March has been so busy for both of us! We had a bunch of midterms, but are looking forward to the Spring weather.
Jade:
Things have really picked up in my lab! I was able to do a complete CRISPRi experiment on a gene of interest. The experiment went really well, and I will be presenting about it at RISE this year. RISE is an expo that researchers at Northeastern can present at. It is exciting to be able to share my research while also learning about other projects.
Besides the lab, I was able to sit in on a panel for prospective students. The warm weather has brought a lot of us out of our dorms and outside into the sun. Being able to run with shorts on instead of multiple layers is amazing.
I was able to get out to the Museum of Fine Art and see the Monet exhibit with my roommate. It was amazing to see the progression of his work and his interpretation of the same space at different times.
My roommates and I also had a sleepover in our living room. We took our mattresses and lined them up on our living room floor. It really brought us back to our middle and high school days. I am excited for next weekend because I am making an Easter egg hunt for my roommates in our apartment. Looking forward to telling you all about it soon!
John: Being at the end of the third month of the semester, finals are not far off, but things certainly aren’t winding down. This semester feels longer with the lack of spring break, but Northeastern did add a care day. Things are also starting to open back up on campus, with the allowance of one guest per resident in the dorms. Additionally, fans are allowed to be at the Northeastern sports games, and I actually just watched the Husky baseball team beat UMASS twice yesterday during their double header. I also went to the Franklin Park Zoo right here in Boston!
As for the lab, I am continuing to characterize the compounds. This week, I would like to explain a bit more about the BRET experiment that I use to characterize the compounds. On the day of the experiment, I perform a serial dilution to create the appropriate concentrations of the ligands (compounds) that I am characterizing. I then put my transfected cells (with the receptors and proteins) into a 96-well plate. I then put coelenterazine (the substrate needed) into the wells with the cells. Then I add the ligands into the cell plate and put it into the BRET reader. However, now the amount of data that I am taking has changed a bit. In the past, I would take data at three time standpoints: 2.5 minutes, 10 minutes and 30 minutes. Now, however, I take readings continuously for 44 minutes! This helps us analyze the kinetics of the compounds more effectively.
