About TGen and Their Summer Internship Program

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) invited the Title V staff and STEM scholars on a tour of their research laboratories, which took place on Thursday February 2, 2011. The day started with a presentation of the type of research TGen is conducting and the various partners TGen is collaborating with to come up with personalized medicine for various diseases. Brandy Wells commented that in today’s society there is no connection between doctors and scientists and TGen is being active to bridge these two important entities. In theory, when doctors detect a disease they could have scientists research the patient’s tissue and come up with personalized treatments. This personalized medication will work for that disease and for the individual’s specific gene. Every individual is different and generic medication does not work for everyone. Insurance companies are acknowledging this issue and therefore are supporting the research that TGen is conducting on genes. The research is not only being conducted on human genes, but also on man’s best friend (canine). Through this research (Canine Hereditary Cancer Consortium) TGen is helping to find cures for many cancers affecting our pets and relate this research to the various diseases attacking the human population.


TGen has a location in Flagstaff which focuses on microbial research, such as solutions to combat Anthrax. At that location they also work on drug development. The tour initiated with a look at their super computer room and then we headed to check out the gene sequencer equipment. We also viewed new equipment that they were using to cut out tumor cells from healthy cells in order for scientist to conduct the research on the tumor cells and then compare it to the healthy cells. In all, TGen is a great place to obtain experience in biomedical research. The staff supports the interns and guides them throughout the process. I encourage you to apply to their summer paid internship program as it is a great opportunity.

TGen’s summer internship is called the Helios Scholars Program and it is a paid internship. It is an eight week program and the 45 students selected will work with a mentor-scientist for 40 hours a week and get paid $12.50/hour. Students gain knowledge in all aspects of translational research through laboratory / clinical research or in computational sciences such as bioinformatics, depending on the interest of the student. The TGen staff pairs you up with a mentor in an area that you are interested. Throughout the summer, Helios Scholars learn about the human genome, present their research to peers, attend seminars, social networking events and present their design a scientific poster for their program capstone at the Symposium. The application is online at: www.tgen.org/intern and it is open until March 4, 2011. Do not hesitate to apply, the sooner the better. Since it is an online application give yourself and whoever is doing your 2 letters of recommendation to have enough time to complete the form. If you are interested, stop by my office and I can help you through the process.