{"id":16168,"date":"2020-08-17T12:18:46","date_gmt":"2020-08-17T16:18:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biology.mit.edu\/?page_id=16168"},"modified":"2022-10-25T14:32:38","modified_gmt":"2022-10-25T18:32:38","slug":"profile-diego-detres","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/biology.mit.edu\/outreach\/msrpbio\/msrp-testimonials\/profile-diego-detres\/","title":{"rendered":"Profile: Diego Detr\u00e9s"},"content":{"rendered":"

Solving molecular mysteries<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Person<\/p>\n

Diego Detr\u00e9s spent the summer probing protein function and collaborating with MIT researchers remotely from his home in Puerto Rico.<\/h3>\n

Raleigh McElvery<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

When he was young, Diego Detr\u00e9s wanted to become a magician in order to learn the tricks of the trade and transform enigma into fact. Now a fourth-year industrial microbiology major at University of Puerto Rico at Mayag\u00fcez, he\u2019s on track to become a researcher while chasing a similar aim. To Detr\u00e9s, the complex biological processes that continue to stump researchers are akin to acts of magic \u2014 although deciphering them is much more complicated than pulling a rabbit out of a hat. As a participant in MIT’s Summer Research Program in Biology\u00a0<\/a>(MSRP-Bio), he\u2019s getting closer to parsing the mechanisms behind molecular mysteries.<\/p>\n

After his magician phase but before developing an affinity for biology, Detr\u00e9s was on track to become a professional boxer in Puerto Rico. In high school, he spent hours each night reading about nutrition to supplement his training. Before long, he found himself entranced by the intricacies of the metabolic processes that allow cells to convert food into energy.<\/p>\n

At the University of Puerto Rico at Mayag\u00fcez, he wanted to continue exploring biology and focus on medicine. \u201cMy plan was to become a doctor, because I thought that\u2019s what you do with a biology degree,\u201d he says. \u201cIt also seemed like the best way to make an impact on people\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Detr\u00e9s\u2019 first semester was cut short when hurricane Maria tore through Puerto Rico in September 2017. His spring classes were canceled as the island reeled in the aftermath, so he joined a relief project headed by his university to bring help and legal aid to local communities. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t scientific research, but it did show me that understanding a problem is critical to finding an effective solution,\u201d he recalls. \u201cIt also allowed me to explore other ways in which I could impact other people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Group
Detr\u00e9s (third from left) and his undergraduate research mentor, Carlos R\u00edos Vel\u00e1zquez (fourth from left)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Detr\u00e9s\u2019 first lab experience came the next summer at the University of Minnesota, where he studied the genetics of maize. That internship affirmed his interest in biology but shifted his gaze away from medicine and towards fundamental research.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really liked being at the bench,\u201d he says. \u201cI fell in love with working in lab and basic science. It\u2019s fundamental knowledge that\u2019s important for the building blocks of science; you might discover something today that will help a lot of people later on.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he returned home to the University of Puerto Rico at Mayag\u00fcez that August, Detr\u00e9s was accepted into the Maximizing Access to Research Careers<\/a> (MARC) Program, which is sponsored by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and provides research-related opportunities and a special science curriculum. He joined the lab of Carlos R\u00edos Vel\u00e1zquez, investigating novel antibiotic resistance genes within the gut microbiome of the Caracolus\u00a0marginella<\/em> snail, and helping R\u00edos Vel\u00e1zquez teach biology workshops to high school students.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe gave me a background in science when I didn\u2019t have one, and I want to do the same for other people,\u201d Detr\u00e9s says. \u201cI hope to teach eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n

In January 2020, Detr\u00e9s was invited to come to MIT for the annual Quantitative Methods Workshop<\/a>, a seven-day boot camp that introduces students to tools for analyzing experimental data. He enjoyed the \u201cfeel\u201d of campus, and decided to apply to MSRP-Bio in hopes of returning in June.<\/p>\n

Although the Covid-19 pandemic prevented the Institute from hosting in-person summer programs, Detr\u00e9s has been gleaning the MIT experience from his apartment in Puerto Rico. His days are filled with Zoom meetings featuring faculty and graduate student talks, group hangouts, informal exercise sessions, musical jams, and cooking classes. He was also named a 2020 MSRP-Bio Gould Fellow.<\/a> \u201cEven remotely, I\u2019ve gotten to know the MSRP cohort really well, and the faculty have been very interactive,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s been conducting research in Eliezer Calo<\/a>\u2019s lab for the past two months, running literature searches and bioinformatic analyses. Like Detr\u00e9s, Calo grew up in Puerto Rico and attended MSRP-Bio. Now, Calo is a professor in MIT\u2019s Department of Biology. His lab investigates RNA metabolism to inform developmental disorders and cancer research.<\/p>\n

Detr\u00e9s is focusing on a family of RNA helicases called DEAD-box ATPases, or \u201cDDXs,\u201d which are involved in every step of RNA metabolism. These proteins are conserved across many species, and contain a core amino acid sequence that helps catalyze reactions with other molecules in the cell.<\/p>\n

However, the Calo lab suspects that the less-conserved sequences near the ends of the proteins may be more critical for specialized function. Detr\u00e9s is investigating what it is about these terminal sequences that determines DDXs\u2019 specific roles in RNA metabolism.<\/p>\n

\"Student
Detr\u00e9s in the R\u00edos Vel\u00e1zquez lab at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayag\u00fcez<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This summer, he showed that DDX proteins are more likely to lack a stable structure near one end, known as the C-terminus, compared to other closely-related helicases. These findings will help the Calo lab better understand the relationship between DDX\u2019s functional specificity and its intrinsically disordered regions like the C-terminus.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of these proteins are essential for life, and yet we don\u2019t really know how they\u2019re involved in so many dynamic processes,\u201d Detr\u00e9s says. \u201cIt\u2019s been interesting to analyze already-existing data in ways that allow us to investigate novel possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working from home has been challenging to say the least. Not having the in-person support from his labmates has been difficult. On the other hand, spending so much time with his family has been enjoyable.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to make a routine for myself that allowed me to work effectively from home, as well as maintain my physical and mental well-being,\u201d he says. \u201cProgram activities also gave us the chance to be physically active and to interact with other students\u201d.<\/p>\n

Detr\u00e9s aims to return for a second summer of MSRP next year, hopefully in person.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince starting MSRP, I\u2019ve noticed a lot of changes in myself,\u201d he says. \u201cThe more I get into research, even remote research, the more I realize it\u2019s what I want to do. Science is not about being really smart; it\u2019s about being really curious.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Detr\u00e9s continues to follow his curiosity, the inner workings of the cell are becoming more comprehensible \u2014 but no less mesmerizing.<\/p>\n

Photos courtesy of Diego Detr\u00e9s<\/h5>\n
Posted: 8.18.20<\/h5>\n

Read MSRP Testimonials<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Solving molecular mysteries Diego Detr\u00e9s spent the summer probing protein function and collaborating with MIT researchers remotely from his home in Puerto Rico. Raleigh McElvery   When he was young, Diego Detr\u00e9s wanted to become a magician in order to learn the tricks of the trade and transform enigma into fact. Now a fourth-year industrial […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"parent":1403,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-16168","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nProfile: Diego Detr\u00e9s - MIT Department of Biology<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/biology.mit.edu\/outreach\/msrpbio\/msrp-testimonials\/profile-diego-detres\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Profile: Diego Detr\u00e9s\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Solving molecular mysteries Diego Detr\u00e9s spent the summer probing protein function and collaborating with MIT researchers remotely from his home in Puerto Rico. 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