And so it begins…
So I’m back at Duke already after a terrific freshman year for an eight week crash couse on laboratory research. I loved the warm NC weather all school year (at least compared to CT) but I didn’t think I’d ever have to experience the summer here. Although to be perfectly honest, so far the weather outside has been more enjoyable than the practically freezing lab rooms. Lucky for me, however, I get to wear a very attractive and conveniently disposable outfit to visit the mice every day. I’ll let you guess whether or not I’m actually smiling…
So what am I actually doing with the mice, you might ask. Well, nothing really yet. This first week has been dedicated to simply handling the mice so that when we pick them up and place them in a maze, they don’t go berzerk from the anxiety of being touched by those darn nitrile gloves. You might imagine that the mice are cute. Well, they are at first, but after the hundredth time that your hands are used as a bathroom, the cuteness starts to wear off.
Despite my flippant attitude, however, the mice really aren’t that bad, and with any luck, it will be a very rewarding summer with all the tests we have in store for them. The mice are a mixture of wild type, heterozygous, and knockouts for the calcium-responsive transcription factor, CaRF, discovered by Anne West and her lab. From casual observation, there doesn’t seem to be anything different with the mice - they aren’t particularly sickly or mutant-looking, but we’re still hoping to find something with a more detailed analysis. Beginning next week we will be performing the SHIRPA Primary Screen on the animals to check for basic behavioral differences between the normal and knockout mice. The tests range anywhere from basic reflexes to measuring the amount of tears and saliva produced. It looks like it’ll be a fun time. Wish me luck!
June 9th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
You look awesome in that outfit, Monica!! I hope the mice stop peeing on you and good luck with SHIRPA next week!!