The Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) gave him the chance to fully immerse himself in lab work. Indrawan joined the research group of biochemistry and biophysics professor Colin Johnson, whose lab studies a family of proteins called Ferlins, which play a role in cell communication, growth and repair. Misregulation of these proteins is linked to conditions ranging from hearing loss to cancer. “Our goal is to understand how these proteins work in the first place,” Indrawan explained. “By knowing how they function, we can hopefully contribute to further research on diseases like cancers, muscular dystrophy and hearing loss.”
SURE funding made a critical difference in his ability to focus on research. Instead of splitting his time between lab and a job, Indrawan was able to spend the summer mastering experimental techniques — from purifying proteins and DNA to cloning cells and running anisotropy experiments on a fluorometer. Ainsotrophy tracks how molecules move and interact.
“All of the different skills I learned can be applied to any molecular laboratory, so it’s very much universal,” he said.
The summer also brought a milestone Indrawan never expected so early in his career: authorship on a scientific paper. After contributing to experiments on otoferlin binding partners, he saw his name included among the authors. “I’ve read research papers all the time, but I never thought I would be in one, at least at this stage,” he said. “Seeing my name felt unreal and rewarding.”
For Indrawan, SURE confirmed his commitment to cancer research. Whether in graduate school or the biotech industry, he hopes to continue contributing to discoveries that will help patients facing the diseases he once fought himself.
