Life Cycles of the Researcher and the Organism
ANANDHU
When I started doing research, I had no idea that the life of a researcher would be intertwined with the life of an organism."
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ANANDHU
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As I began working with mammalian cells, fruit flies, bacteria, and zebrafish, I quickly realized that each of these model organisms presented its own unique challenges and requirements.
My experience with mammalian cells in culture (outside the body, in small dishes) has taught me that a researcher's life is often planned around the experiments they conduct. Each new experiment begins when the cells reach the maximum holding capacity of a dish, which can vary depending on the type of cells being used. However, it's not just the cells that require attention - the machines and instruments used in the experiment also need to be carefully managed.
Working with zebrafish has been a recent eye-opening experience. They require precise care, including three meals a day, water with adjusted ions, and a conditioned environment. The development time of zebrafish is about three months, and their care is crucial as they grow from a single-celled stage to an adult fish. Often, experiments involve working with their eggs, which requires careful planning and management to ensure quality and quantity.
Illustration credits to Anandhu
Fruit flies are another model organism with which I have less experience as compared to the cell culture system or zebrafish. The experience comes from the experiments I have to do for my college courses and then from interaction with the fellow fly researchers (also seeing their day-to-day life). My illustration is inspired from some of those ideas. While their developmental time is shorter than that of zebrafish, they require a lot of attention and care. My colleagues who work with fruit flies start their day by cooking litres of food and preparing their cages, which are kept in a conditioned room at 25°C. The experiments themselves involve hours of toil collecting eggs, pouring food into bottles or dishes, and observing their behaviour (sometimes that extends to a 24-hour long stride or more at different time-points within it).
As I've learned, working with these model organisms requires a great deal of planning and flexibility. Often, experiments coincide with prior plans, and sacrificing the set-up of an experiment can result in wasted time and resources. Then researchers have to sacrifice their personal plans to accommodate the demands of the work. However, to balance it out the rewards of discovery and the thrill of the unknown make it all worthwhile.
About Anandhu
Anandhu is a PhD scholar at Ashoka University, where he explores the relationships between post-translational modifications and the function of GPCRs, a crucial type of cell receptor. Beyond his academic pursuits, Anandhu is passionate about education and volunteers his time to support students in need. When he's not in the lab, you can find him lacing up his running shoes or walking through the campus.
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