Budget: $1550 – Chemical expenses for the various reagents and solvents acquired from and Fisher Scientific $750 – various chemical markers of melanin $75 – ethyl acetate (1L) $230 – trifluoroacetic acid (100 ml) $495 – Unforeseeable chemical expenses based on potential protocol modification $750 – Purchase of HPLC column from Sigma-Aldrich $6810 – Costs associated with use of mass spectrometry and high performance liquid chromatography instrumentation at Duke University $6750 – total cost for use of HPLC-MS instrument Reserved for four full (24 hour) days $60 – transportation to and from Duke University 8 days of round-trip travel (80 miles) $1315 – Attending and presenting at various regional and national conferences Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society (SERMACS) – Columbia, SC $80 – registration fees $375 – travel costs and hotel accommodation National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) – San Francisco, CA $110 – Registration fees $750 – Travel costs and hotel accommodation $4575 – Tuition and study abroad fees for the University of Otago Timeline: Proposed Experiences Proposed Products Spring 2015 Complete two CHM499 research hours. Become familiar with required laboratory techniques for the analysis of melanin. Read scholarly literature and write a review paper on the physical and chemical properties of melanin. Develop techniques for separating mixtures using SPE and analyzing compounds using HPLC. Establish the appropriate solvents for separating chemical markers of melanin. Compose a review paper on melanin for publication. Summer 2015 Depart for New Zealand study abroad at the end of June. Continue reading scholarly literature to remain up-to-date with melanin research. Further development of SPE protocols by analyzing preliminary SPE data collected in the spring. Submit melanin review paper to
Maintain contact with Dr. Glass to analyze SPE data collected in the spring. scientific journal, such as Photochemistry and Photobiology. Fall 2015 Take Biostatistics, Proteins and Biotechnology, Epidemiology, and Population Biology at the University of Otago. Complete 1 HNR498 hour while reviewing scholarly literature and proposing Honors thesis. Maintain communication with Dr. Glass regarding advances in melanin literature and any changes to SPE protocol. Successful proposal of Honors thesis. Development of reliable methods for isolating the chemical markers of melanin from skin tissue samples utilizing SPE. Winter 2016 Familiarize myself with laboratory techniques and establish detailed plans for spring research. Spring 2016 Conduct HPLC analysis with melanin-containing samples. Take Quantitative Analysis, Genetics, and Neuroscience. Complete 2 HNR498 hours. Develop protocols to separate melanin markers using HPLC. Validate HPLC methods at Duke. Present at SURF. Summer 2016 Continue research with SURE. Obtain tissue samples from Duke University to analyze with SPE and HPLC-MS. Quantify the chemical markers of melanin in skin tissue samples. Develop insight into the relationship between melanoma and the ratio of eumelanin to pheomelanin. Fall 2016 Analyze data from the summer and begin drafting a manuscript for journal publication. Correspond with researcher in Japan to verify accuracy of HPLC-UV results. Take Biochemistry, Seminar in Neuroscience, and Medicinal Chemistry. Complete 2 HNR498 hours. Present at the Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society (SERMACS). Develop further insight into the relationship between melanoma and the concentration of the chemical markers of melanin. Winter 2017 Collect final data needed to complete the project and finalize manuscript for publication. Begin writing Honors thesis. Complete 2 HNR498 hours. Submit manuscript to scientific journals such as Pigment Cell and Melanoma Research, Journal of Chromatography, and
Photochemistry and Photobiology. Spring 2017 Finish writing Honors Thesis. Take Advanced Biochemistry and Seminar in Biochemistry. Complete 1 HNR498 hour. Present at SURF. Present at a national American Chemical Society (ACS) conference. Successful defense of Honors Thesis. List of sources: (1) Whitman W. When I heard the learn'd astronomer. Leaves of grass 1900, David McKay, Philadelphia, 34. (2) Jemal A.; Siegel R.; Ward E.; Hao Y.; Xu J.; Thun M. J. Cancer Statistics, 2009. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians 2009, 59, 225-249. (3) Welch H. G.; Woloshin S.; Schwartz L. M. Skin biopsy rates and incidence of melanoma: population based ecological study. The BMJ 2005, 331, 481. (4) Jimbow K.; Miyake Y.; Homma K.; Yasuda K.; Izumi Y.; Tsutsumi A.; Ito S. Characterization of Melanogenesis and Morphogenesis of Melanosomes by