Lin Abigail Tan 

This semester, I joined the Crutcher Lab through the Department of Neurosurgery at UC College of Medicine. I was able to design my own project on the effect of physically transection of the neurite outgrowth around a central explant. In the lab, I learned a variety of biomedical laboratory skills, such as embryo dissection, cell culture, crystal violet staining, and preparing plates/reagents. I also learned basic neuroanatomy and the process of critically reading a scientific journal article. 

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Equally as important, however, were the cross-cutting skills I cultivated over the semester. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, only a limited number of individuals were allowed in the lab space at a time. Thus, Dr. Crutcher devised a system of cross-training: students would learn new skills with him and pass the knowledge to others. I created a GroupMe that would allow ease of communication among all the students in the lab, and in it, we would coordinate schedules, give tips on certain techniques, and share findings. 

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Over the course of the semester, I amassed a variety of images of the dorsal root ganglia explants (shown on the right). Much of the semester involved improving technique (for example, transection with the microknife involved precise placement of the tool with distortion from the cell culture medium). However, we were able to have interesting qualitative results as well. We saw a pattern of neurite "clumping" at the transection site, as well as subsequent degeneration at various time points afterwards. Some neurites were even able to cross the transection site. In the future, it would be beneficial to characterize the neurites crossing over using some biochemical analyses (e.g. immunohistochemistry), quantify results using contour tracing, and transition to mammalian models. 

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The skills, both scientific and interpersonal, I attained from my neuroscience lab experience will benefit me in my path as a pre-med student and future healthcare professional. This semester, I improved my skills in critical thinking, focus, and collaboration, and I hope those with me as I advance in my career. 

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Big thank you to Dr. Keith Crutcher, Dr. David Pettigrew, and all the students in the Crutcher Lab for their tremendous help and support. 

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