This week’s been all about data analysis, which is good but also nerve-wrecking, since we’re probably the closest to getting real results than ever for something this lab had been working for weeks (months?) on. I’m really glad I get to be a part of it :). Giulia introduced me and David to PRISM, which is basically this graphing program that helps you make all sorts of graphs and tables and charts and statistically related stuff. Fancy, but not fun. While I thought all I had to say about statistics was the chi-square test, regression lines and r2, and standard deviation (not really, but my list was too short), that actually covers a lot more of the foundation of statistical analysis than I thought. Thank you AP Bio. So, PRISM turned out to be a hit for me!!!! Other than that, Uber just introduced me to Ride Pass, which is supposed to save money on commutes, but since I’m only here for two more weeks, it’s not quite handy. I definitely could have saved a lot if I started out with it though, so if anyone’s beginning their lab now (probably unlikely), check it out.
As mentioned in my previous blog, I have been awaiting ligament, menisci, and cartilage tissue from a canine or human knee joint for (interleukin) IL-1B tissue culture. IL-1B is an inflammatory cytokine that has been proven to increase rates of tissue degeneration and osteoarthritis development in the Thompson Lab. Dr. Stoker wants me to experiment with different types of knee tissues in a co-culture with varying levels of this cytokine to determine its effects on the entire knee joint. This co-culture uses an insert permeable to the media to separate the two tissue samples from physical contact, while allowing them to share the same media. This creates an extremely accurate model for knee tissues in their native environment due to their exposure to the same synovial fluid in the joint. This model would then be treated with the IL-1B and cultured for 21 days. During these 21 days, the media would be collected every three days for biomarker evaluation at the end of the stu...
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