At BYU, data becomes discovery and darkness gives way to illumination. That light is magnified by the students and faculty in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology (MMBIO) who are working to bring hope to patients facing triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). This particularly aggressive form of breast cancer lacks the three external markers most treatments are designed to target, making it notoriously difficult to treat. For the 10–15 percent1 of breast cancer patients diagnosed with TNBC, the odds of survival can feel overwhelmingly slim, but MMBIO researchers are striving to change that, becoming beacons of light for patients who need it most.
Lighting the Path with Data
The Pickett Lab, an MMBIO research group, stands out for its innovative approach to tackling TNBC. The lab’s research is driven by a blend of advanced computational methods and a deep-seated commitment to improving patient outcomes. With every test the researchers run, the lab reshapes how this aggressive cancer is diagnosed and understood. Led by Dr. Brett Pickett and bolstered by dedicated student researchers Naomi Rapier-Sharman (PhD ’25, MMBIO), Mauri Spendlove (CELL ’23), and Jenna Birchall Poulsen (MMBIO ’24), the lab focuses on the analysis of transcriptomics, sifting through vast amounts of gene expression data to uncover the subtle networks of intracellular interactions that underpin TNBC.
“[The Pickett Lab] is mostly computational,” explains Pickett. “We go to government databases and grab a lot of existing data—patient samples with tumors and without. It ends up being just under a terabyte of sequencing,” he says. “Then we sequence all the mRNA in the cells, and we run that through the supercomputer and find interesting patterns. The goal is to figure out what’s happening inside these cancer cells, how we can diagnose them a little bit better, and how we could potentially treat them.”
Illuminated by Love
For Rapier-Sharman and Spendlove, their research carries a deeply personal significance. Shortly after they started to work on the project, both of their mothers were diagnosed with breast cancer. The parallel timing of these diagnoses created a shared emotional bond and an intensified sense of purpose in their work.
Rapier-Sharman recalls how difficult it was to watch her “superwoman mom” struggle to get out of bed, complete daily tasks, and face harrowing sensory side effects. “I watched my mom go through the pain and indignity of chemo and radiation therapy,” Rapier-Sharman shares. “These procedures save patients’ lives but at a terrible cost. Mauri and I both really hope that the work we are doing now will help patients like our moms to have better outcomes and far fewer side effects.”
Driven by this purpose, what began as a worthy scientific endeavor transformed into a personal fight to improve the quality of life for patients and spare future families from experiencing the suffering they endured. In this way, Rapier-Sharman and Spendlove bring light to the lives of those navigating the darkness of illness as they use knowledge and faith to pave the way for better treatment options.
Breakthroughs That Shine
After years of research, the Pickett Lab has seen incredible results. The breakthrough algorithm they use to sort through and organize data not only pinpoints critical biomarkers but also explores the repurposing of existing drugs, offering a glimmer of hope where traditional treatment options fall short. What’s more, the lab has been able to identify a 97.1 percent accurate biomarker for TNBC,2 which is a huge step toward gaining a mechanistic understanding of this condition that will aid in the development of future treatments.
Embracing BYU’s double heritage,3 Rapier-Sharman has become fluent in both the scientific and the spiritual. Her unwavering commitment to both disciplines inspires her belief that “a Christlike researcher knows that research falls short when it is not focused on the people it is meant to help.” This insight is a powerful reflection of her conviction that true research goes beyond theory and data, grounding itself instead in the compassionate desire to bring light and hope to those in need. The remarkable success of the Pickett Lab further affirms her belief in a benevolent and actively involved Heavenly Father; she knows His guidance was integral to their achievements.
The Pickett Lab’s brilliant research demonstrates what can be accomplished when BYU students honor both the scientific and the spiritual, combining academic excellence with Christlike collaboration. For those suffering from TNBC, the future is being infused with light.
2. Naomi Rapier-Sharman Mauri Dobbs Spendlove, Jenna Birchall Poulsen, Amanda E. Appel, Rosana Wiscovitch-Russo, Sanjay Vashee, Norberto Gonzalez-Juarbe, and Brett E. Pickett, “Secondary Transcriptomic Analysis of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Reveals Reliable Universal and Subtype-Specific Mechanistic Markers,” Cancers 16, no. 19 (October 2024). https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/16/19/3379.
3. Spencer W. Kimball, “The Second Century of Brigham Young University,” BYU devotional address, 10 October 1975. https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/spencer-w-kimball/second-century-brigham-young-university.