(A)
(B)
Fig. 1 – Samantha looked forward to implementing CRISPRi in Module 2. She did not look forward to Journal Club. CRISPRi is a very trendy gene-editing tool, and, like all trendy things, kids wanted to get their hands on it. This included Samantha. Moreover, Samantha and her lively, creative friends will probably come across CRISPR sometime in their professional life. Samantha knew that this first exposure would mark the transition from a before-CRISPR era (B.Cr.) to an after-CRISPR era (A.Cr.). However, hidden in CRISPR heaven, was the thing Samantha dreaded most: Journal Club. (A) Samantha getting Journal Club instructions. (B) Timeline of every bioengineer’s life.
(A)
(B)
Fig.
2 – Benchling is the worst. Samantha understood the general idea of CRISPRi and
how to implement it. However, she had more trouble getting comfortable with
using Benchling to build the plasmids with inserts, perform sequencing analysis
and design primers. In the end, though, she grew accustomed to this, implemented
her CRISPRi system along with her fellow experimental subjects, and was very
excited to see lactate yield increase! (A) Samantha trying to understand
Benchling. (B) Samantha watching her CRISPRi samples do their thing.
To
Samantha’s dismay, CRISPRi stubbornly declined to do its job. Tensions between
Samantha and CRISPRi grew, to the point when CRISPRi walked out of the room and
refused to be part of the team, telling lactate to “go produce itself.”
Samantha was a little disappointed in the lack of yield improvement because (1)
it was her first experience with CRISPRi, and (2) she needed TO WRITE HER RESEARCH
ARTICLE. Luckily, other teams had better success in cooperating with CRISPR and
she could use some of their data.
Now
it’s time to move on to Module 3!
Fig.
3 – Samantha and her team members approaching the Module 3 Research Proposal
Presentation.
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