NYC Chronicles (Week 5): Slow and Steady Wins the Race

During my immersion term this week, I continued to make some progress on my project regarding the characterization of autosomal dominant polycystic disease (ADPKD) in male subjects. Once again, the goal of my project is to determine if there is a genetic link between dilated seminal vesicles lumen diameter and ADPKD, and to establish if enlarged seminal vesicles can be used as an early prognostic measurement to predict the severity of patients afflicted with this inherited disease. So far, I’ve been working with Dr. Prince and his research assistant, to collect, organize, and analyze the MR data that we received from each case. Although this has been an extremely tedious process, Dr. Prince’s enthusiasm about the bigger picture and impact of our research makes it more enjoyable. Initially, I had great difficultly locating the seminal vesicles of our cases on the MR scans, however with Dr. Prince guidance and a lot of practice, I have not only been able to locate them more efficiently but I’ve also been able to measure the lumen diameter and volume of the seminal vesicles in our ADPKD cases, independently. In the remaining 2 weeks of this summer program, I hope help Dr. Prince collect and analyze more data and continue to improve in interpreting MR images. 

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