During my two weeks at Fred Hutch as an explorer, I learned a variety of new topics, met new people, and got a chance to experience lab work. I had the privilege of listening to Dr. Raabya Roosenkhan’s speech on HIV and viruses. We had multiple guest speakers throughout the program, but her speech stood out to me as it emphasized that Fred Hutch works in fields other than cancer. Throughout her speech, Dr. Roosenkhan shared her first ever research experience, which focused on HIV and what follows the transmissions of the virus. Additionally, throughout her speech, I was able to understand how expensive conducting research could be.
HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the immune system. If not treated properly, HIV can cause AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). Even though it can't be cured, HIV can be controlled with effective treatment plans. The mo​​st common treatment for HIV currently is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). Art reduces the amount of HIV in the body by stopping the replication of the virus. With the assistance of ART, the immune system can repair itself. On average, people control the virus within 6 months of starting treatment.
Dr Roosenkhan’s speech made me think about HIV and viruses more. It would be interesting to work with viruses, especially because they are part of our day to day life. for instance, not too long ago, the whole world was under lockdown due to COVID 19. This just shows that humans will be affected by viruses, and we have to keep working with viruses.
In this photo, I was pipetting gRNA from a tube into a gel wall. My partner and I were trying to make copies of a section of the B2M gene that contains a mutation known to increase a person’s risk of cancer.
This is a photo of zebrafish eggs through a microscope in the early stage of development. We were observing the activity of the eggs, and at times, they moved. During the two weeks, we got to visit various labs and see what they were working on.