Abel Ferrel, Post 2

Hi all,

It’s clearly been a few weeks from the last blog and a lot has happened.

Lab update:

In an effort to look at how the humoral system directs a specific response with different degrees of blockage on an antigen, we generated various constructs of the influenza hemagglutinin (HA) protein. With these plasmids, we transfected cells, harvested and purified the proteins. In addition to the constructs, we decided to use two antibodies specific for our HA proteins. Our next step is working with biolayer interferometry (BLI) and seeing how the antibodies bind to the HA’s. This will give us kinetic data we can use to compare the binding of the antibodies to the various constructs.

            Overall, lab has been pretty awesome over the last few weeks. Everyone is really nice and has a great sense of humor which adds to the friendly atmosphere. My mentor and I get along very well and to the point where sarcasm gets thrown left and right. My PI, Dr. Harrison, is great to talk to. He walks around almost daily, greets everyone, asks how their day is and so on. Good experiences thus far.

Outside of lab, there have been a number of adventures. The first of many is New York. This was an exciting adventure where some of my friends from UCLA and I met up there and sought to enjoy as much of the city as we could. We saw some incredible sights, got to dance the night away, and celebrated a historic event at the NYC Pride March. The fourth of July was amazing as well. Being in Boston, the history here was seeping out of the ground. It was very busy all throughout but I spent the day with some friends walking along the Freedom Trail, touring and napping at MIT, and ending the day with the fireworks show on the Charles River. We were so close we could feel the shockwave of every explosion. Pretty awesome I must say. Another memorable event was a cruise I went on with some of my dorm buddies. We spent three hours going around the Boston islands and dancing on one the many decks. We met some interesting people there including some who are in labs at HMS as well. Lastly, I’ve explored Boston’s eateries and various dance venues. Each has its own atmosphere and some I have really enjoyed but not all are for everyone. Nevertheless, all experiences here have been great and I can’t wait to see what the next week has in store!

Best,

Abel

After a nap at MIT. Waiting for the fireworks.

One of the many cool designs made during the Boston fireworks show.

The Boston skyline on our voyage back on the cruise.