John Hopkins University - The Best Place to Study Oncology for Me

I found inspiration and guidance while was reading John Hopkins essays that worked, gained valuable insights into crafting this own successful application. I am a senior undergraduate student pursuing Biomedical Engineering, an Integrated Dual Degree course at IIT(BHU) Varanasi, and I am currently in my 7th semester. In the second semester, I was introduced to the subject of Biomedical engineering. Till now, I have explored many fields of study like Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Molecular biology, Tissue Engineering, Immunology, Bioinformatics. However, the two areas that evoked ardent interest in me were 'Cancer Research' and 'Computational Biology,' in which I have been performing consistently with A grades — having competencies in the above subjects and my past projects, enlightened my hunger to continue my research in this field further. My thirst for delving deep into these subjects, coupled with my profound ability for research in biological science, has inspired me to continue in this career. 

It was Molecular Biology and the very important Central Dogma, which I found so exciting that it changed my mind, and was ready to explore the vast areas of this fascinating field. I am also profoundly captivated by the world of intracellular signaling and its linkage with the cell cycle. The highly-concrete relay of information processed from the outside of a cell deep into its nucleus makes me wonder. It is interesting how the signal cascades function and how they malfunction, leading to cancer. The further we understand how a signal pathway works, the more proximate we are to be able to provide treatments and remedies for patients who suffer from diseases cognate to that pathway. My studies uncovered to me both a high research potential and significant growth in areas of Cancer.

Being born and raised in a remote rural village, 20 Km from India-Pakistan Border, district Jammu. Later, at the age of 13, left my home permanently to study another urban school, but these efforts and hardships paid off, as I stood, ranked in top 1% in JEE Advanced among more than 1.4 million students across India, which opened the doors for me to secure admission into the country's most prestigious college IIT. Being associated with a village-based community, I regularly share my personal experience, exposure to the youth who are still stuck in Indo-Pak's Kashmir issue. With the hunger, to achieve something big, I have confirmed my desire to become a researcher in the field of Oncology and to focus on Physical affliction. At this phase of my career, an international research experience was significant, which was the sole reason to apply at John Hopkins University. It was my first choice mainly because of two reasons first: I am very much fascinated by Dr. Brait's ongoing lab work. It is the exact kind of research that I was looking for, which fits my area of interest and second being in top world universities, with excellent research facilities that emphasize scientific exploration.

This fellowship would enable me to work on the proposed project at John Hopkins, which focuses on Mammaglobin 1 (MGB1) Gene, found explicitly in breast cells. MGB1 is commonly used for the detection of invasive breast cancer that migrates to distant organs of the body and forms a secondary tumor. However, the specific role of MGB1 in breast most cancers progression continues to be unknown; findings propose that MGB1 is a potent inducer of most cancers cell aggressivity. Till now, it is known, the gene is able to generate more than one form of MGB1. These exclusive MGB1 variants are observed in specific types of breast cancer cells. The project aims to find out these MGB1 variants having specific roles in breast cancer metastasis and disease progression, which will help to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern metastasis and disease progression. Since, Breast cancer affects one in nine women in their lifetime and is ranked number one most common cancer among Indian females by WHO. So, it is important to adapt treatments to the biological profile of the tumor also. The second part of the project which involves implementing various Deep Neural Network models such as (CNN, SOM, Boltzmann machine) along with the existing SE-ResNet module which aims to develop a method of analyzing samples of mammary tumors based on 300 markers analyzed simultaneously to facilitate the classification of tumors and therapeutic choice. The main benefit of this project will be to identify and test these markers, allowing this method to be developed in the future for clinical application.

I strongly feel that by attending John Hopkins University, I will find the right place to embark on the research journey into the depths of Oncology. I plan a career in committed research where I cannot solely use my educational background to attain my research goals; however, conjointly create original scientific contributions to my field of interest and mankind in general. My Future Goals mainly need to learn about cervical, stomach cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and liver cancer, prevalent among Indians because of our habits, lifestyle, environmental, and living conditions. I am sure that if I am provided with this opportunity, it will prepare me to fulfill my career goal in the direction of cancer research and offer treatments and remedies for patients who suffer from diseases cognate to that pathway. My ultimate career goal is to head a research laboratory studying Oncology. In addition to research, I am interested in the pedagogical side of a professorship, which will allow me to serve as a mentor and train the next generation of scientists. Earning a PhD. from Science University is the ideal preparation for the type of advanced research.

In conclusion, I feel that John Hopkins University will give me the right exposure, offer me the chance to go to some future propel courses and be the venturing stone to my career in research. I also believe that an international internship program is an essential step for realizing my longterm goals and I sincerely want to benefit both academically and professionally in the preferred fields of my interest.