Helena M. V.

The Fred Hutch Pathways Explorers program was such a memorable and pivotal experience for me. These past two weeks, we’ve been taught fundamental lab techniques and been introduced to so many amazing people and opportunities.

My group on our last day in the lab

A highlight for me was hearing from Dr. Stoddard about his work solving protein structures using X-ray crystallography. To solve these structures basically means to develop a 3D model of how the different amino acids are arranged. To do this, the proteins are first purified and crystallized before the X-ray machine is used and—combined with any previous knowledge of the protein—it is used to map the structure. The most challenging part of this process, Dr. Stoddard explained, is crystallizing the proteins, so much so that he went to Kazakhstan and sent his samples to space! It didn’t help, but is still done today, and while I don’t understand, Dr. Stoddard’s theory is FOMO.

The X-ray crystallography machine

Another fabulous lab we visited was the C. elegans lab. These small worms can survive without oxygen for up to 48 hours (although they usually aren’t kept in such a state longer than 24). Throughout the process of depriving them of oxygen, the scientists will observe which neurons activate and deactivate first. There is a definite pattern to which activate first, but less is known about their deactivation and why it all happens. I also thought it was particularly neat that they 3D print and design their own equipment, as there isn’t always a preexisting container that is ideal.

Multiple C. elegans under a microscope

As for the labs we did ourselves, the one where we ran PCR on the BRCA1 gene sticks out to me. The way PCR works is by first denaturing—separating it into two single-stranded pieces—the DNA by heating it. After that, primers are attached to both ends and the temperature is lowered; this step is called annealing. After the primers have been attached, the DNA can then be heated again (but not as much), allowing new strands to be synthesized. The cycle can be repeated for a while, as we did, so our DNA grew exponentially!

Our BRCA1 sample (left) and the control (right)

Something I really took away from the program is that no one is ever truly locked in to something, and it is possible to just follow your passions until you find what you love. Dr. Raabya explained this really well. She works in a lab with statisticians to study HIV and explained that it wasn’t exactly a clear and easy path, and she very easily could be somewhere else right now if she didn’t take a leap of faith more than ten years into her career. She wasn’t always sure of what she wanted, but she followed her passions and it worked out. That gave me a lot of reassurance, because I’m really not sure yet what I want to do. The Explorers program has really changed how I look at science and how I think I fit into it. I’m so glad I had this opportunity and I’m excited to take what I’ve learned into other aspects of my life.