Today was the last day of the work experience program. This morning I helped dilute some client samples and sat in on an internal research and development meeting. I went to Chipotle for lunch. In the afternoon I learned more about the drying process and watched a makeshift fluidized bed being made and constructed. Overall, today was really interesting. I am really sad today was the last day of the work experience program.
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.
Today was rather relaxing. In the morning I helped prep some SEC samples and I helped clean the lab. Cleaning the lab didn’t take as long as I expected, and was surprisingly relaxing. This afternoon I learned about chemical engineering, and messed around with dry ice.
I’m very excited to see what will happen tomorrow, but I also wish the program was longer. So far I have really enjoyed work experiencing at Lindy Biosciences. I have learned a lot about science and product development, as well as the business aspects of the start-up.
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. 
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.
Today, I finally got to try Microglassifying a protein. I mocroglassified ovalbumin, a protein found in eggs. It was really cool, but a little stressful. Afterwards I was able to look at the microglassified protein under a microscope.
I also found out why teachers tell you to never measure liquids with a beaker or flask. One of the large flasks in the lab (it was a 4 liter flask) had completely wrong volume lines. Although the 2000ml mark was correct, the following lines were completely wrong. Overall today was very exciting and filled with new experiences.
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.
Today was pretty exciting. I did more UV spectroscopy as well as gas spectroscopy. I also learned about the columns used in size exclusion chromatography and how the different dimensions (length and width) affect the resolution and length of time it takes to analyze a sample. I really enjoyed practicing the things I learned previously and learning new information about the equipment in the lab.
Overall, I really enjoyed my first week at Lindy Biosciences. I have really enjoyed learning about all the different pieces of equipment and processes that are used in their lab. I also really like learning about the business and marketing side of research. Even though there are not many people at the company, I feel like I have been able to learn a lot about all the different parts of start-up companies as well as product development.
This morning a pipette vender came and talked about the benefits of the pipette tips he was selling. It was very interesting to hear about all the technology that goes into the basic lab equipment that scientists use every day. Later today I rehydrated the ovalbumin I previously microglass-ified and analyzed it with UV spectroscopy and prepared it for size-exclusion chromatography. Although I did not do much today, at least compared to yesterday, I enjoyed being able to practice UV spectroscopy and learning about size-exclusion chromatography.
Today was the first day of the work experience program. I went to Lindy Biosciences, a development-stage protein therapeutic formulations company, located in the Research Triangle Park. This company is a two year old start up with novel Microglassification^TM technology.
While Microglassification is a very long and complex word, their technology involves dehydrating proteins into a stable bead shaped solid. Proteins normally contain a large quantality of water which increases their weight. Microglassification removes much of this water resulting in a fine power.
Normally during drug delivery large amounts of proteins require delivery through an IV; however, Microglassification allows solid protein “balls” to be injected with a needle subcutaneously (under the skin). This would allow patients to receive medicine as a quick shot instead of a long IV treatment.
After only two years, Lindy Biosciences have an impressive list of clients, containing some of the top pharmaceutical companies. I can’t wait to continue my internship and get to help in their lab tomorrow.
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