Matthew is a rising senior majoring in microbiology at Oregon State University. There, he works in Dr. Hannah Rowe’s lab where he studies interactions between the microbiome and influenza A virus that contribute to the stabilization and propagation of viral infections. As an Amgen scholar at UCLA Matthew works in Dr. Lili Yang’s lab in the department of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics. The Yang lab focuses on developing novel cancer immunotherapies by studying the mechanisms behind antitumor immunity. Matthew’s project specifically focuses on the effects of creatine supplementation on the cellular activation of dendritic cells within the energy-poor tumor microenvironment (TME). Previous research has shown that creatine is important for preventing an “exhausted state” in T-cells within the TME and that creatine supplementation results in decreased tumor growth in mouse melanoma models. However, the effects of creatine on other members of the tumor microenvironment is largely understudied. The goal of Matthew’s work in the Yang lab is to look for activation markers in non-treated, creatine supplemented and ATP supplemented dendritic cells in order to gain a better understanding of how creatine affects the cellular activation of dendritic cells and how it may play a role in disease detection and immune activation.