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Malcolm O\u2019Malley and his mom sat nervously in the doctor\u2019s office awaiting the results of his bloodwork. This was no ordinary check-up. In fact, this appointment was more urgent and important than the SATs the seventeen-year-old, college hopeful had spent months preparing for and was now missing in order to understand his symptoms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But when the doctor shared the results \u2013 he had off-the-charts levels of antibodies making him deathly allergic to shellfish \u2013 O\u2019Malley realized he had more questions than answers. Like: Why is my immune system doing this? How is it working? Why is it reacting so severely and so suddenly (he\u2019d enjoyed shrimp less than a year ago)? And why does the only treatment \u2013 an injection of epinephrine \u2013 have nothing to do with the immune system, when allergies appear to be an immune system problem? Years later, O\u2019Malley would look to answer some of these questions while interning in the Space Biosciences Research Branch at NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center in California\u2019s Silicon Valley.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnaphylaxis is super deadly and the only treatment for it is epinephrine; and I remember thinking, \u2018how is this the best we have?\u2019 because epinephrine does not actually treat the immune system at all \u2013 it\u2019s just adrenaline,\u201d said O\u2019Malley, who recently returned to his studies as a Ph.D. student of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville. \u201cAnd there\u2019s a thousand side effects, like heart attacks and stroke \u2013 I remember thinking \u2018these are worse than the allergy!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Malley\u2019s curiosity and desire to better understand the mechanisms and connections between what triggers different immune system reactions combined with his interest in integrating datasets into biological insights inspired him to shift his major from computer science to biomedical engineering as an undergraduate student. With his recent allergy diagnosis and a lifelong connection to his aunt who worked at the UVA Heart and Vascular Center, O\u2019Malley began to build a bridge between the immune system and heart health. By the time he was a senior in college, he had joined the Cardiac Systems Biology Lab, and had chosen to focus his capstone project on better understanding the role of neutrophils, a specific type of immune cell making up 50 to 70% of the immune system, that are involved in cardiac inflammation in high blood pressure and after heart attacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe immune system is involved in everything,\u201d O\u2019Malley says. \u201cAnytime there\u2019s an injury \u2013 a paper cut, a heart attack, you\u2019re sick \u2013 the immune system is going to be the first to respond; and neutrophils are the first responders.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Malley\u2019s work to determine what regulates the immune system\u2019s interrelated responses \u2013 like how one cell could affect other cells or immune processes downstream \u2013 provided a unique opportunity for him to support multiple interdisciplinary NASA biological and physical sciences research projects during his 10-week internship at NASA Ames over the summer of 2024. O\u2019Malley applied machine learning techniques to the large datasets the researchers were using from experiments and specimens collected over many years to help identify possible causes of inflammation seen in the heart,\u00a0brain, and blood, as well as changes seen in\u00a0bones, metabolism, the\u00a0immune system, and more when humans or other model organisms are exposed to decreased gravity, social isolation, and increased radiation. These areas are of keen interest to NASA due to the\u00a0risks to human health\u00a0inherent in space exploration and the agency\u2019s plans to send humans on long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s exciting that we just never know what\u2019s going to happen, how the immune system is going to react until it\u2019s already been activated or challenged in some way,\u201d said O\u2019Malley. \u201cI\u2019m particularly interested in the adaptive immune system because it\u2019s always evolving to meet new challenges; whether it\u2019s a pandemic-level virus, bacteria or something on a mission to Mars, our bodies are going to have some kind of adaptive immune response.\u201d<\/p>\n
During his NASA internship, O\u2019Malley applied a statistical analysis techniques to plot and make more sense of the massive amounts of life sciences data. From there, researchers could find out which proteins, out of hundreds, or attributes \u2013 like differences in sex \u2013 are related to which behaviors or outcomes. For example, through O\u2019Malley\u2019s analysis, researchers were able to better pinpoint the proteins involved in inflammation of the brain that may play a protective role in spatial memory and motor control during and after exposure to radiation \u2013 and how we might be able to prevent or mitigate those impacts during future space missions and even here on Earth.<\/p>\n
Malcolm o’malley<\/p>\n
Former NASA Intern<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cI had this moment where I realized that since my internship supports NASA\u2019s\u00a0Human Research Program\u00a0that means the work I\u2019m doing directly applies to\u00a0Artemis, which is sending the first woman and person of color to the Moon,\u201d reflected O\u2019Malley. \u201cAs someone who\u2019s both black and white, representation is important to me. It\u2019s inspiring to think there will be people like me on the Moon \u2013 and that I\u2019m playing a role in making this happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
When O\u2019Malley wasn\u2019t exploring the mysteries of the immune system for the benefit of all at NASA Ames, he taught himself how to ride a bike and started to surf in the nearby waters of the Pacific Ocean. O\u2019Malley considers Palmyra, Virginia, his hometown and he enjoys playing sports \u2013 especially volleyball, water polo, and tennis \u2013 reading science fiction and giving guest lectures to local high school students hoping to spark their curiosity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
O\u2019Malley\u2019s vision for the future of biomedical engineering reflects his passion for innovation. \u201cI believe that by harnessing the unique immune properties of other species, we can achieve groundbreaking advancements in limb regeneration, revolutionize cancer therapy, and develop potent antimicrobials that are considered science fiction today,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n