Sandra is a Researcher in the Gill lab who acquired a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. Her research is focused on a project constructing and studying a strain of C. elegans that expresses the human SIRT 1 gene in a quadruple mutant background. This quadruple mutant consists of deleting four C. elegan sirtuin (sir) genes (sir2.1, sir2.2, sir 2.3, and sir 2.4) in order to study the SIRT 1 gene independent of any other sirtuin interference. The SIRT 1 gene is specifically the human homolog of the sirtuin 2.1 gene. After successfully creating the strain expressing SIRT 1 in the quadruple mutant background, she will be able to take the project in various directions to include: manipulating SIRT 1 to further test its individual function or to express the gene in various tissues. Outside of the lab, she is an officer in the MN National Guard serving as a Medical Operations Officer for the 2-135 Infantry Battalion.
