Montana medical student receives national fellowship grant to research insulin
Student doctor, Jessica Alderiso has received a grant from Touro University to research the impact of plastic particles on the role they might play in insulin misfolding. Insulin is an injectable therapeutic that many diabetics relay on to keep their blood sugars in range. Jessica is mentored by Dr. Brenda Canine, a faculty member at the McLaughlin Research Institute and Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine-Montana Campus. Jessica began working in Dr. Canine’s lab last fall and the preliminary results were promising, allowing her to apply for a research fellowship grant.
As Dr. Canine explains, Touro University serves over 19,000 students at 35 campuses worldwide and even though Touro Montana is a brand-new campus, which opened in 2023, the partnership with McLaughlin Research Institute has allowed Jessica to do groundbreaking work in her first year of school. Dr. Canine sees this award as acknowledgement that great science and great ideas can happen anywhere. As someone that grew up in the poorest county in the north Idaho panhandle, 15 miles east of the Montana border, Dr. Canine has seen firsthand how access to healthcare impacts care. Her diagnosis at the age of 10 with Type I diabetes set the foundation for the work she does now.
Jessica, originally from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is passionate about patient care and is performing groundbreaking work that could help her future patients. After graduating college, Jessica spent three years working in gene therapy research in Philadelphia - cultivating a passion for medical research. Jessica’s goals to work with patients on their holistic health brought her to Great Falls to join Touro’s inaugural class last year. Under Dr. Canine’s mentorship, Jessica has been able to further grow her research skills and continue to pursue both passions. Jessica is very grateful to Dr. Canine, the Mclaughlin Research Institute, and the entire Touro University System for supporting this important research.
