Co-authorship is Silver Lining for Undergraduate Researcher
As a physiology major and undergraduate researcher, one of Eduardo Gamez’s goal prior to his May 2020 graduation was to finish his Honors College thesis, but the pandemic had other plans.
Gamez was a sophomore when he started working in the research laboratory of Sam Campos, PhD, an associate professor in the College of Medicine – Tucson’s Department of Immunobiology, studying human papillomaviruses. Under Dr. Campos’ mentorship, Gamez developed a research question for his thesis.
“His thesis investigated the late trafficking biology of human papillomavirus infection, specifically how the viral genome leaves the Golgi and travels to the host cell chromosomes during mitosis, or cell division,” Dr. Campos said, referring to the Golgi apparatus, which modifies and sorts proteins for transport throughout a cell. “This is a critical stage of infection, and Eduardo was investigating the role of some key host proteins and pathways in this process.”