Annual Meeting

Exploring marine science at the cellular level

Purdue senior will present her research at #DiscoverBMB
Oluwadamilola “Dami” Oke
March 21, 2023

How do you end up studying how stingray venom affects cancer cells?

For Karlie Tischendorf, it all began when a high school English teacher assigned each student to learn about and present on any topic of their choice. Tischendorf saw this as a blank check to satisfy her curiosity about coral bleaching. After a deep dive into this process, she knew she had to get involved in marine biology.

Karlie Tischendorf, a senior at Purdue University, has been studying the therapeutic potential of compounds in stingray venom.
Brooke Leuking
Karlie Tischendorf, a senior at Purdue University, has been studying the therapeutic potential of compounds in stingray venom. She will present a poster titled "Bioactivity of Atlantic stingray, Hypanus sabinus, venom on murine cell line" at Discover BMB, the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, from 4:30–6:30 p.m. PDT on Monday, March 27, in Exhibit Hall 4AB of the Seattle Convention Center (Poster Board No. 201).

Now a senior at Purdue University, Tischendorf started her undergraduate career as an aquatic science major, but after a few classes, she was unsatisfied — she wanted to understand marine life on the microscopic level. She shared her discontent with her mentor, and after reviewing the possible options and receiving additional guidance from her adviser, Tischendorf changed her major to biochemistry with a minor in aquatic science. She also has a second minor in Spanish.

In 2022, Tischendorf spent 10 weeks as an intern at the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida. Designed in partnership with the National Science Foundation, the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program gives undergraduates a concise and hands-on experience in real-world marine research. She worked with long-time Mote Labs researchers Cathy Walsh and Carl Luer on extracting venom from stingrays. It’s a challenging process; in other organisms, venom is stored in a gland, but stingray venom is stored in tissue cells in the spine.

To learn about the therapeutic potential of compounds in the venom, Tischendorf used a variety of assays to determine how it would affect cells isolated from a mouse with fibrosarcoma, a malignant cancer. While this project still has a ways to go, Walsh said, “The initial results are exciting and gave us the interest to want to continue going further.”

This is one of five research projects Tischendorf has worked on as an undergraduate. Her advice to students interested in science is to find habits that work for them individually, be patient with themselves and beware of making unhealthy comparisons. She also advises, “Say yes to opportunities as they come up because you really don’t know where it’s going to lead you.”

When her adviser encouraged Tischendorf to apply to be outreach co-chair in the biochemistry club — even though she’d never attended a meeting — she followed her own advice. As a result, she met more peers and built meaningful relationships. To this day, she says it was “one of the best things that could have ever happened.”

Similarly, she said changing her major to biochemistry was “a shot in the dark.” But that shot led her to a plethora of experiences, each preparing her for her next opportunity. After her graduation in May, Tischendorf said she’ll take a gap year before applying to Ph.D. programs that allow her to delve deeper into marine ecotoxicology. She’s also been working toward her scuba certification so she can spend time diving around St. Kitts and Nevis as well as Turks and Caicos.

Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?

Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.

Learn more
Oluwadamilola “Dami” Oke

Oluwadamilola “Dami” Oke is a Ph.D. candidate of biomedical engineering at the George Washington University with an interest in communication and outreach for science advancement. She is an ASBMB Today contributing writer.

Get the latest from ASBMB Today

Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.

Latest in People

People highlights or most popular articles

Hope for a cure hangs on research
Essay

Hope for a cure hangs on research

July 17, 2025

Amid drastic proposed cuts to biomedical research, rare disease families like Hailey Adkisson’s fight for survival and hope. Without funding, science can’t “catch up” to help the patients who need it most.

Before we’ve lost what we can’t rebuild: Hope for prion disease
Feature

Before we’ve lost what we can’t rebuild: Hope for prion disease

July 15, 2025

Sonia Vallabh and Eric Minikel, a husband-and-wife team racing to cure prion disease, helped develop ION717, an antisense oligonucleotide treatment now in clinical trials. Their mission is personal — and just getting started.

ASBMB members recognized as Allen investigators
Member News

ASBMB members recognized as Allen investigators

July 14, 2025

Ileana Cristea, Sarah Cohen, Itay Budin and Christopher Obara are among 14 researchers selected as Allen Distinguished Investigators by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.

AI can be an asset, ASBMB educators say
Advice

AI can be an asset, ASBMB educators say

July 9, 2025

Pedagogy experts share how they use artificial intelligence to save time, increase accessibility and prepare students for a changing world.

ASBMB undergraduate education programs foster tomorrow’s scientific minds
Feature

ASBMB undergraduate education programs foster tomorrow’s scientific minds

July 8, 2025

Learn how the society empowers educators and the next generation of scientists through community as well as accreditation and professional development programs that support evidence-based teaching and inclusive pedagogy.

Honors for Gagna and Sundquist
Member News

Honors for Gagna and Sundquist

July 7, 2025

Claude Gagna is being honored for the diagnostic tool he developed that uses AI to streamline diagnostics. Wesley Sundquist is being honored for his role in finding that HIV’s capsid was a target for treatment.