The Lab-Week 2: Pre-Finale

Week 2 of the lab and only 1 week left before school. In a way, coming to the lab was helping me get in the habit of getting out of the house everyday after a long, relaxing, summer break. For me, it was summer, but for the lab, research never paused.

This week was mainly about shadowing. Oh, and a lot of reading. Reading and learning more is a never-ending endeavor. So, let's start!

August 19th, 2024-Day 4:

I remember learning about the DNA repair process back in the autumn of tenth grade during our genetics unit in AP Biology. It was the weekend before our test that week, and I was rigorously drawing and redrawing the process in order to try and memorize it. Back then, I figured this knowledge would only be needed to me for the test, so I stored it in my short-term memory, emptied it out on the test, and then proceeded on with my day. Little did I know that the DNA repair process would come back for me in the summer of 2024. See, the BRCA2 gene ( that is being studied because of it's connection to prostate cancer) is involved in homologous recombination during double stranded DNA repair. It controls a protein that is directly involved in this process. So, everything you learn is important in some way or the other!

I also shadowed a researcher today as he added a Dox treatment to a few plates with cancer cells in them. From my readings, Dox ( doxorubicin) is a chemotherapy drug. In research, you have to test many variables on one thing and record any, even small, changes. Who knows, one of those changes may lead you to the answer! And that is what's happening here, many treatments being given to a cancer cell line to see how it is changing the cell.

August 20th, 2024-Day 5:

Today started off with rereading and reviewing what I read yesterday, because my understanding of the topic is only 10% there! Biology is a massive field with so much to explore. The researchers were doing a library preparation, which is basically preparing for DNA sequencing. So, that led me to a new reading topic. What is DNA sequencing? It is how the nucleotide sequence (A's T's G's and C's) are determined for a piece of DNA. By analyzing DNA, researchers can get a lot of insights behind cancer, such as making better treatment options. This is obviously another more complex process, one which I will read up on more thoroughly.

After lunch, it was time to check on the cell lines I had passaged last Friday. It's important to check on these cell lines frequently to ensure they are growing and to know when it is time to passage them. As I looked into the microscope ( after many attempts at focusing it), I saw a jumble of cells, all growing practically on top of each other. Yes, it's time to passage them.

August 21st, 2024-Day 6:

Today was one, big shadow day. The day before yesterday, I watched a DOX treatment being added to some cell plates. Well, that wasn’t the end, today there were even more cell plates that needed to go through the same process. So, I watched it once more. After lunch, I went back to sit at my seat and write up what we did yesterday ( I always seem to fall one day behind ). Soon, I got to go back into the lab and shadow a new process, where I walked in to find 3 researchers split between 2 lab hoods. This experiment seems to be a serious one.

Turns out, it was a more serious one, because they were collecting the cells from the DOX treatment procedure the other day, and they have to get everything done efficiently to ensure the solution they put in is out before it ruins the cells. But, it was also a fun process to watch because everyone was in a very talkative and joking mood that day!

August 22nd, 2024- Day 7:

Read about the DNA repair process round 2. I am learning to appreciate the complexities of the human body ( and every living being ) even more. It’s crazy to think that these intricate, machine-like, processes happen inside of us.

As usual, after lunch, the day took a new turn. It was back to shadowing for me.

August 23rd, 2024-Day 8:

Watch 3 researchers collect cells round 2. There were a lot of cell plates remaining! After lunch, I checked on the cell lines I am passaging and saw the same jumbling chaos. Time to passage them for the third time. This time, I focused on remembering the amount of trypsin and media to put into the cell flasks ( I was getting pretty good at the process I would say ). After passaging them, checking on them once more, and putting them into the incubator, a new term was thrown at my ears. Cell counting, which is exactly what it sounds like, counting the number of cells present. No, we would not be manually counting them one by one, we would be preparing the cells to go into a machine that would do the counting for us ( there's not only biology topics in research, but engineering involved too!). More on this next week!

Well, that was my week. Lunchtime was nice and long, and MCW has a great cafeteria with big windows everywhere. I am also discovering one more thing from this experience, I definitely want to work somewhere where I can have lunch with my office friends too!