Student Spends Summer Advancing Research on Usher Syndrome
Biology major Brendan Creemer BA ’21 worked this summer as a research intern at Oregon Health & Science University. There, he helped research the problem of immune rejection caused by stem cell transplantation. The research could lead to a treatment for Usher Syndrome.
by Yancee Gordon BA ’21
“I thought my work was very productive and I was glad to have helped the scientists advance their research, even in the slightest,” said Creemer. “I am glad the progress has gone as far as it is, but I still think it has a ways to go to find a cure in time for myself and others.”
OHSU has been welcoming summer interns for decades to help with innovative research, but this is the first time an intern has the condition they are hoping to treat. Dr. Martha Neuringer, the supervisor of the program, said Creemer’s presence and diligence provided additional motivation for the research.
“I’ve been working for many years on retinal diseases and potential therapies without that personal connection,” said Neuringer, a professor at the Oregon National Primate Research Center and a research associate professor of ophthalmology in the OHSU School of Medicine. “It’s all the more motivation when you know what it’s like for someone facing this.”
“There are times where I wish the research could be going faster, and that only fueled my determination to work as hard as possible this summer,” Creemer said.
A biology major at Lewis & Clark, the Palo Alto, California, native felt well prepared for this internship opportunity. As he continues his studies, he has found similarities in the work he does on campus and that he completed during his internship.
“I was inspired to go down this path in high school, and I felt really prepared for my work at the internship thanks to my classes at Lewis & Clark.”
