By Kaitlyn Kupiec
@kaitlynkupiec
Julianna Faillace began her research with a personal mission: to better understand Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a genetic disorder that has been a part of her life since childhood.
As a senior biology major at Springfield College, Faillace’s research is driven by her own experience living with EDS. The condition affects the body’s connective tissues, primarily impacting the skin, joints and blood vessels. People with EDS can have overly flexible joints, unusually stretchy and fragile skin and issues with wound healing, as the skin may not be strong enough to hold stitches. These challenges inspired Faillace to dive deeper into the science behind EDS, aiming to contribute to a better understanding of the rare disorder.
“I actually have EDS, so that was why I was interested in the disease itself,” Faillace said. “But I was also interested in research because I’m planning on applying to medical school, so that’s a lot of research-based background that you need and it’s just really important to have.”
Faillace’s research centers on fruit flies, an organism often used in genetic studies due to its genetic similarities to humans. Specifically, she is studying a gene in fruit flies that is believed to function similarly to a human gene linked to EDS and some cancers. Her goal is to uncover insights into how this gene operates in the flies, which could lead to a deeper understanding of its role in humans. By exploring this connection, Faillace hopes to contribute valuable information to both EDS research and the broader study of genetics.
Her dedication and passion for this work was rewarded in April when she earned second place in the scientific poster category at Springfield College’s Scholars in Action event. This annual showcase allows students to present their research to the campus community.
In addition to recognition at the Scholars in Action event, Faillace was also awarded the Van der Beck Award, which is a grant given to students engaged in independent research. This award provided Faillace with funding to expand her project, enabling her to purchase additional fruit flies and conduct more extensive experiments. The grant came as a pleasant surprise.
“It allowed me to really do a lot more,” Faillace said. “It was really cool that the school had an award like that. I didn’t even know about it until I saw it in an email from the Dean.”
Beyond campus, Faillace’s research also led her to present at the Boston Area Drosophila Conference at UMass Chan Medical School this past May. This conference brings together researchers who work with fruit flies to share their findings and explore new ideas.
“It was definitely very nerve-wracking at first,” Faillace said. “I wasn’t sure what I was going into, but it was very cool to see all of the different people working with flies and all of the different projects that you could do. There were people studying sleep and cardiovascular things, and it was all education levels. There were people with their PhDs, there were grad students and there were medical students, which was really cool to see.”
Faillace is also looking ahead to her future after Springfield. The research she’s conducting not only contributes to the field of genetics, but it’s also preparing her for her long-term goal of attending medical school.
With support from Chris Abdullah, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology/Chemistry, Faillace plans to continue her research on the gene linked to EDS and other health conditions. In addition to continuing her experiments in the lab, Faillace plans to share her findings with the scientific community. She is excited about the possibility of presenting her work at more conferences in the future.
“For research-wise, we plan to continue to explore this gene,” Faillace said. “I might be presenting again, but we’re just going to keep moving forward on this project and see where it takes us.”
Photo courtesy of Julianna Faillace