Stuff

Another good week. I did a new type of assay this week which ended up being very easy. Also, my cells have finished their growth period, and I collected media from them and will put it in the freezer for testing next week. Now we'll get to see if they meet the release criteria.

Lots of Assays

I spent most of this week doing assays for one of my coworkers, who took a vacation week. It was more independent than previously, he simply gave me a list of things to get done on my own timeframe. I got all of the samples taken care of, and I noticed that I'm getting better at performing the assays: my results are becoming more accurate.

My cells are doing well, they are growing quickly, so quickly in fact that my supervisor took a look at the data and said that it was abnormal. After correcting a few calculation mistakes and having him check my counting, we realized that they are growing quickly, but not too much faster than normal. We will watch the cells over the next week and construct a full growth curve to see if the cells did grow in an abnormal pattern or not.

A good week overall, more independent and on my schedule than the previous weeks. I spent the weekend in Maine, which was a nice relaxing break from the work life. Now to go check on my cells...

Getting Stuff Done

I had a busy week this week. I've been doing several different assays, many of them modified from standard protocol because they are for a different project. I've been working with one of the guys who is working to expand the field of application for Pervasis's product. I've been helping him with his assays, and he will be gone for vacation next week so I will be doing some of his work. It's nice to get involved with one project now that things have settled down, it makes me feel more like I'm accomplishing good work.

In the way of individual projects, my cell line is doing well. I've kept them alive for a week, and on Friday I moved the cells from their flasks onto a matrix, where they will begin to develop into an advanced state. I will be following them for another few weeks until they are ready to be tested, then I will run them through tests to make sure they meet the criteria that is set for use in manufacturing.

All in all, a more eventful week. I'm getting more involved and more experienced, and the work is getting better for me.

Started With Cells!

It's the end of my second week here at Pervasis. It was a good week this week, I was more busy working in the lab. I did some more assays, an ELISA and some other types. Just to be clear, an assay is simply a test that we do to determine the concentration of a certain substance in a solution. They range from simple assays with only a few steps (I've done one where you simply put the samples on the plate, add one reactant, then read the plate) to highly involved assays that take all day. I'm slowly getting trained to do the assays on my own. I hope that next week they will be able to give me a set of samples and have me do an assay myself to get results.

On Friday, I started working with cells. I thawed some cells from the liquid nitrogen freezer and put them in growth flasks. I'll be following them over the next few weeks, and it is my project (with some help, of course). It's cool to finally be working with cells, and it's also nice that they gave me my own set of cells to work with. It's a good way for me to learn, and at the same time I'm testing out this group of cells to get some results, to see if they're up to standards to be used in production.

It was a good week, and I'm enjoying a relaxing weekend right now. It's back to work on Monday to check up on my cells.

First Week

So now my first week is over. I got Friday off because of Independence Day. The first week was sort of an intro week. I spent the first day or two getting to know the company, the other employees, the lab, the rules, the equipment, and everything else there is to know. I spent some time in the lab, mainly doing practice assays to get used to the technique. I've done a few different types of assays, testing media for different products. It's a lot of pipetting work, which I'm getting better at. I still make some slight mistakes though. It's one of those things that comes with experience.

The company setting is actually very appealing. Pervasis is a small company, so it's a more casual and welcoming environment than a bigger company. I've met all of the employees, and I've become friendly with a good few of them. Everyone is friendly and helpful, especially considering that this is my first time working in a lab outside of school.

All in all, I've had a good first week, and I'm looking forward to an even better rest of the summer.

Beginning

Hi, my name is Dave Dolben. I'm spending the summer working for Pervasis in Cambridge. I'm doing lab work, helping out with all of the projects that they have going there. I got the internship through the Students on the Forefront of Science program at Brooks School, my High School. I will be working there for eight weeks, a good portion of the summer. It will be a good experience for me, I will get experience in the lab and see what it's like to work in a company doing lab work in the real world.