Long before his time at ԱƵ, Jeff Arigo ’26, a John A. Golden ’66 Fellow, was fascinated by medicine. Through on-campus lab work and an internship at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, his longtime interest has developed into real-world experience in cancer research.
Arigo first dipped his toe into the medical research field in Professor Engda Hagos’ cancer biology lab, where Arigo has studied a cell death pathway known as ferroptosis since his sophomore year. His research investigates the relationship between ferroptosis and Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4), a transcription factor whose dysregulation has been closely linked to cancer progression.
“Many of my family members have faced cancer, which was a big motivating force for me to join Dr. Hagos’s cancer biology lab,” Arigo says.
Hagos’ mentorship prepared Arigo for his summer work at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital by introducing him to the research techniques he’d need as well as guiding him how to develop his own research questions and hypotheses.
“Dr. Hagos not only taught me the technical skills necessary, but through his mentorship, he helped me find a passion for research, driving me to always ask new questions,” Arigo says.
Upon acceptance into St. Jude’s highly competitive Pediatric Oncology Education (POE) Program, Arigo joined Dr. Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti’s immunology lab as a student researcher. There he studied the fundamental processes that define the innate immune system, such as cell death. The internship allowed Arigo to explore the same cell pathway (ferroptosis) he researches in Hagos’ lab but in a different context.
During his internship Arigo also shadowed a St. Jude postdoctoral fellow, learning new experimental techniques and receiving continued guidance on his capstone research project.
“Through Dr. Kanneganti and the POE Program, I was immersed in an environment where cutting-edge science and patient care come together, shaping how I approach both research and medicine,” Arigo says.
At the conclusion of the program, his report was voted as the first-place winner by the St. Jude postdoctoral community, a huge honor and commendation of his efforts. He notes that his ԱƵ research experience and hands-on mentorship were critical in finding his place and familiarity within the medical research giant.
Now completing his honors thesis under Hagos’ tutelage, Arigo continues to explore how KLF4 interacts with cell death mechanisms, shedding light on its role in cancer biology. He will return to the Kanneganti lab this summer, after which he plans to take a gap year and apply to medical school. For Arigo, the professional and personal development opportunities available at ԱƵ helped him grow from a student interested in helping others to an accomplished researcher at one of the world’s leading pediatric hospitals.