My placement has finally started!
It feels like I've been waiting for my summer studentship forever. In reality I've only really known that I'd be definitely be doing one since April, even if I had spent from September onwards trying to get one.
The lab that I'm working in is located in Sussex University (in Brighton, just to complicate things). It's the very same university that I'm studying Molecular Medicine at, currently between my second and final year. Ultimately my aim is to go in to medical research, or perhaps even become a clinical bioscientist... All I know is that lab-work is where I'm bound in the end.
The lab that I'm actually working in is in itself is split between three different research teams; two working on Epstein Barr Virus and one working on S. Pombe yeast. I'm lucky enough to have found myself a place on one of the EBV teams working with Dr. Alison Sinclair and the rest of her research team-- all of which are extremely lovely and have been nothing but welcoming since I arrived.
My project is specifically focusing on trying to identify the origin of lytic replication (OriLyt) of EBV. Epstein Barr Virus is one of the most common human viruses; with over 90% of the population infected. The virus itself normally infects an individual at a young age and will remain latent and asymptomatic. It becomes a problem within the population in one of two situations:
- When the individual contracts EBV in later childhood/early adulthood they will develop mononucleosis (also referred to as mono)
- In some patients, the EBV can cause the development of Burkitt's lymphoma (cancer).
Ultimately the aim of the research is to allow us to understand the virus on a higher level-- and maybe one day allow us to identify a way of preventing the virus from infecting individuals and hopefully irradiate virally-triggered Burkitt's lymphoma. I may be a little optimistic and unrealistic when I say that I hope the research I conduct over the next 8 weeks helps in some way.
Anyway, this project is ongoing and it has been passed on from post-grad to post-grad with each person making their own discoveries and furthering the research. It's finally fallen in to my lap, so I'm just hoping I can prove to be as good as the post-grads. And I hope what I end up discovering will be of interest and relevance to the next person.
I think that's probably enough of an introduction for now. I will try and update tomorrow after I've finished the lab to give a run down of the actual experimental side of life. All I will say now is that I'm so very glad I've got this opportunity.
Natt
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