Not everyone can easily break down a scientific study into a bite-sized, easy-to-understand explanation.
Often, even the researcher working on the study can have trouble coming up with a succinct, easy explanation for the layman.
Tylertown native Latoyia Downs didn’t have that problem this semester. She was one of the top three finalists in the University of Southern Mississippi’s 3-Minute Thesis competition, which seeks to help researchers talk about their studies in an engaging and accessible way.
Downs was one of eight finalists who received $250 in the competition, and she received an additional $500 as the People’s Choice Award winner. The grand champion and runner-up received $1,000 and $750, respectively.
“I was kind of in disbelief,” Downs said. “I didn’t think I’d do as well as I did. There were so many people competing, and so many interesting projects. I felt like my research had paid off.”
Downs is a doctoral student in biological sciences, with an emphasis in molecular biology.
She began her undergraduate studies in biochemistry.
Her Introduction to Research class led her to switch majors to biology.
She has a special interest in public health, especially in addressing tick-borne diseases.
“I never really knew about tick-borne diseases before I came to USM, but once I learned about them, I was hooked,” Downs said.
Downs’ research is investigating whether ticks’ biological processes can be manipulated to prevent pathogens from being able to live in the ticks.
If the pathogens cannot survive in the ticks, the ticks cannot pass those pathogens on to humans. Finding a way to make that happen, though, is “pretty difficult,” she said.
“There are many processes involved, and if one of them is disrupted, others may pick up that function. My research examines what happens when you disrupt one process.”
Downs said she intends to continue as an academic researcher and become a university professor to continue her research.
Her prize money won’t be going into research, however.
“I’m going to Jamaica in June,” she said. “I need to take a little break.”
the three-Minute Thesis
“Imagine being robbed only to find that the culprit has taken your health. To many Americans, that has been the case. In the U.S., there are over 100,000 reported cases of vector-borne disease each year with over 70% of them being tick-borne.
“Ticks are hematopha-gous ectoparasites, meaning they attach to the outside of our body and drink our blood for a food source. Unfortunately, they have the ability to transmit a wide variety of pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and even protozoa.
“For example, the tick species Ixodes scapularis transmits pathogens that cause diseases such as Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, and the famed, but dreaded Lyme disease. There are many ways one can avoid a tick bite, such as pesticides, repellents and not going outside.
“With so many preventative methods, why is there still such a high prevalence of tick-borne diseases? It is because ticks are clever little pests and it seems that no matter the formulation of the repellent or pesticide we throw their way, they always find a way around it.
“Well, that is where my research comes into play. My research focuses on a tick physiological system called the Endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway. If you remember back to freshman biology, the endoplasmic reticulum is the site of most of the cells’ protein synthesis. My research has shown that when ticks are infected with a pathogen, genes involved in this stress pathway are significantly upregulated, suggesting that this pathway plays a role in pathogen colonization.
“The overarching goal of my project is to disrupt this pathway, which should disrupt successful pathogen colonization and disrupt essential protein synthesis for the tick, resulting in a potentially permanent solution for the control of ticks and tick-borne diseases.”
