So I probably should have been the first to blog, considering I have already been on rotation for a week. I am at the National Institute of Health in the National Institute of Dental Research Center (NIDCR) in Bethesda, MD. My rotation will be 8 weeks long and I am working with Dr. Larry Fisher who is a big-whig in antibodies and non-collagenous proteins. Basically this summer, I am helping his lab to try to figure out the mechanism by which mutations in DSSP causes dentin dysplasia.
In real terms: ya'll remember K-rick's disease? Well dentin dysplasia is messed up collagen formation of the teeth only (aka not bone, not like OI but similar phenotypically)... so there is this protein in odontoblasts that is causing all the problems. BUT there are about 7 mutations in the coding sequence that all cause the same disease... so finding a reason to explain this is the project.
I work with Dr. Fisher and a lady named Zophia from Poland. Her husband is a German journalist so she gets insider info about zee on-goings in the white house. Apparently, Friday night Obama started off speaking at a dinner with, "what a week"-- little did anyone know that mission Osama had just occurred. Needless to say, the town went crazy.
To be honest, I haven't done a whole lot of exciting things at work but have learned a bunch so far... but I plan on solving the puzzle in no time. I am the only dental student so this big campus right now seems a little lonely at times around all these PhD peeps. The dental clinic is actually really small. The dentist there is a grad of UCSF and doesn't take life too seriously considering he deals with crazy diseases all day; I plan on spending a day over there just to see some of the awesomeness.
Everyday I walk a block to take the bus and then the metro to campus. It is a lot of brick like NC State, but a ton more parking.
This is my badge that lets me into campus, the gov doesn't mess around.... this was when I thought I was important- but I quickly realized around here I'm just an intern :)
Today, I decided to take the 'road less traveled.' These are the escalators that lead up from the metro to the NIH campus. Usually the far left one is going down and the right two are going up (this switches in the afternoon to go with the flow of traffic). As you can see it is extremely steep.... and I wanted to know how many stairs is was so I took the far right one that was off today--- 166 STEPS!
The weather is awesome and I will be going to the dental museum this weekend, if you're in the area... let me know!
Hope ya'll are having a blast with your patients. I'll be headed to Myrtle, so I hope to see some of you there.
Random Fact: What is a mammal without teeth or tooth like things?
no, not a sloth.... not a platypus..... an anteater!
Kelly
Yay for saving the world! One weird mutation at a time :D
ReplyDeleteGlad you made it up there safe and have fun!