Beyond any hopes and expectations

Now that we have been in Siena for a week some of the seriousness of the school work aspect of this trip is setting in. This being our first assignment, it serves as a reminder that we aren’t just here for the fun and relaxation or the wine and food but to also learn something. I have already learnt a lot from our visits to the museums and different sites around Italy, particular the ones in Rome. Visiting the Vatican was a truly mind-boggling experience even though I am not a Catholic. To be walking around places that have witnessed some of the most important events in our history and are so rich in culture had my mind reeling in a million directions.

In Siena, after our second day of class we visited the science center of the University of Siena and attended a poster session. The session included around six labs that presented their work, ranging from Micro and Nanopatterned Surface for Biomedical Application to Molecular Immunology. The work that I was most interested in was presented by Doctor Cosima Baldari on how Anthrax Toxins Suppress Immune Cell Activation and Chemotaxis by Perturbing Receptor Signaling. Given that this past semester I had learnt a lot about the functions of proteins in my NBB 301 class I was very interested in looking at how the three protein toxic compound of Anthrax worked. The protein antigen (PA) binds either with edema factor (EF) or lethal factor (LF) and then helps it enter the cell. LF works by cleaving MAPKK molecules and EF is an adenylyl cyclase that up-regulates the amount of cAMP in the cell. Both these process result in an impairment of phagocytes and decrease T-cell proliferation and activation. This is the basic mechanism of how anthrax attacks the human body. It starts in the lymphnodes and while this is the initial point of infection, the tripartite toxin also neutralizes the immune system hence stopping the host’s response. This information is very much in line with some of the topics I covered in that NBB class and I am very excited to learn as much about it as possible with Dr. Baldari.

So far this trip has not been just about the poster session. I have gotten a chance to learn about crystal making as well. We visited a factory that produces a huge proportion of Italy’s crystal production. One of the interesting aspects of the crystal was that it is defined by the lead content of it and it has to be above a certain percentage to count as high quality crystal. Watching those artists sculpt beautiful structures out of lumps of fire was incredible.

So far this trip has been above and beyond any expectations I had. It has provided me with so many new experiences and has exposed me to a new culture and way of life that I had never known before. I’m very glad I took a little Italian before this trip as it has made communication a whole lot easier, especially with our Italian teaching assistants.

I am really excited about the coming weeks and hope that this trip continues to be the amazing experience that it has been so far.

Special thanks to blackout helpers…you all know who you are.