Paige Omura

Associate editor for MIT Science Policy Review, Volume II, August 2021 article: "Reversing global biodiversity declines: Mainstreaming biodiversity conservation into decision-making at national and local scales"

Community and institutional coherent action at the global and local scales will improve strategies of avoiding catastrophic biodiversity loss.

The goal of the GHMHI is to provide MIT students the training to critically analyze the determinants of health and the role of medicine in society from cross-cultural, interdisciplinary perspectives. Professor Erica Caple James, Postdoctoral Associate Seth D. Hannah, and Administrative Assistant Brittany Peters of the MIT Anthropology Department are leading the initiative. My role was to research Global Health-related programs at other schools to understand their structures and objectives… Show more

The goal of the GHMHI is to provide MIT students the training to critically analyze the determinants of health and the role of medicine in society from cross-cultural, interdisciplinary perspectives. Professor Erica Caple James, Postdoctoral Associate Seth D. Hannah, and Administrative Assistant Brittany Peters of the MIT Anthropology Department are leading the initiative. My role was to research Global Health-related programs at other schools to understand their structures and objectives, then present my findings to the GHMHI faculty to propose a structure for the Global Health and Medical Humanities program at MIT. Show less

The goal of this project is to develop a magnetic nanoparticle technology with the ability to selectively locate and attack breast cancer cells that have metastasized to areas difficult to reach with current technologies, such as the brain. My responsibilities included the optimization of the iron oxide nanoparticle synthesis protocol and the synthesis of the particles themselves. I modified chitosan with PEG, nucleated iron oxide cores, conjugated biological coatings to the nuclei, then… Show more

The goal of this project is to develop a magnetic nanoparticle technology with the ability to selectively locate and attack breast cancer cells that have metastasized to areas difficult to reach with current technologies, such as the brain. My responsibilities included the optimization of the iron oxide nanoparticle synthesis protocol and the synthesis of the particles themselves. I modified chitosan with PEG, nucleated iron oxide cores, conjugated biological coatings to the nuclei, then adjust the protocol for future trials after analyzing polydispersity index and particle size data. Show less

The overarching goal of this project was to analyze macrophage response in endometriosis. We want to determine how macrophage phenotypes, specifically the wound-healing phenotype, promote growth of endometriotic lesions. The three main phenotypes we examined were classical/microbicidal (which fight infection), wound-healing, and anti-inflammatory. In completing experimental data analysis, we aimed to gain a better understanding of what causes endometriosis and how it can be… Show more

The overarching goal of this project was to analyze macrophage response in endometriosis. We want to determine how macrophage phenotypes, specifically the wound-healing phenotype, promote growth of endometriotic lesions. The three main phenotypes we examined were classical/microbicidal (which fight infection), wound-healing, and anti-inflammatory. In completing experimental data analysis, we aimed to gain a better understanding of what causes endometriosis and how it can be prevented.

My role:
• Isolated and differentiated macrophages from peripheral blood monocytes (U937 cell line, blood bank samples, clinical endometrial biopsies).
• Used sandwich immunoassays to analyze how each phenotype promotes the growth of endometriotic lesions via the different released chemical signals and marker proteins. Show less