Elizabeth’s BioBlog

Scientific Research is known for its unpredictability. Researchers are taught from the start to expect setbacks and problems in their investigative process. My experience during this semester is no exception. Though the setbacks have been minimal they have had an impact on the primary goal of my project. We had some problems in acquiring the antibody for the myosin protein that we wanted to observe, which arrived just a few weeks ago. Then, after I was able to stain the fixed embryos with the myosin antibody, we received the news that the confocal microscope was not working. For this reason, we have not been able to see the myosin in the embryos. Another big setback has been the environmental changes in the Lab due to problems with the incubator and the air conditioning system.

However, during this time I have been practicing how to fix embryos and how to do antibody staining. Now, when the time comes to stain the embryos with the necessary antibodies, I will be able to easily execute the task. When the confocal microscope becomes available, I will be able to see the myosin in the embryos.

For the next semester, my goal is to continue at a faster pace my work with the myosin antibody. I also plan to USE SOME OTHER antibodies for various motor proteins to observe their function in the drosophila synaptogenesis.