The highlight of my experience in the Fred Hutch Explorers Pathway program was the lecture by Dr. Barry Stoddard about structural biology, specifically the methods by which protein geometry is discovered. Since I have a background in designing and CAD, the idea that biological molecules can be designed and built to serve a certain function is really interesting. I also really liked the key concept of protein design that form dictates function, which really appealed to my sense of mechanical design.
This experience made an impression on me because it gave me experience in a professional environment that I had not been able to interact with before. The guest speakers gave me an idea of what it would be like to follow a scientific research career path and I think the perspectives they shared will help me eventually decide where I want to take my own career. It was also very inspiring to hear how people have devoted their lives to working towards a greater good with their research. I thought that it was very cool to see how a single institution like the Hutch can work on so many different things in parallel. The variety of research across the different labs and divisions showed me how many different interests and passions can intersect with scientific research.
This picture shows the progression of several samples representing blood samples from patients in a test to determine whether they have a cancer known as Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). The well on the top is a DNA ladder, which is a set of DNA samples with predetermined lengths used to measure the unknown lengths of other samples. The second well is the negative control. The third and fourth wells are the positive controls, with two different types of CML. The other wells are mockup samples from patients. As is evident, the patient in the fifth well is positive, because their sample traveled the same length as the second positive control.
This image shows a spot test, which is a chemical test designed to determine whether a PCR reaction was successful at making copies of a specific strand of DNA. The test uses a DNA stain called SYBRsafe, which binds to DNA and fluoresces when exposed to a blue LED light. The tubes on the far end are controls, with only water and stain, and do not glow. The tubes directly one inwards are the samples from the PCR reactions, and the one in the center is the positive control. All three are glowing, meaning the PCR reaction was successful.
This shows an X-ray crystallography microscope, which is a device that fires X-rays into a protein crystal and then collects the diffraction data. The purpose of X-ray crystallography is to use the diffraction data to solve the structure of a specific protein, which can shed light on its biological function. To prepare them for the microscope, proteins are mass-manufactured through genetically engineered organisms, isolated from their host organisms, and purified with chromatography. This solution is then crystallized and slowly revolved as an X-ray is diffracted through it. This data is then collected, analyzed, and eventually is transformed into a ribbon diagram, which describes the protein’s structure in a way that is visually understandable.