Ever wonder what it’s like to be a Research Assistant? What your responsibilities might be? How will you achieve your ambitions? In this article I am going to give you an insight into a typical week. As a Research Assistant I support the research projects of group members, as well as working on independent projects such as experiments for journal article submissions and pilot experiments for upcoming grants. It’s a role that gives much satisfaction and variety.
A week in the life!
Starting the week, I plan for all upcoming experiments, which includes me organising all equipment bookings, adding items to my calendar and sharing with my PI my most recent data. Once that's done, I start my first experiment, where I investigate a tumour sample, which I do by staining my cells for unique cell markers which can identify what cells are in the tumour microenvironment and contributing to the tumour immune response. Later on, I will run these cells on the flow cytometer.
At midday, I attend a weekly external seminar. We are privileged to have visiting researchers join us every Monday to present their fascinating research! These seminars allow us to learn about a variety of research, to pick up new techniques, and to engage with a diverse set of researchers. I attend a post-seminar lunch with the speaker and a few KIR researchers, which is a great opportunity to discuss science and make new connections. After a fascinating discussion, I run my stained cells from earlier on, allowing me to understand what cells are in the tumour microenvironment.
A selection of tumour sections being stained by immunoflorescence to image later in the week.
Tuesday starts off with slide staining tumour samples by immunofluorescence. This process allows me to visualise the immune components such as T cells, B cells and macrophages. This will give me an understanding of what interactions occur within the immune system during cancer. Immunofluorescence has a long incubation period, providing a perfect opportunity to set up a new experiment while the slides stain. I prepare some in vitro cell cultures which I will use later in the week, this involves me removing tumour cells contained in a freezing solution in a 1ml vial from long-term storage in liquid nitrogen and plating them in flasks with media so they can grow. When this is complete its time for lunch, we have a range of options to us on the campus site to fuel up for the rest of the afternoon! I complete the immunofluorescence staining after lunch and the slides can be imaged later in the week.
A tissue culture hood where tumour cells are being cultured under sterile conditions.
On Wednesday morning I check the in vitro tumour cells which I cultured yesterday, making sure they look happy and healthy, if not, I can change the media they grow in or split them into new flasks to make them happier. On Wednesday lunchtime we have internal seminars where DPhil students present their project giving them the opportunity to gain feedback and discuss their future experimental plans. The internal seminar is a great place to catch up with colleagues and researchers in a relaxed way with lunch!After this I use my in vitro tumour cells to set up a co-culture assay alongside macrophages so that I can investigate the effects macrophages exert on tumour cells. These will stay in culture for 2-7 days so I can gain an understanding as to what effects both the tumour cells and macrophages have on each other over time. I do this by staining the cells for flow cytometry analysis on specific days. Before heading home, I mount the immunofluorescence slides which I will image the following day.
The 980 confocal microscope which is used to image the immunofluorescent slides which were stained on Tuesday.
On Thursday I image the immunofluorescence slides which were stained earlier on in the week. This is a rewarding process as I can see my hard work paying off in real time and I make sure to take my time capturing the best possible images, which I then analyse so they can be used for journal article submissions. On Thursday afternoon our lab group have either a lab meeting or journal club. Members of the lab present their current work, findings and future plans, or share an article which they have read and enjoyed! This time is important as we can discuss exciting upcoming research or learn from a new article.
Each month we have a social event organised by a different lab group; this allows integration between groups, great chats over good food, and a positive end to the week! These socials alternate between Thursdays and Fridays, and the social this month is this morning. After a fun filled morning, I can complete the last experiment of the week. This is when I take my co-cultured macrophages and tumour cells and remove them from their in vitro plate to stain for flow cytometry. After an exciting week of experiments and events it's time to wrap up for the week and have some well-deserved rest!
To conclude
The research assistant role is multifaceted and no two days are the same! Within the job the skills that can be gained are immense allowing you to gain the experience needed to apply for a DPhil or maybe take a different route in the scientific field, like laboratory management or becoming a senior research assistant. The possibilities are endless!