Free STEM supplies for educators

 Our friends at Bio-link Depot in Oakland, California are having an event 1 May '22

Registration is required please follow this link:

https://mailchi.mp/dc53af3df94b/update-your-contact-info-save-the-date-for-open-house-8658925?e=d718c48211

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bio-link-depot-open-house-may-1-tickets-320360004397

First phase 1 clinical study of GRFT for prevention of HIV

 Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine completed phase one clinical study of a griffithsin topical.  This is designed to be applied as a gel to the vagina before sex to inhibit HIV infection.  Phase one trials are done are to see what effect the pharmaceutical has on healthy humans.   The results of this study are very promising,  This is a huge step forward, and we look forward to the next phases of clinical trials.

Here's a link to the paper:

 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0261775 

Meanwhile our group is looking into what the optimal pH of a buffer for adhesion of DNA to W and AU microparticles would be.   We would like to hear from anyone who has done particle bombardment on the subject of what buffers worked best.

important considerations when preparing projectiles

 Basically when coating particles we need to pay careful attention to:

1. pH: This is most important!
2. Timing of incubation
3. Temperature of incubation
4. Salt concentration
5. Size of particles
6. Freshness of Spermidine (0.1M)
7. 2.5 M CaCl2 is filter sterilized and aliquots prepared ready to use.
8. Purity and concentration of DNA
9. Keeping particles suspended in the buffer solution while adding the spermidine and CaCL2
10. We have seen problems with particles sticking to the 1.5 Ml centrifuge tubes. DNA Lo-Bind tubes should work better.

Preparing particles - theory

 

What is happening when we coat either Au or W particles?   

Adsorption

Adsorption is where a layer of molecules cling to a surface.

1.       There is the adsorbate (i.e. DNA plasmid)

2.       There is the adsorbent (i.e. W)

What attracts the adsorbate and the adsorbent to each other so that they are held together in Adsorption?

DNA has a – charge.  W has + charge.  Under the right conditions, a bond is formed.  If the DNA is in solution with the W and the bond forms, the DNA will precipitate and adsorption occurs.  The DNA is not present in the solution anymore, it is now coating the W microparticle.

That’s very beautiful and simple to understand but as may be expected the devil’s in the details. 

preparing rice seed to grow embryos and calluses

 Here's Hector in the lab as he prepares rice seed to grow on media plates

https://youtu.be/Qdc9-8sgymg

note: the husked seeds were washed with bleach to sterilize them

Hector's work on project GRFT

Introducing Mr. Hector Vera who is one of our talented, dedicated and hard working volunteers at project GRFT.  Hector speaks from outside a laboratory in Oakland, California where our gene guns are now being built and tested.  

Open Insulin - changing the paradigm

 The older sibling of Project GRFT is Open Insulin. They recently made a quality introductory video about their work which may be viewed here    We share the goals of  medicine for people, not profit, and valuing open source technology.