One year ago, I was halfway through my first semester of college. I had failed my first multivariable calculus midterm, was doing mediocre in organic chemistry, and spent most of my time (outside of classes) hunched over the desk in…

I press down on the plunger with my thumb, dispensing all the mustard yellow pipette tips into a biohazard waste bag. It’s satisfying when all twelve tips from the multichannel pipette land in the bag; sometimes, one or two stray…

Two years ago, I was being wheeled into the operating room. Goosebumps lined my arms and I shivered, even though the nurses piled blankets on top of me.

Recently, I came across this news release from the FDA, where as of April 2025, the agency declared it would be phasing out animal testing for monoclonal antibodies (man-made proteins meant to stimulate the immune system) and other drugs.

I’m writing this post after reading this article from the Harvard Gazette, which discussed how the first personalized gene therapy was developed for a newborn baby with severe CPS1 deficiency, a rare genetic disorder that causes buildup of ammonia in…