by Danielle Mokwa 12A
My class had the opportunity to be involved in a research project run by King’s College London. A team of researchers led a presentation in which we learnt about various human gene functions and how they could benefit the medical science industry.
They had been looking at a specific gene in jellyfish that causes them to become fluorescent; with this knowledge, the aim was to make neurons (cells in the brain) glow.
This would aid us in understanding the complex structure of the human brain and hopefully help us in curing diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Huntington’s disease.
We were able to perform two activities: one where we had brain tumour simulation (which involved removing tumours from a model brain with tools and a camera); the other where we had to create DNA strands and code for Proteins using Lego.
From this experience I had learnt the importance of the research sector in pushing the boundaries of our knowledge; and have become interested in this line of work. I sincerely enjoyed the experience and am excited for follow-up workshops.
