Savannah Gonzales

Savannah Gonzales graduated from St. Edward’s University with a Bachelors of Science in Mathematics and Bioinformatics. She is interested in cancer biology and how genetics play a role in cancer recurrence. She hopes to attend a graduate program focused on quantitative biology and research computational and mathematical applications to biomedical problems. In the future, Savannah wants to use her PhD to be an undergraduate professor and conduct research alongside underrepresented students in STEM.

Research Area

Savannah works in Dr. Jessica Silva-Fisher’s lab, which focuses on long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) associated with various cancers. Savannah’s project is focused on Multiple Myeloma, an incurable type of blood cancer with a very high chance of relapse. She is currently utilizing locked nucleic acid antisense oligonucleotides to reduce expression of associated lncRNAs. She is also using RNAscope in situ hybridization to visualize and quantify the lncRNAs in patient samples and Multiple Myeloma cell lines. Her research aims to identify if lncRNAs may serve as biomarkers for Multiple Myeloma patients with high risk of relapse.