Undergraduate Research & Scholarships

Ryan Wang

Evolution of horizontally transferred anti-parasitoid toxins

Drosophila species are excellent models for the animal immune system. This summer, I will finish my current work investigating the evolution of the innate immunity Prophenoloxidase gene family. Then, I will build on previous work in our lab with a new project: building new DNA constructs to identify essential regulatory elements of D. ananassae’s horizontally transferred fusionB toxin, a recently discovered component of the fly innate immune system. These experiments will help illuminate how horizontally transferred genes are incorporated into existing animal gene regulation networks and, more broadly, better our understanding of how innate immunity tackles animal parasites, a large gap in the field.

Message To Sponsor

Thank you so much for your support of this project. I am grateful for this opportunity to research over the summer, allowing me to pursue my scientific passions. Through your support, I can continue my exploration of genetics and evolution and better my understanding of science overall. Thank you for your generosity and belief in the value of undergraduate research.