Oxidative Stress & Gene Expression in CHO Cells

The Wet Lab Makerspace invites you to join our Fall 2026 Communal Project! These projects are open opportunities to practice laboratory skills. The makerspace provides materials, protocols, instruction, and support to guide you through foundational workflows in the biological and chemical sciences. By completing these non-credit courses, students can earn digital badges, demonstrating their mastery of core skills.

In Fall 2026, our Community Project will be Oxidative Stress & Gene Expression in CHO Cells, which will introduce the measurement of gene expression using RT-qPCR. Students will have the opportunity to cultivate mammalian cells, apply an oxidative stress treatment, isolate RNA, and measure gene expression using Quantitative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR).

Topics to be Covered

Students will receive an orientation to important lab safety topics, including handling biological material, waste disposal, and handling hazardous chemicals. Orientation to Cell Culture Room is also required for this project.

Students will be introduced to basic processes in mammalian cell culture, including using the biosafety cabinet, thawing frozen cells, seeding flasks, and using the phase contrast microscope.

In this week, we will passage our Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Students will be introduced to the centrifuge and cell counter.

In this week, we will expose our cells to hydrogen peroxide to induce oxidative stress. We will collect and freeze our cells for downstream processes.

Students will isolate RNA from their frozen cells using a commercially available kit. They will then synthesize complementary DNA (cDNA) via reverse transcription.

In this week, we will measure gene expression of several genes believed to be involved in the response to oxidative stress using Quantitative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR).

Data analysis is at the core of a successful RT-qPCR experiment. In this week, we will analyze our data and compare the expression of our genes of interest across oxidative stress treatments.

Pacing & Time Commitment

Students must enroll in a specific weekly time slot. In-person instruction will occur during that time slot. Completion of each week’s assignment will likely require that students work independently at least one additional day per week. The project will begin the week of Sept 20th and will end the week of November 29th. Participants MUST commit to attending EVERY WEEK.

Students will have the opportunity to earn two badges:

Participant
Core

Fill out this form to APPLY!

Acceptance decisions will be communicated by the week of Sept 13th. The project will begin the week of Sept 20th and will end the week of November 29th. No experience is needed and all materials will be provided, but participants MUST commit to attending EVERY WEEK.

Enrollment will be capped at 40 students. We look forward to seeing you all for an exciting semester of science!