Scholarship recipient continues OSU-Marion's tradition of research excellence

Ohio State Marion junior biology major Wesley Bush was named a Pelotonia Undergraduate Scholar by The James Comprehensive Cancer Center at Ohio State. The award is the seventh such honor since 2018 for Ohio State students working with Ohio State Marion faculty research mentors.

The Pelotonia Undergraduate Scholars Program provides a one-year research award to the best and brightest Ohio State University undergraduate students who want to help cure cancer. The scholarship pays Bush $12,000-$14,000 through the upcoming academic year to continue his research.

Research involves examining patterns in cancer cells

Bush is researching the fundamental mechanisms of cancer cells, providing a better understanding of how they operate that will allow the development of better drugs and therapies.

“My recent work examines how DNA damage repair machinery is altered or impaired in cancers,” Bush said. "I use large databases of many human tumor samples to identify patterns of damage. By determining these patterns, we may better understand mechanisms of cellular transformation and immortalization."

“My Pelotonia project expands upon this, looking for patterns across 600+ cancer-relevant genes in 20 animals over one billion years of evolutionary time," he added. "We know that some parts of a gene are resistant to change across evolutionary time, and we want to test if mutations appearing in cancers follow these trends. If cancers mutations follow evolutionary patterns, then it challenges the assumption that mutation in cancer cells is totally random. This will also help better identify unusual mutations or patterns that can lead to further research or treatment development."

The Edison native, who completed his high school requirements online through Ohio Connections Academy due to COVID-19 school closures, said taking part in innovative cancer research was not something he saw himself doing coming out of high school.

“I did not know that a career in research was even an option," Bush noted. "I became fascinated with this subject once I learned to think of genes as instructions for molecular machinery, as opposed to abstract letters in a Punnett square.

Passion for research, strong initiative

“I plan to pursue cancer research not only due to its massive humanitarian importance, but also due to its unique character because of multicellular life," he added. "There is still so much to learn about how our own cells work, even when healthy, and the understanding gained through the fight against cancer will almost certainly benefit other fields of science and medicine.”

According to Dr. Ruben Petreaca, associate professor of molecular genetics, Bush is an outstanding undergraduate student and a developing scientist with a passion for research and discovery.

“His drive to do science is easily in the top 5% of the students we have worked with,” Petreaca said. “One of Wesley’s strengths is initiative. He does not require much mentoring; rather, our interaction with him is more like the one between a fourth-year graduate student and their adviser."

Marion campus supports research efforts

Bush thinks Ohio State Marion has had a recent history of success with the number of Pelotonia Fellowships awarded to students because of the combination of people, facilities and availability of equipment.

“The principal investigators and staff at the campus are very patient and helpful, serving as excellent mentors for those who are new to research. The facilities are also excellent, allowing cutting-edge research to be performed in-house,” said Bush.

He went on to share that his decision to choose Ohio State Marion had to do with the campus having a good four-year biology program, its proximity to home and the overall value of the educational product.

“The small class sizes make it easier to communicate with professors and staff, providing a helpful and low-stress environment. The facilities are also excellent," he added.

Bush’s plans include working towards a PhD and could see himself also working as a college professor because of his love for many elements of the job. He said he plans to remain in the public sector, researching the fundamental mechanisms of cancer and cellular life so that others may use these findings to develop drugs and treatments.

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Ohio State Marion's Wesley Bush named Pelotonia Undergraduate Scholar