Lab experiences before university

During secondary school in Italy, I had the opportunity to learn about the practical aspects of a scientist’s job through different placements, including the following:

• a 3 weeks internship at Testing Center Globaltest in Sofia (Bulgaria), focusing on the chemical properties of drugs (July 2018).
• a 1-week internship at the Medicine Department of University of Eastern Piedmont (UPO, Italy) in the General Pathology laboratory, focusing on the characterization of immune cells in response to acute liver injury (February 2018).
• a 3 weeks internship at the Pharmacology Department of UPO (Italy), focusing on the chromatography of organic compounds and the purification of cannabinoids (June 2017).

Although a few years have gone by, I still value these experiences, which ultimately led me to apply to MSci Applied Medical Sciences at UCL. Please continue reading to know more about each experience 🙂

Drug quality control – Testing Center Globaltest, Sofia, Bulgaria

In June – July 2018, I spent 3 weeks in Sofia, Bulgaria, in the drug analysis laboratories of Testing Center Globaltest, under the supervision of Dr Zdravka Zakarieva, Head of the chemical laboratory. During the internship, I was introduced to wet-lab methods for the quality control of batches of pharmaceutical products. In particular, I performed average weight measurement, hardness tests, dissolution tests, titrations, dilutions and syringe filtrations. Also, I was responsible for reporting results in the center’s database – this activity drew my attention to the significance of human error. In addition to mastering practical lab techniques, I gained teamwork skills, as the use of specific equipment was shared between members of the lab.
While I had previously experienced the academic research environment, this internship represented my first encounter with laboratory work in the industry and was a taster of the pharmaceutical field.

Acute liver injury – University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy

In February 2018, I shadowed Dr Salvatore Sutti in the General Pathology Laboratory of the University of Eastern Piedmont (UPO) in Novara, Italy. This 1-week experience was part of the UPO Academy project for outstanding high school students of the province of Novara. I was introduced to the laboratory’s studies on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and to its current project: the characterisation of antigen presenting cells in the liver subsequent to CCl4- induced hepatic damage in animal models. I observed tissue necrosis in liver sections of CCl4 treated mice on light microscopy and verified liver damage by measuring NADH with a spectrophotometric assay. Subsequently, I was introduced to the principles of flow cytometry for the classification of antigen presenting cells based on surface markers. At the end of the week, I presented the laboratory’s project and the results obtained to other students on the programme.
Altogether, this experience introduced me to research in human health and disease and has greatly impacted my university and career choices.

Purification of cannabinoids – University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy

In June 2017, I spent 3 weeks (for a total of 78 hours) in the Department of Pharmacology of the University of Eastern Piedmont (UPO) in Novara, Italy, in Prof Appendino’s laboratory. I was supervised by the postdoctoral researcher Dr Simone Gaeta. The internship was aimed at introducing the modern techniques of purification and isolation of natural compounds. Our project objective was to isolate cannabinoids (in particular cannabigerol) from an acetone extraction of Cannabis sativa. Throughout the internship, I familiarised myself with the laboratory environment, safety rules and terminology, as well as gained confidence in handling glassware and experimental equipment. The chief techniques performed were Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC), Vacuum Liquid Chromatography, Column Chromatography. In addition, I used the rotary evaporator, induced winterisation, induced crystallisation, and observed flash chromatography.
Overall, this experience represented my first encounter with the research world and the academic environment and has contributed to shaping my career goals.