Alejandra Bergquist

During my two years as an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Erin Adams’ biochemical immunology lab at the University of Chicago, I worked towards purifying various MHCs derived from nurse sharks to explore their molecular structure and antigen presentation. My contributions led to the successful purification and crystallization of MHC UGA, which was then sent to Argonne National Laboratory for X-ray laser processing. My honors thesis investigated the presence of distinct γδ T cell alleles, differentiated by their T-cell Receptor Gamma Constant (TRGC) regions, in human thymus and colon.

I am now applying my background in immunology to brain tumor research in the Okada lab, with the goal of contributing towards developing immunotherapies for glioblastomas.

Outside of lab, I love hiking, surfing, and water coloring!