SEED/STEM program fulfills "childhood dream" for student interested in medicine

Mutanda Mutombo has been interested in science since she was young. 

Throughout her childhood, she’d longed for a chance to practice research with hands-on experience in a laboratory setting.  

Then, during her sophomore year of high school, a teacher told her about the SEED/STEM program available through the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI). It sounded like exactly the kind of opportunity she’d been seeking for years.  

The SEED/STEM program introduces high school students to research with hands-on learning experience. Students admitted into the program after an application process are then paired with research faculty who host them in their research environment while providing mentorship and guidance on a summer research project. 

“When I applied and got accepted into the program, I was elated beyond belief and knew the time had come for me to learn and grow beyond the classroom,” Mutombo said. “So, the SEED/STEM program is a program that has fulfilled a childhood dream.” 

Project SEED was founded in 1968 through the American Chemical Society, which sought to facilitate access to research and growth opportunities for students from underprivileged backgrounds. The program began operating in Indianapolis with a cohort of three students in 1972. The program has continued each year since, even during COVID when experiences were conducted virtually. 

In 2010, the Indianapolis program expanded the program (using the name SEED/STEM) to provide similar opportunities for students who do not come from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. This expansion has led to an annual summer cohort of between 80-100 students. 

Mutombo has participated in the SEED/STEM program twice now, spending her first summer working with Uma Sankar, PhD, professor of anatomy, cell biology and physiology at the IU School of Medicine. This past summer, she worked with Ann C. Kimble-Hill, PhD, associate research professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the school. 

This summer, Mutombo's research project was titled “Modeling the Structural Impact of Amot Mutations to Understand Mechanisms Driving Function.” The project’s main goal was to investigate the molecular interactions between the Amot coiled coil homology domain (ACCH) residues and phosphatidylinositol lipids containing membranes, which Mutombo did primarily through computational modeling techniques. 

Mutombo explained that 1 in 8 women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of their lifetime and the Kimble-Hill lab is seeking to address the critical health area through research into a family of membrane proteins called Angiomotin, or Amots. 

“Amots have been found to play a role in breast cancer by contributing to the regulation of cell growth, cell survival, and tumor progression by trafficking the related proteins to and from the cellular membrane,” Mutombo explained. “This trafficking function is related to the function of the Amot coiled coil homology domain, which is a conserved amino acid sequence to associate and remodel phosphatidylinositol, or PI, containing membranes.” 

Previous research found several amino acids that appear to drive the ACCH domain function, Mutombo said, and her project aimed to further investigate the molecular interactions between the amino acids that drive the ACCH domain function and phosphatidylinositols lipids, as well as phosphatidylinositol lipid containing membranes. 

Mutombo collected and analyzed data through a variety of computational modeling programs and performed hands-on work in the lab, but due to time constraints was unable to analyze all of the available data. 

Along with the science component, Mutombo enjoyed the social activities that are integrated into the program, such as spending Fridays having lunch with peers. As a group, students would share ideas, discuss their research projects, and generally learn more about one another. 

Mutombo’s summer concluded with the an evening poster presentation session, where she presented her research to fellow students, families, friends, and faculty. After graduating from high school, Mutombo plans to enroll in college and major in biology with a pre-med track. 

“This program has cultivated an even deeper love and appreciation for scientific inquiry and propelled me to continue learning,” Mutombo said.