a big step outside my comfort zone,” said Ashley, who grew up in Farmington Hills, Michigan. “My family is originally from Michigan, and I’d never really lived anywhere else. Not only was it completely different living on the East Coast, but it was also being away from home for that amount of time.”

It proved to be time well spent as she presented her findings from her SURF experience, titled “Hepatic and Renal Expression of BAFF and Granzyme A Proteins in Mice with a Humanized Immune System Following Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Treatment,” at the recent Society of Toxicology (SOT) Annual Meeting.

Along with 16 other students from around the country, Ashley was named an Undergraduate Research Award recipient by the SOT’s Education and Experiential Opportunities Committee (EEOC).

“I was very surprised and excited about the honor,” she said. “This was the first time I have been recognized for my research, and I felt incredibly proud of everything that led me to this.”

Ashley dove into Dr. Aleksunes’ lab, where the research focuses on BRGS-HIS (humanized immune system) mice, which are immunocompromised and can develop a human immune system that can offer research possibilities on various organs.

“It’s pretty fantastic what happens,” she said.

Her research focused on two proteins, BAFF (B Cell Activating Factor), which is involved in several autoimmune diseases, and Granzyme A, which is produced by lymphocytes, the white blood cells that kill pathogens.

She already knew that cancer tumor cells could trick lymphocytes into thinking they were healthy cells that should be allowed to grow. “That’s a pretty big problem,” Ashley said.

She learned that scientists have discovered that tumors stop growing if the communication between a tumor and lymphocytes can be severed. “The lymphocyte will be activated and attack tumor cells,” she said.

She spent her time last summer studying how BAFF and Granzyme A impact the liver and kidneys in humanized mice.

“My curiosity started taking me in the direction of if we inhibit these two proteins, what might happen?” she said. “Does the protein production cause more or less damage?”

She presented the results that answered that question at the SOT meeting and giving this presentation was a major step for her professionally and personally.

“I’m very glad that I took that risk in the end,” she said. “Even if I hadn’t been recognized, it was a big step for me to gather enough courage to apply. That is another aspect I am incredibly proud of.”

Ashley is now continuing her research in Dr. Rance Nault’s genomics lab, where she is studying liver disease.

“Ashley has been a great addition to our team,” Dr. Nault said. “She brings curiosity and a willingness to learn new things. It's been great to see her start applying different approaches as we explore liver disease.”

As for the future, she is considering graduate school and a Ph.D. in toxicology. And while she admits it’s a daunting decision, she does believe cancer research may well be what she focuses on.

“A lot of people in my life have been diagnosed with cancer, and that’s why cancer research has really stood out for me,” she said. “It really is what has pushed my interest in research. But I know I want to use my research to help people.”