Question 1

Safety

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 2

Cell Culture Basics

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 3

Cell Culture Passaging

Accepted Answer

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

Question 4

Oxidative Stress and Cell Harvesting

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 5

RNA Extraction & cDNA Generation

Accepted Answer

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

Question 6

RT-qPCR

Accepted Answer

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).

Question 7

Data Analysis

Accepted Answer

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.

Tags / Communal Project

Communal Project Fall 2026