OHSU Knight Cancer Research Institute

Overview

I worked as an intern at the OHSU Knight Cancer Research Institute in Portland, Oregon, across two periods, Jul to Sep 2024 and Aug to Sep 2025. My work centered on cell culture, biological assays, and image based analysis in support of prostate and pancreatic cancer research, all of which depend on careful, repeatable technique.

Context

Cancer cell research depends on keeping cell lines healthy and consistent, and on generating data that can actually be trusted and repeated. Small deviations in technique or timing can affect results, so the lab work is as much about discipline and documentation as it is about the biology itself.

My contribution

• Maintained roughly 15 metastatic cancer cell lines through routine cell culture, sample preparation, and biological assays
• Sustained a CRISPR knockout prostate cancer cell line that showed a 40 times increase in proliferation relative to wild type, and documented results using Incucyte live cell imaging
• Assisted with murine surgical procedures and rat dissections in support of pancreatic cancer research
• Recorded and analyzed experimental data using Microsoft Excel and Fiji or ImageJ

Tools and technologies

• Cell Culture
• Sterile Technique
• Cell Staining
• Light Microscopy
• Incucyte Live Cell Imaging
• Fiji and ImageJ
• Microsoft Excel

Lab practices

• Sterile technique. Maintaining sterile conditions to keep cell cultures free of contamination.
• Protocol adherence. Following established lab protocols precisely, since small deviations can affect cell health and results.
• Consistent documentation. Recording procedures and observations in a way that supports reproducibility.
• Quantitative imaging. Using light microscopy, Incucyte live cell imaging, and Fiji or ImageJ to turn visual observations into measurable data.

Notable observation

Challenges

Working with living cell cultures leaves little room for error. Contamination, timing mistakes, or inconsistent technique can compromise an entire experiment, so a large part of this experience was building the patience and precision needed to execute a protocol the same way every time, across roughly 15 cell lines at once.

What I learned

• The discipline required to execute a lab protocol consistently and reproducibly across many cell lines
• How to turn microscopy and live cell imaging data into quantitative results
• The importance of careful documentation in research work
• Exposure to animal research procedures in support of pancreatic cancer research