Cedar Baik is a Research Technician in the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center at the heart of Jackson, Mississippi. He received his undergraduate education from Austin College in Sherman, Texas in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences. Subsequent to working with Hill-Rom in various hospitals in Dallas, he moved to Mississippi to pursue a Master's of Science degree in Biology from Mississippi College in 2016.
After his studies, he joined Cancer Institute of University of Mississippi Medical Center as a technician to work with transgenic mouse models of cancer, investigated gene mutations that elicit pancreatic cancer by conditional gene knockout via Cre-LoxP recombination system. Under the direct supervision of Dr. Azeddine Atfi, his primary responsibilities were generating the desired transgenic mice model via inbreeding and genotyping combination of 14 various genes using PCR electrophoresis. He also observed phenotypical abnormalities in mice and biopsied tissues or tumors in question for histological staining and analysis.
Cedar Baik's scientific endeavors continued when he joined the laboratory of Dr. Denise C. Cornelius of Department of Emergency Medicine of University of Mississippi Medical Center. Through his expertise in animal handling, he quickly acquired surgical proficiency in Reduced Uterine Perfusion Pressure (RUPP) model and (Cecal-Ligation and Puncture) CLP model which are the cornerstone models of Dr. Cornelius's research. He further developed his proficiency in collecting and processing blood and tissues for florescence activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis. Tissue homogenization and analysis via ELISA and Western Blot, collection of Bronchial Alveolar Fluid (BALF), and analysis of GFR via fluorescent sinistrin administration are few of his responsibilities in the laboratory.
