This summer I participated in the Fred Hutch Explorers program for two weeks. This experience allowed me to learn a lot more about science that I wouldn’t have been able to learn in school. I was also able to meet many new people which was one of my favorite parts of the program. During these two weeks, we learned a lot about cancer, how it develops, and how to treat it. We were able to visit labs and even perform experiments in a lab of our own.
Our final lab was my favorite. We learned about a type of leukemia called CML which stands for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. During our CML lab, we used a lot of techniques that we had learned from our previous labs including micropipetting and making/running gels. During the CML lab, we used gel electrophoresis to visualize DNA to be able to diagnose patients with CML. After running the gel we were able to see if the DNA had bands or not. If a patient’s DNA sample had bands, it meant that they tested positive for CML.
The results from our CML Lab
Using the picture of the gel we were able to see that patient 6 had a fluorescent band showing. This meant that patient 6 tested positive for CML while the other three patients tested negative. Before the lab, we prepped by learning all about CML including how it develops, how it affects the body, and how to treat it. We learned that CML develops when a gene on chromosome 22 moves on top of a gene on chromosome 9. This creates the Philadelphia chromosome by a translocation mutation. By running gel electrophoresis we can test a patient's DNA to see if the Philadelphia chromosome is present.
Our lab bench prepared for our CML Lab Activity where we learned hands-on what the
Mutation for CML looked like
One of my favorite parts of the program was meeting new people. Not only other students, but also researchers who were happy to tell us all about their research. I enjoyed being able to work with lots of different people who had different opinions and came from different backgrounds. Being able to work as a team was one of the many skills I learned from this program.
Working with my lab partners during one of our labs
We did a lot of different labs during this program like extracting DNA from a strawberry, learning how to use micropipettes, making and using gels, and making and using PCR. All of these labs taught us different things about science that can help us for future careers in labs. Even when things went wrong, like when our gel electrophoresis box didn’t work, I learned problem-solving skills. These problem-solving skills are a vital part of science and working in labs because not every experiment will go the exact way you expected. Although I enjoyed everything about this program and everything we did in the labs, I learned that I likely won’t enjoy working in a lab my whole life. This experience at Fred Hutch helped me experience and learn so many new things about science. It was an amazing program that I am glad I was part of.
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