Junior Biology major Madison Johnson has dedicated her undergraduate degree to advancing cancer treatment.
Johnson currently works with Antonio Gomez, assistant professor of Biology, to study how a gene-editing tool can activate certain genes in a strand of DNA to rapidly grow cancer cell suppressants, helping those predisposed to cancer. This past summer, she interned at the German Cancer Research Center and studied cancer epigenomics. Johnson said she likes knowing that her research can have a broad impact on the community.
“I always have people come up to me and they’ll tell me their stories about themselves or their family members or someone they know that’s had cancer and how appreciative they are that I am doing the research,” Johnson said. “There’s a whole team of scientists out there who are working toward finding a cure.”
Johnson balances cancer research with her position as president of the Pre-Medical Club, membership in the Pi Beta Phi sorority and her job as a teaching assistant. Despite her busy schedule, she said her desire to work in research during her undergraduate degree and her reliance on her faith propels her forward.
Cancer Research in Germany
After studying abroad for the spring semester in Heidelberg, Germany, Johnson said she decided she wanted to stay for the summer.
Johnson eagerly started seeking out internships in Heidelberg and eventually found the German Cancer Research Center.
“It was kind of amazing the way it all fell in place,” Johnson said. “I couldn’t say no.”
Johnson said she was able to work with the Pepperdine Heidelberg staff to stay in Moore Haus during her internship.
Johnson said the German Cancer Research Center community felt very similar to the Pepperdine community, making her feel comfortable in her new environment.
The community at the research center was very willing to teach her, Johnson said.
“Everyone was just so welcoming and caring,” Johnson said.
During this internship, Dr. Ashish Goyal in the Cancer Epigenomics division mentored Johnson and she said he was absolutely spectacular.
He guided her through each process and then she had the opportunity to work on her own, which yielded great results, Johnson said.
“We found that we were seeing activation of these specific repeats in the genome that we were hoping to see,” Johnson said. “We were seeing antigen presentation, all that good stuff.”
In order to move on to human cells, researchers first have to prove the experiment is safe and effective for humans, Johnson said.
This caused Johnson to work on mice cells to replicate the process of a successful mRNA vaccine experiment, she said.
m“That’s what we were successful in,” Johnson said. “I was able to do the drug treatments by the end of my time there.”
Gomez’s Lab
This cancer research aligns with the work Johnson does in Gomez’s lab at Pepperdine’s Malibu campus.
“We’re actually going to start a collaboration between our two labs,” Johnson said. “We might be focusing on kind of doing the experiment I did with the drug but except on breast cancer cells.”
However, the research does vary between the two labs.
In Gomez’s lab, Johnson said she works with CRISPR activation to activate a specific gene in cancer cells and cause overexpression. Overexpression is the switching on of genes in aging cells, according to Science Direct.
Overexpression of certain cells helps to cause a decrease in the cancer cell growth rate, Johnson said. Due to this process, Johnson has worked with molecular cloning and created a plasma system to help with the overexpression process.
“I’ve learned a lot of experiments and procedures in the past few years,” Johnson said.
Post-Grad
Johnson came into Pepperdine thinking she would go to medical school, earn her medical degree (MD) and become a physician, she said. However, her research in the cancer field has made her reconsider her career path.
“I’m still kind of deciding,” Johnson said. “I’m taking the MCAT [medical college admission test] this spring, so I’m giving myself the option to go to medical school but I’m also considering a PhD [Doctor of Philosophy] now.”
However, whichever path Johnson decides on, she said she wants to stay in the cancer research world.
“I know that still can happen with an MD,” Johnson said.
Friends, Loved Ones and Mentors’ Thoughts
Johnson’s friends, loved ones and mentors have nothing but praise for both her character and work ethic.
“She is always someone who is willing to step out of her comfort zone,” Gomez said.
Junior Izzy Koo has roomed with Johnson for all three years of her Pepperdine experience.
“She is probably literally the most accomplished person that I know,” Koo said. “But it’s because there’s a certain drive in her that really pushes her toward excellence.”
Koo described her roommate as ambitious, a light and a radiant person.
Taylor Johnson, Madison Johnson’s sister and high school sophomore, also praised her sister.
“She is definitely someone that always puts her best work forward,” Taylor Johnson said.
Madison Johnson is hardworking, loving and intelligent, her sister said.
Along with the hard work Madison Johnson has put in throughout her academic career, she is also a devout Christian, Taylor Johnson said.
“I think being here has really encouraged me to grow in my faith,” Madison Johnson said. “That really fuels everything I do and also is why I want to give back to the community so much.”
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Contact Mackenzie Krause via email: mackenzie.krause@pepperdine.edu
