Using rats as laboratory subjects, Robyn's Summer Scholar project focuses on the antioxidant ability of tannins, which could be helpful in cancer prevention because oxidative damage in the body is believed to cause heart disease and cancer. As the only undergraduate working on this project for professor Ann Hagerman, Robyn had the opportunity to work more independently than she had before. Although this project was selected by her mentor, Robyn says that it wasn't hard to stay motivated knowing that it was necessary to have a complete understanding of the research in order to explain and present it to faculty and students for her capstone. Before the study began, Robyn had to perfect one of the tests performed on the blood samples using DNPH Assay. The DNPH Assay reacts with carbonyls but Robyn needed to determine the pH of the Assay touse.
Carbonyls are biproducts of oxidative damage to proteins.
Thus, analyzing the carbonyls reveals the amount of oxidative damage. Besides Robyn's test, two other tests will be performed later to test both antioxidant levels and damage to lipids. From her work thus far, Robyn believes that tannins have antioxidant ability, confirming her hypothesis. More tests will have to be done, and the experiment repeated for a more definitive conclusion. Robyn's future goals include going to medical school, or to graduate school to become a Physician's Assistant.