Every year we welcome undergraduate and masters’ students with a variety of backgrounds to undertake a research project in our lab. Chloe Moore completed her MRes in Translational Oncology in 2022 where she was looking at the damage caused by different forms of radiation on DNA by using AFM in the Pyne lab.

What was your project about and what did it involve?

My project involved comparing the different types of DNA damage/lesions induced by both gamma and alpha radiation. I did this by exposing both MDA-MB-231 cells and piAN7 plasmids to different doses of gamma radiation and alpha radiation (radium dichloride). Gamma and alpha radiation cause DNA damage via different mechanisms therefore finding an equivalent dose is impossible. However, using cells allowed me to carry out clonogenic assays to determine a rough estimate for an equivalent dose of gamma and alpha radiation by seeing which doses of each type induced the same amount of death. As piAN7 plasmids are circular in nature, they exhibit the different types of DNA lesions impeccably and therefore allowed me to characterise the lesions and determine which type of radiation induced which types of damages.

What did you learn from your time in the lab?

I learned that things don’t always go to plan, and you must be persistent and resilient to succeed and make progress. You must be adaptable to overcome any mishaps that may occur.

What was the highlight/the best part about your time in the lab?

The highlight of my time is the lab was definitely the people I met. My lab group were always so helpful, and they always made sure they made time for me if I had any questions or needed any help. Although completing my masters was very academically challenging, everyone is always up for a social event or even just taking a break and grabbing a coffee to help wind down.

What are you doing now/any future plans?

Currently I am working as a healthcare assistant at a local GP practice. I am however, browsing for jobs linked to medical sales and clinical research so that I can kickstart my scientific career.