Biochemistry – CA Work Experience Program

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 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.

Day 1: Introduced to the Lab

Getting to the “CARL” building where my supervising post-doc works was a pain this morning. I had actually come to the Duke Medical Campus in Downtown Durham earlier in the year, so I was acquainted with the tortuous paths, high-rising brick buildings, and construction sites. Needless to say, I still got lost. Knowing that I’d get lost, I came to the lab one hour early, wandered around for thirty minutes, and (surprisingly) ran into my supervisor, Dr. Masoudi. Promptly, he directed to me to the lab’s manager with whom I signed some confidentiality paperwork. The lab is tucked at the top level of the building, where a plethora of groups are working on biochem projects. My specific lab, the Lefkowitz lab, deals with G-Protein Coupled Receptors that act as intercellular communication devices in eukaryotes (animal cells). These critical receptors come in thousands of different forms but they all work by wrapping around the cell membrane seven times. A “binding site” occupies the end of the receptor outside of the cell while a G-protein – a protein composed of three primary parts that can be ejected to communicate intracellular messages – is connected to the receptor on the inside of the cell. Whenever a unique body binds to the receptor outside of the cell, a “conformational” change occurs where the positioning of the macromolecule slightly alters and releases the G-protein. This complex process is the same process that cells undergo for nearly 40% of our prescribed medicine. The G-protein coupled receptor plays a colossal role in human health, and I can’t wait to get started in the lab!

Today’s labwork began with the expression of beta-2 adrenergic receptors in insect cells. The cells were placed in a solution that expedites receptor formation. The flasks holding these cells were put in a massive centrifuge – a device that spins vessels at high speeds to separate insoluble particles. We poured out the solution, extracted the cells while stabilizing their pH with a buffer solution, and labelled each of our solution-filled flasks. Dr. Masoudi emphasized that everything in the lab must be labeled. We used a smaller centrifuge (going at 4000 rpm!) to separate the insect cells from the buffer solution. Using ethanol and dry ice (the lab ran out of liquid nitrogen), we flash-froze our vessels and later placed our rack of flasks in a massive freezer. The cells in these flasks will eventually be used when the receptors are needed for X-ray crystallography. After our lunch break, Dr. Masoudi and I went over to a lab-wide meeting where different project leaders explicate the results from the past week. Besides X-ray crystallography, other researchers only a couple doors down use cryogenic electron microscopy to better understand the structures of these receptors.

Everyone in the lab is incredibly kind. One researcher called “Bullet” gave up his set of pipets so I could use them later on in the internship. Dr. Masoudi works with another researcher, Li Yin, who was kind enough to give up her work bench and desk so I could use it for labwork. Overall, the lab’s atmosphere is positive, but what I found to be most surprising is that this space is highly diverse; a large majority of the researchers here are first-generation immigrants. Dr. Masoudi just so happens to be a first-generation Iranian immigrant like my mom! It’s been such a phenomenal experience so far, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to witness some crucial work in the field of biochemistry. Can’t wait for tomorrow!