Week 8: End of the journey

The summer's end is now upon me, and with it will arrives the conclusion of my incredible clinical immersion experience. Though there is a certain sadness at leaving the excitement of the hospital, the gratitude for being exposed to clinical research for the first time outweighs any negativity. For the majority of this week, I compiled and finished data analysis for my summer immersion project. First and foremost, the ImageJ analysis of nearly 100 images from ICG procedures, both 30 minutes ensuing immediate dye injection and 10 days follow-up, confirmed that ICG can detect significant differences in dermal backflow exhibited by limbs afflicted with lymphedema. Thus, we utilized simple formulas to calculate the sensitivity and specificity of these ICG parameters, finding that although ICG had much higher sensitivity than manual measurements, the specificity remained quite low. Perhaps in the future we can combine ICG with other corroborative measurements or even automate this process with AI. I presented these findings to the Mehrara lab for constructive feedback, and took the time to thank the entire lab and Dr. Mehrara himself for an amazing experience. 

While I will return to Ithaca in the next few days, I hope to continue the collaboration between the Lee and Mehrara labs, to combine the patient data from MSK with our lymphatic vessel chips at home. Above all, I can now apply an invaluable clinical perspective to any work I do.



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