A look inside the hood...

What's it like beyond the locked doors of tissue culture? Here's a look inside inside the hood...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuN5YAoRGjw

Lab members at their finest...

"Gru/Charlie" coming to the lab every night thinking that he's going to conquer the world

 The minions reaction when they know that's not what's really going to happen

The minions going to their PI, Dr. Nafario for coffee

Gru/Charlie grumpy when his minions are having too much fun because they are hyped up on coffee

Dr. Nafario and his right hand man

Late nights at the lab with Papi Flu

Modern Frankenstein

Ok, so for some reason, the hood seems to have some sort of mystical power over me, especially late at night when I sit alone splitting my cell lines.  So far I have A549s and FT's, but I want to maintain a flask of everything, so if anyone has some, please, if you let me know it would be much appreciated.  Anyway...  So, I was sitting there alone last night splitting my cells and it got me thinking about life, which some how, through the powers of the hood, grew into something much more...

Plans for a "living" mechanical-cell:

Before I start, I'd like to point out that there is no solid definition of what life really is.  It's more descriptive and evolves over time.  The current biological "definition" has various characteristics of life, but can't tell us for sure, yes or no, is this life or not... (as is the case with viruses). So, anyway..

Creation of a large man-made cell using computer systems. Suppose a robotic self-sustaining system is developed, designed in such a way that it would need to harvest or synthesize a lubricant, metal, and a fuel source/materials for a solar panel. At first this system would be huge, it would need several different areas for carrying out it's various functions for self-sustainability.  Sensors would be put into place as a means of creating a signaling/mock immune/nervous system.

As means of a sort of homeostasis, the machine would be able to lubricate itself. Response to external and internal stimuli are done through sensors. Metabolism is done through the generation of energy whether it is powered by steam, fossil fuel, solar power, nuclear, etc.

The computer/brain would be capable of harvesting parts/raw materials to carry out the instructions of its onboard schematics(DNA). 

All of these machines would be connected in a sense, via something like the internet for the purpose of transmitting information needed to promote the survival of their species. For example, the onboard sensors would be able to recognize different elements; in the case that a one of these "cells" becomes damaged in anyway, it would be recorded in the onboard memory and beamed to other cells as a sort of warning. Other "cells" could then be able to develop ways to protect themselves of threats. In the case of acid rain or other corrosive materials, for example, "cells" would be able to add a new material capable of withstanding such threats to their list of items they are seeking (lubricant, metal, energy).

Metabolism would be the use of energy, as mentioned before.

Through the response to its environment and it's addition of different components based on its chemical knowledge, I could make the argument that this is a growing, evolving, dynamic machine.  

It seems to meet all of the biological requirements for life (I'm probably missing something or another), yet in all honesty I would consider this to be far from living. So, I'm curious as to what all of you think.  Is this technically life?

Immortalized Cell Lines

At first glance immortalized cell lines and maintaining them seem to be a sort of necessary evil of lab.  More of a tool to get work done than anything.  A protocol which until recently I haven't honestly put too much thought into.  I've known what goes into them and the purpose of different substances, but my thought on them plateaued in a sense.  However I've found that the more time I spent splitting the cell lines I've been maintaining, the more I think about what goes on beyond the normal routine of the protocol of splitting them.

At times I've wondered how these cell lines were produced. Why are they not cancerous? Could they be cancerous because they are indefinitely proliferating?

Is immortalization possible with other cell lines? Can stem cells be give rise to other stems? Can you clone pluripotent stem cells?

Is it possible that cells in vitro could evolve differently than in vivo cells?

Last but not least, my most "out there" idea. Would it be possible to reassemble life in space? Is the fusion of sex cells on an unmanned spacecraft possible to extend the length of interstellar voyages. How do cells react in zero gravity.

So many questions...

Beware...

Some of you might hear the myth about a little girl running around the lab at night...  but that is just a myth.

On the other hand, I encounter paranormal activity in our own lab. We called it THE centrifuge. It is a mentally deranged scientist from the 1920's who had an obsession for the power of a centrifuge. The story tells that he likes to grab as many tubes as possible and walk the halls of the lab trying to mix the solution until he forms a pellet. 

And, I happen to record him in action... take a look, but BEWARE! you might be scared...

I survived my first week in lab :)

Coming into a new laboratory is a very scary experience. Especially when you want to clean up and organize everything and you have a german lady as a lab technician that is about 6' 1'' feet tall! I found out that she was not very fond of my cleaning habits since she asked me "You are not one of those neat freaks are you?" But after seeing what I had done with the place, I think she actually liked it. Now I know where everything is and this place is now starting to feel more like home.  

