Isabella Lawlar

When and how did you realize that you wanted to study Genetics & Genomics?

When I was 17, I was diagnosed with cancer and spent my senior year of high school in the hospital. My stay in the hospital drew my interest in the medical field. After treatment, I started school and majored in biology. When I took introductory genetics, I fell in love. After all but acing the class, I joined a research lab studying cancer cachexia and tumor effects on the body in melanogaster. The love I found for genetics and genomics has made my dream of pursuing graduate school an even easier decision.

Why did you choose the Genetics & Genomics Ph.D. program at A&M?

A&M is one of Texas’s few schools offering interdisciplinary and genetics programs. Having more research opportunities in genetics and genomics that are not restricted by field of study is a big part of what drew me to A&M. I am also excited that the GGEN program offers many opportunities to collaborate. Having a large support system and people to reach out to for help was something I was looking for in a program. Knowing I won’t be alone in this next stage of life has helped make this decision easy.

If you were free to choose anything, what research question/topic would you like to address for your graduate studies?

The project I was working on in my last semester of undergrad aimed to see if, in melanogaster, fat cells were detaching from the fat body and migrating to the site of a tumor. Evidence showed that fat cells were detaching from the fat body and actively migrating to the tumor. I was unable to move forward past this discovery before graduating. However, there are several questions that still remain that I would like to look into. These questions include: do the fat cells promote or inhibit tumor growth, is the tumor the only site of migration for the fat cells, and what is the tumor expressing to cause this? A significant interest I have in wanting to do cancer research comes from wanting to understand cancer expressions and how to suppress the cancer. Ideally, I would like to work on targeted therapies for patients, as not every cancer has a one-size-fits-all treatment.

Fun Facts:

What would be your dream job after graduation from the program?

My dream job would be to work at MD Anderson in the pediatrics department, focusing on research. MD Anderson holds a special place in my heart as I was a patient there five years ago, and ever since, I’ve wanted to be part of the amazing staff there.

Do you have any pets? If so, please tell us about them.

I have two adorable fur balls at home, Nina and Zoey. Both are rescue pets; my family and I couldn’t have it any other way. Nina is older, likely a terrier mix, and about 12 years old, but she has the heart of a puppy and is always ready to catch a squirrel. Zoey is a pit mix who is four now. She loves stealing our dad’s seat each time he gets up and is always ready to play with her enormous box of toys that she refuses to share with Nina. They both love to spend time outside sunbathing, waiting for squirrels to pass by.