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Tergus Day 4

We worked with one final department today–the Analytics department. These teams verify the methods that are given by clients or created in-house at Tergus. They do this by following the listed steps on a method while changing a few parameters ever so slightly. If the method is satisfactory, then it should hold up under the stress testing. We firsthand saw the precision at play–for example, the scale goes up to an amazing 5 decimal points! On the other hand, we witnessed the specific chemicals that were used for the lab setup. For example, acetonitrile, or ACN, was used to break down the gel of the topical solution that was being tested. That way, the molecules of the active ingredient would better distribute themselves throughout the mixture.

We were also given a walkthrough of the HPLC, or the high-performance liquid chromatography technology. This piece of equipment allows seperation of each component in the prepared mixture. When the active ingredient passes through the micron-sized column, it should create a specific peak at a certain time point on a graph. If the retention time of the peak matches that of the predicted peak, then the method is good to go.

I learned a lot at Tergus this week and had tons of fun working with Tergus’s lab technicians.

Tergus Day 3

This morning, we were paired with Akeem of the IVRT–in-vitro release testing–department. Although the name sounds similar to the IVPT department we shadowed yesterday, the two groups researh different aspects of topical drug delivery. While IVPT focuses on how the drug distributes itself through the skin’s layers, such as the epidermis and dermis, the IVRT determines whether or not the drug can penetrate the skin. The IVRT department utilizes semipermeable membrane paper, which is far easier to clean than skin–a potential biohazard. I felt one of the membrane paper slides, which was labelled to have miniscule pores of only 45 micrometers. It looked and felt like a regular slip of paper.

Later, we were introduced to Craig, the lab manager for the IVRT deparment. He lectured us on his previous experiences with working around oral medications comapared to his current time at Tergus with topical delivery methods. While oral pills have a predictable release time, topical formulations don’t, which according to Craig made his job much more interesting. After a short time, he had to attend a meeting–everyone at the lab is always hard at work!–and Akeem demonstrated a setup of the membrane testing for us.

Each rack in the room holds a multitude (18 to be specific) of glass vials filled with a medium. For safety purposes, Akeem utilized water. Then, a stir bar is placed on the bottom to simulate blood flow. A membrane it used to cap the vial, and the topical is applied to the membrane in a concentric area. After a certain time period, the solution is extracted from the vial. Hopefully, testing will reveal that the topical has penetrated the membrane, thus rendering the cream, ointment, or gel effective.

Tomorow is our last day, and I am very much looking forward to working again with the great people at Tergus.

Tergus Day 2

Today, we were with a specific lab group, the IVRT, or the in-vitro release testing group. As the name suggests, this research team aims to discover whether a topical substance can penetrate the skin, and to what degree. Although dead skin samples from frozen cadavers are used to stimulate real skin, a different section of the IVRT department utilizes real skin cells for skin irritation testing. In skin penetration testing, glass pipe-like devices constantly circulated with distilled water are utilized to simulate the bloodstream, while a t hin slice of skin is placed to cover a hole above to simulate the skin’s many layers. After testing, the different skin samples, which can be up to a sample size of 90, the different layers–dermis and epidermis–are sectioned off to see if the drug was released into the layer, if at all.

Later, we shadowed as the lab technicians performed some mundane–but highly important–tasks. For example, every action, from cleaning the glassware to how much of a chemical was used, was meticulously documented in a lab notebook. Brandon, our guide for the day, told us that there hasn’t been any accidents so far–for example, the emergency showers have fortunately never been used so far. To me, it seems as if these safety procedures have been extremely effective.

I experienced both the science and the not-so-science sides of labwork today, which gave me lots of insight into the lab procedure. I look forward to the remainder of the week.