Also, I was given a set of samples by another postdoc in the lab. He wanted me to analyze them by immunoblot in order to test my working abilities... I guess. Along the process everybody kept trying to tell me how to make my buffers, run the gel, treat the membranes and under what conditions I should transfer it, but I was very stubborn and stuck to the way I did my 10,000 previous immunoblots. All of this time I kept thinking, if surgeons are not told by every hospital how to perform a surgery, why should researchers be told how to run their immunoblots! hahaha (Yes, for researchers doing immunoblots and making them look perfect is as much of an art as surgery!) In the end, my immunoblot looked very good and it even got some people asking me under what conditions was the gel ran and transferred. So, I really hope that next time people will look at me as trustworthy and I am allowed to do things the way I know how to do them.     

Embarking on this journey called doctoral studies

Well with the start of a new semester, I start a new phase in my academic life: being a doctoral student.  I thought it wise to be conservative with my schedule since I did not know what would be expected of me and how I would need to perform.  This is new territory for me and I do feel a bit lost.  So here are the questions have been on my mind:

What do I need to accomplish this semester?
What is my plan for research?
Who should I do a rotation with?
Who should be on my committee And what the hell is a committee anyway?

I consider myself lucky to have other graduate students who can guide me. Granted I always have the program advisors and our illustrious P.I. but it is nice to have a student's perspective.  They understand better than anyone else because they were in my shoes at one time.  They will keep it real and tell me what is important for my survival.

With that, I will wish my fellow new students the best of luck and continued success as we do this thing we call science.

Labsick :S

Everybody who wants to pursue a career in research has to find a laboratory as a graduate student and jump through the hoops and loops this new environment imposes on you. At beginning, your mentor will quiz your intellectual abilities during lab meetings, and since you have never done any research in the past you will feel overwhelmed with all the new methodologies, signaling pathways, cellular mechanisms, viral life cycle events, etcetera that you are not even remotely familiarized with. Well, this is only the beginning of a long path to become someone in whom your PI will rely on completely for writing his next grants. And don't worry! As matter of fact enjoy those frustrating moments when you don't know the answer to questions, because those moments will be over sooner than you expect. Time will fly and you will start sitting down at those terrifying lab meetings thinking that all of those questions your mentor uses to quiz people are not really that hard, and in fact they will start to sound just like simple "bioLOGIC." When you reach this stage in you PhD, you will start noticing that all of the sudden you are not the new guy at lab. As a matter of fact, this place filled with flasks, buffers, chemicals, cells, bacteria, and many other weird looking things has already grown on you and is now the place you call “second home." Unfortunately, just about the time when you start to feel this way, it means that your PhD is coming to an end and that soon it will be time to move on and continue pursuing other long term goals you had in mind when you first started this journey... So, what I am saying is that you will be at some point in the same position that I am today. Once again in a new lab, as the new guy who needs to prove himself to become someone reliable and an essential component of this place that you will eventually call your second home.    

       

That girl is on fire!

This is what happens when your hair catches on fire. your fellow lab mates photoshop your hair on fire.

FIRE!

OK, I've been wondering if I should post anything related to this. And I have decided that I simply can't resist. Afterall, the idea of this blog is to tell people about "Life in a virology lab", right?
Well, about two days ago, I walked into our tissue culture area to check the progress on the egg innoculations. My group was amplifying some of our viral stocks and they were using eggs to that end. Since I have not handled that many eggs in my life (no double interpretations please, read it literally!), I wanted to see it one more time. When I was half way to our lab's cubicule, I smelled the characteristic and typical stench of burning human hair. This triggered an immediate subconscious tingle up my spine. Was my lab area in fire? I walked quickly down the corridor and reached our cubicle, only to discover a room full of smoke and a bunch of relatively silent and shocked students who were still trying to know how to react to what had just happened. Some were giggly, some were blowing air with sheets of paper, some were simply still in shock.
Apparently, one of my undergraduates got a bit too close to the candle we use to supply the wax that is used to seal the eggs after they are innoculated. She has a particularly long and luscious hair. But its length is perhaps a bit longer than recommended for lab work. So, as she relaxed against the counter where the candle had been strategically placed, her hair caught fire. Fortunately, one of our undergrads had the good sense of immediately grab her hair, pull it with his hands, and deprive it from the air it needed to continue burning. I didn't witness any of  this. But by the smoke that had been left in the room (the door had already been open for a few minutes and my students were venting air in hopes of making it less smoky inside), I'd say they probably saw flames going up her head.
On the down side, I'll have to file a report about this incident and I hope this won't have negative consequences for our lab. On the up side, .....well, perhaps there's no much to claim on that end, other that at least she was not hurt (although she may need to change her hairstyle for a while). Bottom line, ....life in a virology lab is full of surprises (some of which you wish never to experience!).