David Dempsey, a senior biology major at Saint Vincent College, received an A.J. Palumbo grant to determine the role of telomerase, an “immortalizing” protein.  He wrote the following about his research:
 
“A normal cell will only divide a genetically determined number of times until it becomes sentient.  It is a well-known fact, however, that a cancer cell is immortalized, thereby continuously dividing.  There are several chemicals that can cause this type of mutation in a cell, and acrylamide is one of these chemicals, known as carcinogens.  My senior research project entitled ‘The Effect of Acrylamide on Human Cells and Their Expression of Telomerase’ hypothesized that acrylamide, a proposed carcinogen, causes genetic mutations in human cells that cause normal cells to express telomerase and become cancer cells.  I tested his hypothesis by culturing human cells in media that contained acrylamide and then subjected the cells to the telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assay.  It is my belief, that through the study of acrylamide and the reactions of telomerase, I will discover the effect of acrylamide on the human body, and explore the role of telomerase in the development of cancer.”
 
He has been accepted by Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Philadelphia and hopes to become a pediatrician.