I began assisting in Dr.
Geraldine Grant’s lab in the spring of my junior year. The research focuses on
studying idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), which is an interstitial lung
disease. IPF is the result of massive overgrowth and
survival of wound repairing, or activated, fibroblasts. There is no cure
for it and the cause is unknown. After helping out in the lab for the rest of
the spring semester, Dr. Grant suggested I try and start my own project through
OSCAR, and I’m very glad she did! Together we decided that I would study the
effect of transforming growth factor-beta, a protein naturally found in the
body, on IPF fibroblasts versus normal lung fibroblasts.
Throughout the semester,
I am constantly taking care of fibroblast cells. They need to be fed every
three to four days. It is also important to make sure that the fibroblasts are
not too crowded, or confluent, and growing on top of each other. Checking the
cells is a daily task when in the lab to keep them healthy and ready for when
we need to use them. After the cells have been fed, they are usually serum
starved (given media without nutrients) the day before being plated for tests to
make sure all of the cells are in the same stage of mitosis. The following day
I seed the cells in a 96-well plate and let them grow. After letting them grow
on the plate for a day, I add different concentrations of the growth factor to
wells in the plate. A reagent is added to the plate after 44, 96, and 144 hours
to determine how much the cells have proliferated and grown. The plates are
read using a plate reader at a certain wavelength, and then, the data can be
analyzed!
This
project has really taught me a lot about research and all of the work involved
in it. I learned how important it is to use all of the information at my
disposal and to be flexible when things don’t go as expected. Research can be
hard, but it is, without a doubt, rewarding. The other day, I was showing my
data to a friend and he asked, “Is this what’s supposed to happen?” I realized
there is no right answer that I’m trying to find. The data I collect are my
findings for my specific research, and that is what I love so much about doing
research. Hopefully, I can continue research throughout my life. I eventually
would like to get a degree in medicine, but research is not something I would
want to push to the side. I hope to be involved in it as much as I possibly
can!
