Optional Supplemental Information

Name: Alondra M. Colón Vega

During my 2022 summer research internship at Purdue University, I truly understood the
patience and leadership required for a successful outcome. During my internship, I was
able to work with Triple Negative Breast Cancer cells from a past project published in
2018 by my personal instructor, Dr. Sulma Mohammed. I spent the first four-weeks of
my research project trying to grow these cells. Cancer being such a high-risk illness,
most of the cells that compose this sickness tend to grow quick, especially with strong
characteristics such as Triple Negative Breast Cancer. So, with barely any cell growth
after planting these Triple Breast Negative Cancer cells, I became worried. These cells
were retrieved directly from my Dr. Mohammed’s laboratory, meaning they held a high
importance for my research project and overall laboratory. So, these not growing was a
significant halt for my research project and could affect my results at the end of my
internship program. Throughout the weeks, I was extremely communicative with my
personal instructor and graduate mentor, trying various methods that could allow the
cells to grow and hopefully attach to the flask. My team always went through a particular
philosophy: “Attached cancer cells to a flask means potential happy cells”. It is exactly
what we were looking for, attached cells to the flasks. I read through various research
paper to view different techniques others used when it came to culturing cells such as
Triple Breast Negative Cancer cells, committed to finding a way that could help the
growth of these. We looked at every aspect that could be a possible problem, such as:
infected media, incorrect antibiotic in media that could prevent growth, different
concentration of FBS in media, different types of media, and more. It wasn’t until one
day where we decided to not warm the media and use it directly taken out of the cell
culture refrigerator. Doing this could negatively affect most cells and throw them into a
state of shock, but surprisingly worked for our Triple Breast Negative Cancer cells! As
they grew, they acquired their adequate shape and live viability was more than fifty
percent. All throughout, I considered this as a success and moved along with our
project. Through all of this, I felt moments of frustration to not see results after multiple
tries, but it also permitted me to view the scientific field from another perspective.
Science is full of obstacles that could be worked and resolved through trial-and-error. As
scientists, it is important to know that we are not alone in the field of science. The
communication between my personal instructor and graduate mentor being a big aid of
teamwork that allowed me to see success in my research project.