Akshay Mody, Week 1, Learning Techniques

When I arrived at the Turner Lab at Yale University last Monday, I was extremely nervous and excited to meet the other members of the lab and begin my project. Normally, I arrive at the lab around 9 AM and leave around 3-3:30 PM.  My commute from my house in Durham, CT is roughly 25 minutes.

Dr. Turner spoke to me on Monday and introduced me to the other lab members (roughly 10 in total).  He also explained that my first week will consist of learning all the techniques under the leadership of a graduate student named Katie in order to ensure success in the project. Dr. Turner also made it a priority to meet with me once a week for 1 hour to discuss primary literature and explain to me concepts that might be confusing. He also expects me to engage in lab meetings that take place each Thursday from 1-2 PM. 

In terms of the actual lab experience, the lab focuses its research on bacteriophages and its interaction with bacteria. They study the evolutionary relationships between the different mechanisms and receptors found in bacteriophages and bacteria. My understanding before entering was that the lab attempts to find alternatives to antibiotic resistant bacteria by utilizing bacteriophages to create a genetic tradeoff. My actual project, which starts next week, will focus on the shigella bacterium and the reasons it has become resistant to antibiotics in recent years. We will use a library of phages to target the shigella bacterium and study to see if any evolutionary processes will occur to alter the membrane and in turn make the bacteria antibiotic sensitive. In addition, we will knock out the OmpC and OmpA genes which are found on the plasma membrane to analyze their effect on phage receptor effectiveness and see if these genes are needed for phage binding. Shigella is found in unsanitary water creates biofilms in the human gut.


     Side View of Lab Building                                   My lab Bench                  

I have learned to amplify and spot phage, how to make media and top agar, measure the amount of colonies of bacteria by using a dilution technique, making glycerol stock, and tittering phage. I have a good handle of the techniques and am ready to immerse myself the project.

After I leave the lab, I go to a trail near my house and go for a 6-12 mile run and workout at the gym afterwards. Afterwards, I watch some netflix, stretch my sore legs, and go to sleep.