Hello, my name is Katie Pumayalli and I just finished the fifth week of my six-week internship at the Ye Lab at Scripps Institute in San Diego, California. I have been working with my amazing mentors Cailynn Wang and Zhengyuan (Ben) Pang. I started my mentorship on Monday, June 17th, and fell in love with the lab and all of the people. My mentor’s research focuses on using a technique called clearing-assisted tissue click chemistry (CATCH) to track hallucinogenic drugs within brain tissue. CATCH involves making brain tissue slices transparent by removing lipids (fats) from the cells, while still preserving the overall cellular structure. This technique allows for precise visualization of where the drugs bind within the brain. This week I mainly focused on imaging and learning about the two new drugs we are working with. 

Week 2 Brain

I began my Monday by changing the buffer in the cleaning solution used for the brain I harvested during my third week in the lab. Following this, I attended the lab’s weekly meeting where a lab mate presented their data and research direction. After lunch with the lab, I focused on theoretical research about the potential binding sites of the drugs we were developing.

Confocal Machine

Tuesday was a relatively relaxed day in the lab. I continued researching the drugs we will image later this week. At the end of the day, I utilized the confocal microscope. This high-powered instrument employs a laser to visualize tissue comprehensively and can generate 3D models.

On Wednesday I was feeling unwell so I decided to stay home and rest. While at home I did some research on one of the staining antibodies we use. 

Liver Tissue

I began my Thursday by replacing the cleaning buffer of the week 2 brain. Subsequently, I conducted Click reactions on other brain tissue exposed to drugs of particular interest. The day concluded with imaging analysis of both liver and brain tissue. While the liver tissue results were disappointing, the brain tissue exhibited exceptional binding that surprised even my mentor.

Warm Incubator

Friday was a half day due to my mentor’s departing flight. I observed a colleague’s procedure involving live brain slice preparation. Instead of injecting a mouse with a drug, they harvested the brain to preserve live cells, then exposed the slices to the desired drug. I concluded my day by preparing tissue slides for next week’s imaging. Afterward, I took the bus to La Jolla, found a coffee shop, and began writing this while waiting for Siena.

San Diego Zoo

On Saturday, some pinterns and I went to the San Diego Zoo, which was fabulous. My favorite parts were seeing the mountain lion and making direct eye contact with a zebra. On Sunday I watched both of the soccer finals with my host family and I did some shopping with Siena.