Undergraduate Research Assistant
Davis, California, United States
I am a research assistant to Ph.D candidate Ted Oneill in Dr Dave Block's research lab at UC Davis. We're working on developing a serum free media formulation for use in cultivated meat cell culture. Serum serves as a source of many components like amino acids, hormones, complex growth factors, lipids etc that are essential for many cell types. However, the use of serum is unfavourable due to multiple issues surrounding its variability and ethics. I have comprehensive experience in:- Designing and conducting cell culture experiments which involves sterile working conditions - Growing and passaging different cell lines like C2C12 murine- Fluorescence Imaging using nuclear staining techniques to identify cell growth performance. - Using PICO imaging systems for imaging cell plates and analysing data from it. - Preparation of in-house cell culture media formulation using analytical balance and specific proportions of media components like vitamins, amino acids, salts etc. - Using specific assays for measuring cytotoxicity effects of plant hydrolysates in cell culture media. - Handling corrosive, flammable chemicals and working with liquid nitrogen. - Presenting my research findings and updates to company officials in biweekly meetings held virtually. Alongside, I worked on preparing multiple types of plant extracts and plant hydrolysate solutions and conducted experiments to understand if they have any potential cytotoxic effects on the above mentioned cell lines. I also designed and conducted experiments to test these plant extracts as a potential source of amino acid component replacement in the cell culture media.