Imagination Infatuation - Rayyan Gorashi

In this exact moment, one word seems to capture all the feelings rushing through me: overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by how far I’ve come at imec and by the short amount of time I have left here. With less than one week until the final presentation of our summer’s progress in the Life Science Technologies department at imec, I’ve done a lot of reflecting on the work that I have contributed to this project.

At the start of the summer, I was tasked with optimizing a seeding protocol for a microfluidic device meant to simulate an organ-on-a-chip. In the case of my project, a heart-on-a-chip. This microfluidic device is a collaboration between imec and another external company that manufactures the polystyrene plate. The advantages of using this microfluidic device is that each of its wells have an individualized port for media. This means that all sixteen chambers of the device are independent. This facilitates the intended application of the device, testing for cardiotoxicity of pharmaceutical drugs, in that different drugs would be able to be examined simultaneously. The evaluation of the responses of the cells would be through this microfluidic device that would have a chip embedded below it. The monolayer of cardiomyocytes would be in direct contact with the chip so its electrical responses to different drugs would be able to be recorded and evaluated.

This version of the microfluidic device I work on has the chip embedded below where the cells are cultured.

Like any research project, there have definitely been various unanticipated setbacks: difficulty with cell attachment and retainment, leaks in the peristaltic valve system embedded in the device, clogs, etc. Overcoming these obstacles, though, is what makes research, research. It’s the very essence of the creativity that’s necessary for devising solutions.

Outside of the challenges during the week, these past few weekends have been spent in various parts of Belgium: from the northern beach of Ostend to the southern town of La Roche-en-Ardenne. Funny thing was that until the drive to La Roche, I did not realize how close Leuven was situated to the French-speaking provinces. In La Roche, Jaynie and I enjoyed our team’s, Cell and Tissue Technologies (or CTT for short), annual weekend retreat. Being able to escape the city and enjoy the quietness of the mountains for a few days was simply fantastic. Before that weekend, I had never seen a shooting star; but, for one of those nights alone, I saw nearly 10.

In Vienna for the weekend. 

All in all, it is saddening to me that my time here is quickly coming to a close. I am going to do my best to make the most out of these last 2 weeks: both in the lab and out.

Got Chips? - Jaynie Criscione

The weeks are flying by here. Somehow, we are down to our last two weeks in Belgium. There are so many more places that I would like to go and so much more I would love to see, but the summer is coming to a close.

Next week, we have our presentations (on my birthday!). So, lab work has definitely ramped up. I have appreciated the independence that Erkuden, my adviser, has allowed me. These past two weeks, I have run two simultaneous experiments. The first experiment is the one that I have performed for the whole summer. I use a micro-electrode array (MEA) to perform an impedance assay on biofilms. In layman’s terms, I take measurements from very small sections of a bacterial layer using electrodes that send current through the layer. The amount of difficulty that the current experiences is referred to as impedance. The biofilm is known to have two characteristic sources of impedance: the biofilm stores charge like a capacitor, and the medium (liquid) that it is in provides resistance in the form of charged particles.

The MEAs that we use are remarkable: there are over 16,000 individual electrodes. That is a LOT of measurements! Working with MEA chips is challenging because they are quite delicate. You can’t even touch the surface! The chips have incredibly complex microstructures which can easily be damaged, even by dust.

Microelectronic array I use in my experiments. Photo courtesy of imec.

The fashionable gear we have to wear when working with microelectronics

I am using biological samples on the microchip, so I have to thoroughly sanitize the chip before using it. Once sterile, I add media and my sample to the chip. The well around the chip holds less than five milliliters of water, which is a very small amount! After I finish my measurements, I take images of the chip using the confocal microscope. With the microscope, I can see the bacteria because they glow green (not naturally, of course!).  My objective (no pun intended) is to find out if these electrodes can give different spatial information of the biofilm based on the actual surface area of the electrode.

The other experiment I’m conducting is what I mentioned in my previous blog post. I am co-culturing (growing together) two separate strains of bacteria: one that forms biofilms and one that does not. I am growing these on “dummy” chips, or chips that do not have wiring. The chips themselves cannot take any measurements, but I am using them to visualize the size and scope of the bacterial growth.

The IRES REU program has been a fantastic experience. Though I haven’t had much time to reflect because, I certainly have learned quite a bit. The work culture in Belgium is much more balanced, unlike the US. Europeans take holiday fairly frequently, and they receive ample vacation time. Even lunch and coffee breaks last significantly longer. Americans could perceive this as laziness, but I think that these breaks are crucial in having a productive day. I consider myself capable of working marathons, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy it. American students sometimes take pride in consuming and distressing ourselves with work. In Belgium and at imec, people work hard yet still take the time to give themselves a mental break. I’ve never truly appreciated balance until I came here and was able to perform hours of work without burning out.

As a pre-professional, I think that the culture at imec is a fantastic transition between being a student and being in the workforce. The internship offers the flexibility to come in a bit later than 9 am, which I definitely appreciate. My particular lab group, Cell and Tissue Technologies (CTT), has a close-knit and friendly atmosphere, while still maintaining professionalism.

This past weekend, all of CTT (except a few members who couldn’t make it) went to La Roche en Ardennes. We spent the weekend at a colleague’s family house and went on a high ropes course. The weekend was amazing because we went into rural, Wallonian (French) Belgium. The other weekend trips that I took were all to cities.

La Roche en Ardennes

The weekend prior, I went to Gentse Feesten, which is a huge cultural festival in the city of Ghent. The size is ranked only smaller than Oktoberfest and Fallas. Gentse Feesten went on for 10 days, but I only went for two. Luckily, the festival was free and very accessible by train. The public transport around Belgium is excellent and cheap, which I am forever grateful.

Celebrating the Gentse Feesten with an expensive waffle

I truly cannot believe how quickly this summer has passed. My research has been intense enough that I scarcely have time to think about my data before I collect more! These next weekends, I will travel to Vienna and Switzerland. I will also turn 21! Thank you for reading!