Student Researcher Awarded Acclaimed Fellowship

Undergraduate researcher Matthew Siegel was awarded a prestigious undergraduate summer research fellowship from the American Physiological Society. The fellowship offers a 10-week stipend to work in the laboratory of Taben Hale, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix.

“These awards are highly competitive,” Dr. Hale said. “Students from across North America compete for these internships. It’s a great opportunity for Matthew, and I am really proud of him.”

The fellowship provides Siegel a $4,000 stipend for 10 weeks, where he will work full-time in the lab. The fellowship also included funds to attend Experimental Biology, an annual research conference in Orlando, Florida, in April. At the meeting, he will present his results and abstract in poster sessions and will apply for an abstract award for undergraduate students.

“It was a huge surprise and honor to receive this fellowship,” Siegel said. “It was my first experience applying for anything like this and to be able to receive it means a lot to me.”

Siegel, who began working in Dr. Hale’s lab in December of 2017, is an undergraduate student at Arizona State University studying Biochemistry.

“Receiving this fellowship opens time up for me to focus on the full research process,” he said. “This includes having more focused time for analysis and becoming better informed, building technical lab skills, networking with other fellows, answering my own research question and presenting at a national conference. With this whole process being new to me, I foresee all of these opportunities making me a better research volunteer and helping me for the rest of college.”

Siegel’s research project is investigating the interaction between the renin angiotensin and the kallikrein kinin systems in the kidney. The renin angiotensin system plays an important role in blood pressure regulation. Too much of the main protein in the system, angiotensin II, can cause high blood pressure and damage the kidneys and the heart.

“We have shown that blocking a receptor in a different pathway — the bradykinin B1 receptor — actually protects against the damaging effects that angiotensin II has on the heart,” he said. “Specifically, my question will explore whether or not this bradykinin B1 receptor antagonist protects the kidneys against many of the damaging effects associated with angiotensin II-induced hypertension.”

Siegel came into this research with a general curiosity. During his first semester of his freshman year of college, Siegel’s honors contract with his chemistry professor required him to attend chemistry-focused research seminars. While nearly all of the science of the talks was beyond his understanding, it inspired Siegel to pursue medical research.

“I am very grateful to be in Dr. Hale’s lab. From day one, her guidance has been fundamental to my growth in research and opening up opportunities for me,” Siegel said. “Being surrounded by motivated and passionate people like her and everyone else in the lab every day has encouraged me to explore and challenge myself in research. I feel lucky to be here.”