Tergus Pharma Day 1

Our first day at Tergus began with an eventful tour through the maze of laboratories and offices that wind through the Tergus campus. This company was definitely much bigger than Integrated Laboratory Solutions. Each lab featured at least a dozen high perfomance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and even gas chromatography machines, among a plethora of other costly lab equipment. Dozens of cubicles lined office rooms, and scientists and other employees alike milled about, test tubes and vials in hand. Clearly, Tergus was what it claimed to be–an efficient, cohesive workplace. I was impressed.
Our first activity of the day was led by Srikanth, a scientist who deals with the formulation of topical products–creams, ointments, spreadables. These skin-based items are what Tergus specializes in, and Srikanth demonstrated a hydrogel mixture for us. Hydrogels, as the name sounds like, includes jelly-textured substances such as hair gel. Today’s recipe amounted to 300 grams, with 1.5 grams of carbomer-980 (a polymer), 10.0 grams of glycerine humectant (the stuff that allows the formula to penetrate the skin), 1.5 grams of trolamine (a material that rebalances the pH to around 7, which is perfect for the epidermis), and around 287 grams of purified water, of course, to make up the majority of the formula. In the end, we each received a crimped tube of the hydrogel mixture as a souvenir–it’ll stand proudly on my bookshelf with all my other odds and ends.
After a quick lunch, we were back to action. One of the highlights of the afternoon was helping out with the janitorial checkups–we made sure the eyewash stations and showers were running smoothly. These checks are part of good lab etiquette, and I’m glad I got a chance to practice them.
I had a lot of fun today, and I was surpised that this Monday has passed so quickly. I look forward to what tomorrow holds.

ILS Day 4

From morning to afternoon, today was a day filled with data analysis. We began the workday at 10:00 AM sharp by analyzing the 4 fake patient samples–unceremoniously tagged as 6001, 6003, 6007, and 3184–against both the immunoassay and mass spectrometer results. For most of the patients, the immunoassay results were as expected: they matched the patient prescriptions, giving us a sigh of relief. However, some of the results showed that patients were potentially alcoholic (a presence of ethyl sulfate, or EtS values) or opiate addicts (a presence of morphine despite a lack of a prescription). One of the lab technicians told us that around 30 or 40% of tests don’t come out as per what is expected, so even though our patients were fake, I still believe that this mock test speaks volumes about North Carolina’s ongoing prescription drug abuse crisis.

We were interrupted by a new shipment of quality control samples, which are run on the mass spectrometers to make sure they are in working order. We took advantage of this moment to examine the proper lab procedure for unboxing new lab chemicals, and we shadowed one of the technicians as she meticulously unpacked the refrigerated box, carefully labeled the samples inside, and stowed them away inside the refrigerator.

As this was our last day, time seemed to pass faster than ever, and before we knew it, it was time for a lunch break. Panera Bread was the choice for the day, and a few rounds of foosball suppressed our growling stomachs for the moment.

After a Cuban Sandwich and a comforting bowl of Mac & Cheese, it was time to get back to work. Likewise, we did further mass spectrometer analysis, but this time, it was on a different piece of software. Although we had to leave before we were finished with our analysis, Adam showed us the results, and we were quite accurate! Not bad at all for a second time.

We spent some time giving some heartfelt goodbyes and last words, and we walked out of the doors of Integrated Laboratory Solutions for the final time. This week, I met many bright, creative, and amazing minds, and I would like to thank Dr. Zhong, Adam, Ashleigh, Krystel, Jelani, and Dr. Jay for all the good memories from these past few days.

ILS Day 3

After only shadowing for the last couple of days, Om and I were itching for a hands-on experience. Today was that day. In the morning, we worked with Adam in his lab, where he processes patient samples from Dr. Taylor’s clinic. Adam guided us through prepping patient samples, and we carefully followed his instructions as we pipetted urine samples, control solutions, enzymes, and buffers in various order. We were nervous, and our shaky hands caused the occasional cross-contamination. Fortunately, we weren’t testing on real patient samples, which reassured us a little. Before injecting the enzyme and buffer mixture, we heated the samples in an incubator for 35 minutes. After adding all the constituent parts together, we spun the wells in a centrifuge at a mind-blowing 4000 rounds per minute for 15 minutes. Finally, we booted up the mass spectrometer and let that instrument have a go at analyzing the sample wells. We haven’t figured out how to navigate the complex software utilized to control the mass spectrometer, so we left that part up to the experts. We’ll find out the results of the mock drug screenings tomorrow, and I couldn’t be more excited.

We took a quick lunch break, and the Chick-Fil-A cookies and cream milkshake was a great way to cool down from the lab environment.

In the afternoon, another lab technician (who prefers to remain anonymous) led us into a different lab, which processes samples from clients, such as providers, hospitals, and clinics not under the wing of Dr. Taylor. Again, we performed the mass spectrometer drug screening test, but in contrast, we utilized proficiency testing samples this time. These are samples of urine donated from hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals and combined together to be averaged into a “normal” urine. Then, the state testing agency spikes the urine with certain drugs and drug metabolism products, such as oxycodone. The reference lab is only allowed to continue operations if it can correctly detect these drug presences within test samples. The process was much the same as it was also a mass spectrometer test, but we got to be mix (dangerous) chemicals such as methanol, which was exhilarating.

