Can scientists print better cancer models?
How a KEYS intern from Nogales joined University of Arizona researchers using 3D bioprinting to improve cancer research.
Sadah Wise (pictured), a 2026 KEYS intern from Nogales High School, and graduate mentor Cason Hancock worked together on 3D bioprinting research in the laboratory of Alexander McGhee, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Arizona.
Deanna Rodriguez, BIO5 Institute
Before new cancer treatments reach patients, researchers need laboratory models that accurately mimic human tissue. Alexander McGhee and his research team develop 3D bioprinting tools that help scientists build living models, making it easier to study how cancer grows and responds to treatment.
This summer, 2026 KEYS intern Sadah Wise from Nogales High School joined the research team of McGhee, assistant professor of biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering, to improve the bioprinting process.
Working alongside doctoral student and mentor Cason Hancock, Wise prepared and tested hydrogels—water-rich materials used to support living cells—to determine which worked best for 3D bioprinting. The team also used the printer to create a University of Arizona logo, helping refine the printing process before creating more complex biological structures.
Sadah Wise prepares materials for 3D printing under the guidance of faculty mentor Alexander McGhee.
Deanna Rodriguez, BIO5 Institute
For Wise, who traveled from Nogales and lived in the University of Arizona dorms during KEYS, the project offered something she couldn't experience in a classroom.
"I get to be a part of science," said Wise. "I'm here in a lab where people are doing experiments... and I’m a part of that."
One of the biggest surprises came when experiments didn't go as planned.
At school, Wise said, science experiments usually have a known answer, but she quickly found out that real-world research is different. Every experiment involved uncertainty, troubleshooting and trying again when something didn't work.
That curiosity stood out to Hancock.
"She's asked some incredible questions," said Hancock. "She's so invested—that's exactly what I want from a mentee."
McGhee believes those moments are exactly why students should experience research early.
"Science is basically built on 1,000 failures and one success," said McGhee. "To get that understanding a little bit early in your life really sets the tone for what you expect when you come into a university setting and a research setting."
By the end of the summer, Wise contributed to research refining a bioprinting process that could one day lead to better laboratory models for studying cancer. She also discovered that research isn't about finding the right answer; it's about asking the next question.
From left: Graduate mentor Cason Hancock, Sadah Wise, undergraduate researcher and KEYS 2025 alum Melayna Matheson, and faculty mentor Alexander McGhee.
Deanna Rodriguez, BIO5 Institute