| Ritter's Critters |
| Most of you are probably wondering what the heck I do in lab all the time. My lab is a molecular toxicology lab. Molecular means I am looking at a gene at the DNA level and toxicology is the science of poisons, their effects, and their treatment. Treatment of a disease can include increasing the expression of certain genes that will remove the bad stuff from your body. Our lab focuses on studying how to increase the expression of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) family of genes. Now it's a big scary fancy named family, but it's an important one that can keep you from one you want to have in your body. You see, UGTs help get rid of the bad stuff in your body that may cause cancer or other toxicities...like Tylenol! Depicted below is the enzymatic reaction that UGTs are involved in for those of you that want to know how it works (I had to put something scientific in!!). |
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| The Ritter Critters includes: Joe, aka Eagle Eye Ritter, he's the brains of the lab MaMa Fay, who makes sure the lab runs smoothly Slave Labor, I mean me, and Laura, Slave Labor Jr. * * * To show that we are not all work and no play, to the right is Van, Fay, Fred (Fay's hubby), Joe, Kim (Joe's wife), and me taking a Jello-shot! |
| So at this time I have to publish two more significant findings before I graduate...keep your fingers crossed so I can go home soon!! |
| My project focuses on the UGT1A6 gene. So far I found that it is regulated through two different promoters. The promoter is the piece of DNA that is in front of the gene of interest and it is involved in its expression. Also, being in a small lab has its advantages because I am pretty much involved in all projects pursued in our lab. This way, I don't get bored with the same technique or study and I get to learn alot of really cool assays! |
| To make sure I concentrate on school (since I wasn't very good in my undergrad days), I moved away from all my family, friends to enroll in Virginia Commonwealth University, Medical College of Virginia Campus, Ph.D. program in Pharmacology and Toxicology. Pictured to the left is the lab space I work in and my nice clean desk. The tree in the back was just a little seedling when I started!! |
| Geeky science stuff I promise not to talk about when I see you... |
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| Laura and the centrifuge Joe and the fam Stacy and Antonio... the crazy kids next door. |
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