Tiny Fighters: Done and Dusted
Hi everyone! Thanks for checking back in!
In my previous blog post, I shared information about the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of NEC. In this post, I’d like to provide a more detailed account of the work we carried out in the lab last week and the tests we conducted.
To get started, we began by preparing our buffers and setting up our lab equipment, which included a range of technical tools such as gels, imaging systems, filter paper (nuclease), transfer systems, electrophoresis power supply, and a western blot processor. This experiment was unique in that it required more advanced technology than our previous ones, as we needed to perform both a western blot and gel electrophoresis.
Western blotting is a complex technique that involves transferring protein patterns from a gel to a microporous membrane. This allows us to analyze the proteins and identify any abnormalities. Gel electrophoresis, on the other hand, is a laboratory technique that separates and analyzes biomacromolecules and their fragments by size and charge. This enables us to separate mixtures of DNA, RNA, or proteins by molecular size. During the process, the molecules are passed through an electrical field through a gel that has small pores. Additionally, nuclease is an enzyme used to chop DNA when preparing samples for Western blotting.
In our experiment, we aimed to measure the impact of the proteins we were studying on NEC. To ensure accurate results, we used buffers to create a standard or ladder to compare our findings. After running the current for 2 hours, we carefully placed the protein bands in a buffer that allowed us to transfer them over to the filter paper. Once on the filter paper, we then transferred them to the machines to create a western blot. This process involved a time-lapse of an hour, during which the machines transferred the bands and created a detailed image of the protein bands. Through this process, we were able to analyze and compare the protein bands accurately to better understand the impact of our proteins on NEC. The fact that they have transferred over in the first place is a positive indication that the experiment is progressing well. However, it will take quite a bit of time to process those results and obtain them through our computer software.
Unfortunately, this will be my final visit to the lab. I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to explore and perform hands-on research during my time here. Through this experience, I have gained a deeper understanding of this condition and have made some promising discoveries that I hope could contribute to finding a solution. Thank you for reading!