Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common eye disease that can result in progressive loss of vision. While AMD typically affects older adults, a specific rare type of AMD called Malattia Leventinese/Doyne honeycomb retinal dystrophy (ML/DHRD) can appear as early as the teenage years. Although ML/DHRD is rare, its study may provide insights into broader mechanisms of retinal degeneration, which could benefit millions affected by AMD.  

While the genetic cause of ML/DHRD is known, there have been no small molecule inhibitors identified that reduce the production of the disease-causing protein. However, researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and the University of Minnesota recently published a paper that describes a small-molecule inhibitor that addresses the primary pathology of ML/DHRD. In the paper, titled “GSK3 inhibition reduces ECM production and prevents age-related macular degeneration-like pathology,” the team used CRISPR-engineered cell lines to study production of the disease-causing protein in response to treatment with inhibitors. The work was supported by the Promega Academic Access Program, which helped defray the costs of needed reagents. Their results point to future strategies for developing therapeutics at the currently incurable disease.

On September 25, Promega Research Scientist David Mokry addressed a full audience at the International Symposium on Human Identification. The event brings together people from the forensic DNA industry – criminalists, analysts, lab directors and more – eager to learn about advancements in the field. Over the next 20 minutes, David unveiled a novel enzyme designed to tackle a challenge that has plagued DNA forensics for decades.

Known as “Reduced Stutter Polymerase,” the new enzyme virtually eliminates confounding stutter artifacts in forensic DNA analysis. When incorporated into STR analysis kits, it will dramatically simplify mixed sample deconvolution and help forensic analysts generate accurate profiles of multiple contributors. This technology is the result of years of collaboration between the Genetic Identity R&D Group and the Advanced Technology Group at Promega.

Here’s how they did it, and why it’s so important.

Internships at Promega aren’t about getting coffee for your boss or shredding thousands of old papers. Promega interns take responsibility for complex projects that create notable impacts for their teams, our customers, or Promega as a whole.

Promega hosted 56 interns over the summer in 2024. These students came with unique skills in science, engineering, marketing, IT and so much more. We asked several of them to write about the work they did, as well as the results and benefits they created.

If she weren’t working at Promega, Evie Zadzilka probably would’ve spent the summer after high school graduation taking summer classes before reporting to her freshman year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She runs a small art business, and she might’ve spent more time taking commissions.

Instead, Evie spent the summer before college as an intern in Promega R&D, honing her pipetting skills as she learns about primer design and contributing to the development of a new Promega assay.

“I’ve had a great time,” she says. “I’ll definitely take a lot with me from this experience. I’m so glad I got to do it.”

Evie and her fellow intern Tess Clark were the two high school-aged interns placed at Promega through a relationship with a Madison-based nonprofit called Maydm. This organization helps girls and youth of color in grades 6-12 prepare for careers in STEM by providing educational opportunities and experiences. Through school and summer programs, they strive to disrupt systemic barriers by empowering students like Evie to pursue their dreams as entrepreneurs, developers, engineers and more.

“This will really boost my confidence when I get into lab work next year,” Evie says.

High School Internships at Promega

During their senior year of high school, Tess and Evie were both enrolled in dual-credit courses through Madison College. These classes made them eligible to apply for a high school internship through Maydm.

“I’ve been interested in research for a very long time,” says Tess, another recent school graduate preparing to enter the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “I’m going to major in physics next year, and I don’t have many ties to the biotechnology or chemistry I’ve worked with at Promega. But I wanted hands-on lab experience, so that’s how I ended up here.”

Earlier this summer, Promega Madison welcomed three rising researchers from Europe for an immersive experience on the company’s main campus. Alexandre Lalande (PhD student, International Center for Infectiology Research, France), Margaux Cochard (Post-Doc, University of the Littoral Opal Coast, France) and Emmanuel Heilman (Post-Doc, Medical University of Innsbruck) were selected as Young Researcher Award winners by Promega France and Promega Germany. Their prize trip to the United States included tours of Promega facilities, conversations with Promega leaders and research scientists and hands-on training with emerging technologies.

“It’s really interesting to see how Promega manages to find harmony between the science, the people and the business,” Alexandre says. “When you arrive here you immediately feel comfortable.”

Meeting Industry Scientists

Alexandre says that he has always imagined himself working in academia doing basic research, but he never totally ruled out opportunities in industry.