The Lab: Week 1-Beginnings..

Everyone must have dreamt of going into a lab at some point in their lives. To wear the white lab coats, tight latex gloves, and combine all sorts of chemicals which would then explode into a big, white cloud. Well, at least that's what we thought of lab scientists when we were younger and really didn't know much better.

This summer, I am grateful that I have received an opportunity to see a lab at the Medical College of Wisconsin up close. Especially since I am only in high school, and all that I know of biology so far is really just from 6 months of AP Biology in tenth grade. So, I have one main end goal from this experience: to learn and gain the most from it.

This lab is focused towards cancer research. Specifically, finding better treatment for prostate cancer, which I learnt, is connected with a lack of the BRCA2 gene in a cell. Hopefully by the end of this experience, I will be able to give you a more detailed explanation of this gene and it's role in cells, so just keep following along with me!

Wednesday, August 14th 2024: Day 1

First days are not my favorite, because along with the excitement comes an unwanted feeling of uneasiness as you set off to a place that's unfamiliar. The good news is though, that the excitement often overshadows that uneasiness! It's incredible to think that a building located close to where I live is devoted to saving lives, and the knowledge needed to fully grasp the happenings inside of it. Research is not just a 9-5 job, but the backbone of our understanding of medicine and modern treatments today. After walking past several funny-looking machines ( and being in awe of having access to the lab- even if just for a few weeks), I sat down on a swivel chair with a packet in my hands. The first day called for starting off with a very important aspect of research- reading. This packet was a very needed introduction to cell cultures: what they are ( cells that are maintained outside of the body), why they are important( vaccines and cancer research) and how to maintain them( keep them in incubator, avoid contamination, keep them in media which is a solution that has nutrients, etc). While reading the packet, I was listening to the sounds of gentle chattering around me, and all of a sudden, came a loud series of chuckles. The topic? Animal noises. "Huh," I thought, "Researchers are fun-loving too."

After doing some reading, and getting a grasp of some things that were happening inside of the lab, I went off to shadow two of the researchers for the day. That day, they were completing many experiments involving cell lines ( cells that divide infinitely) and some testing of RNA too towards the end. As soon as I walked inside of the lab experiments area, I found myself marveling at the variety of machines and materials lined up along the walls. Today, one of the experiments involved adding antibodies to cell lines to reduce contamination ( a common theme of all experiments involving cells- especially cancerous ones!). Shadowing itself had turned out to be very interesting. There is so much you can learn from someone's experience!

So overall, it was a very fulfilling first day.

Thursday, August 15th 2024: Day 2

Before you can do, you have to really know! So, for the first 3 hours of the day, I sat there and reread the packet I received on day 1 many times. But, by the end, I really did feel like I had the basics of cell cultures ready to go. After eating lunch and reading some more, it was finally the time to shadow once again! Today, I was watching cells getting transferred ( passaged ) from one flask ( container in which they are stored) to another. This is called subculturing of the cells, and it is done when the cells have proliferated so much that there is no more room in that flask. You see, my first assumption of this process was that all you have to do is simply pour the cells from one flask to another. Easy! But, that is not at all what you have to do. First, you have to take the old media out of that flask ( the cells are adherent, so they will stick to the surface of the flask). Then, add trypsin ( an enzyme that breaks down proteins) to un-stick the cells. Wait for 5 minutes for the trypsin to work, but not any longer so that the cells don't get destroyed. Then, add more media ( really just cell food) to neutralize the trypsin. Then, put the solution of cells and media into a tube. The 'then' just keeps on repeating. If just moving cells itself is a long process, I can hardly imagine how long performing experiments on them must take!

Friday, August 16th 2024: Day 3

Today was exciting! I got some hands-on experience subculturing cells. The process itself was long and I wondered if transferring cells out was like this, how doing actual experiments on them must be! But, what is most interesting is the amount of small details you have to pay attention to. After you use a pipette for a cell culture, you have to throw it away each time to avoid contamination. There are ways to open packets inside the hood ( workplace that keeps air flowing up to- you will never guess- avoid contamination) to avoid contamination. So, along with the actual procedure itself, you have to think about how the cells can get contaminated and how to avoid that. Research is about planning!

I also learnt a bit more about my project today. Here is a brief overview of my understanding: Mutations with the BRCA2 gene is likely a huge contributor to prostate cancer, especially the fiercer ones.

The BRCA2 gene creates BRCA2 proteins that help the DNA during homologous recombination in double stranded repair (simply, where the broken parts of the DNA gets replaced by a new fresh strand of DNA, but of course it is more complicated). So, MCW received a bunch of cells, some having 2 strands of DNA, some having one strand and some having none. These cells need to be grouped and separated into numerous flasks with few cells in each. This will need a diluting method ( which I will learn more about) and cell passaging. So, extremely exciting stuff!

So, that was the first week! I had lunch with the two researchers who were mentoring me and a data specialist ( a computer guy!) Lunch itself was also an educational experience, because I got to know what they studied in college, how they got to the research field, why the chose the research field, and much more that is really helpful as I start thinking about careers. I also heard about many more general things, like what it's like to live away from home, budget and plan for meals. Definitely important things!

Excited for next week!