I can’t believe that tomorrow is going to be my last day at Integrated Laboratory Solutions. I certainly have had a great time so far, from conversing with the diverse community of employees even within a lab workplace, to the great lunches. Without a doubt, my last day tomorrow will be just as interesting.

ILS Day 2

Today, we were introduced to the fittingly named Gold Vault, a laboratory room where urine samples are analyzed for drug content. Amidst a stench of urine that permeated the air (which we tried our best to ignore), we investigated the immunoassay procedure. This system identifies drugs by binding antibodies to them, which creates the antibody-antigen complex. The binding is automatic because the body recognizes drugs as foreign material, or antigens, and attempts to expel them with the immune system by utilizing antibodies. Adam, one of the lab technicians, demonstrated some common indicators of tampered urine. Some patients with ulterior motives manipulate urine samples to hide substance abuse, Adam said. For example, a low specific gravity would indicate that the patient diluted his or her urine sample with water as that has a lower specific gravity than normal urine.

The morning streamed by, and after a quick pizza lunch courtesy of the fine folks at ILS, it was time to get back to work.

In the afternoon, we shadowed Adam as he ran some urine samples through a mass spectrometer (MS). I was amazed at the scientific process at play here–different control substances were included among the “experimental” groups of the urine samples, and believe it or not, there was even a standardized urine control, formed by mixing together hundreds of healthy urine specimens. Additionally, everything, from the racks that hold the samples to the replacement parts for the MS machine, were neatly labelled. It looks like I need to tidy up and label my room first if I want to do anything around biochemistry. We watched as Adam diligently micropipetted sample after sample, enzyme after enzyme, solution after solution, and it was clear that his skills were built from years and years of clinical testing practice. A lot of the process was playing the waiting game–for example, we waited 15 minutes for the samples to ride around centrifuge and 35 minutes for the samples to get cozy in the incubator.

Throughout the day, we also met with individuals who worked under different wings of the Integrated Solutions system. Dr. Jay, a computer scientist, told us that he creates patient interaction apps and software. We also met Chris, a marketer, who created the billboard in the patient waiting room that informs about hemp’s benefits.

I had great fun today and the shadowing was a new experience that’ll certainly arm me with the proper lab etiquette I’ll need for future internships. I’m very much looking forward to see what the rest of the week holds.

ILS Day 1

If you drove past Integrated Laboratory Solutions, you wouldn’t be able to tell that the unassuming facade in quiet Southern Pines was actually a state-of-the-art testing facility. So color me a shade of suprised when our guide for the day, Dr. Sean Zhong, whisked us through rooms brimming with humming and whirring machines that I still can’t probably pronounce the names of.

After, of course, donning personal protective equipment–lab coats and glasses–we embarked on our first adventure for the day: a high performance liquid chromatogarphy (HPLC) machine. Dr. Zhong explained that this fine invention is utilized to process urine samples from patients, separating the constituent parts and checking them with a list of common prescription medications. This process is twofold: one, it can make sure that complex compounds are being metabolized and excreted correctly; two, it can ensure that certain addictive medications like opiates aren’t being abused, leading to patient accountability. At the same time, we stared in awe at the fully automated process–the robot arm of the HPLC could even close the drawer filled with patient samples!

Our second quest involved scrutinizing the mass spectrometer (MS), which was a big box with tubes entering and exiting like the veins and arteries of the heart, along with a dashboard of blinking lights. It really seemed like something out of Star Wars. Dr. Zhong performed a demonstration some hemp samples on hand–ILS also works in conjunction with Integrated Hemp Solutions to create medical hemp products–and pointed out how the MS calculates the proportion of compounds within a given hemp oil sample.

After a quick lunch at a local bakery, courtesy of the Dr. Zhong and the other great folks at ILS, we headed back to our workstations as the mass spectrometer was finishing up. Fortunately, the sample we saw being tested was legal because the MS detected a less than 0.3%–the legal threshold–of THC, or the part of the cannabis plant that leads to the “high.” Dr. Zhong pulled up some linear regression curves to model the compound concentrations, which I understod thanks to what I learned this year in ADV Stats (shoutout to Mr. Lazarski)!

I had a great first day and I’m looking forward to what will unfold in the next 3 days! Dr. Zhong had to leave today for a conference in California, but I’m sure we’ll meet some more awesome scientists over the coming few days.