11.13.12
Last Tuesday (November 13th), I had my first real internship visit! I was extremely nervous, but also very excited because it was my first trip off campus alone. I met JP- the graduate student I am working with- and he gave me an introduction to his work. As seen in figure 1 below, the capillaries of the brain have a monolayer of endothelial cells that contributes to the blood-brain barrier. Between these cells, there are proteins called claudin-5 that serve as tight junctions between the endothelial cells and are semi-permeable. This semi-permeability allows some molecules to pass through the brain, but inhibits others. JP's research is looking for a substance that can stop the reactions between the claudin-5 proteins to allow the passage of medicines to the brain.
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| Figure 1 |
After this introduction, JP and I had an arts and crafts break, and we made models of endothelial cells out of cardboard boxes and pipe-cleaners. When we were done with this activity, he showed me the lab and introduced me to the other researchers. My first job was to help Ben (one of the other researchers) analyze the R-squared (R2) values of the most recent tests of different inhibiting proteins over a range of pH values. The R2 value measures the fit of the experimental data to the given best-fit curve. According to this data, we could determine the 'valleys' and 'peaks' of the data to determine the proteins that were working the best and worst. After examining a lot of data, we determined that we should remove the last two pH values to increase the R2 values of the data. I was taught to operate the computer program, and I accomplished this all by myself! The new graphs had much better R2 values.
Next week, I will take the safety course to get my access badge. I excitedly wait to see what next week has in store for me!
This lab sounds really interesting! The diagram simple yet can be understood very easily. Coincidentally, I will also be dealing with some protein synthesis in my internships. I wonder if the inhibition of claudin-5 would cause any side, perhaps negative, effects since other harmful molecules may also flow into the brain along with the medicine. Additionally, how did you figure out to take out the two pH values? How do the proteins behave in those two pH values or what does the data show that led to your decision? Did you eliminate any proteins? Nonetheless, I like how your internship is really interactive and fun:)
ReplyDeletePeggy, FABULOUS comment! This is exactly what I hope all interns will do: ask deep questions. Thank you, and keep up the great effort!
DeleteKailin, this is a wonderful blog post! It is thorough, makes use of convincing details, and even has an illustration! I am very pleased with your writing and look forward to what you discover in the future.
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