by Stephanie Wang
            
Most stem cell laboratories work with a specialized technique called fluorescence-activated cell sorting or
FACS.  A huge hulk of a machine, FACS sorters are able to sort cells individually, examining thousands upon
thousands of cells one at a time in a period of minutes. By the end of this blogpost, I hope you will be able to understand this complicated technique and its significance.   

In the Wagers Lab, I have utilized FACS to separate muscle stem cells (also known as the skeletal muscle precursor cell population) from other cells derived from the whole skeletal muscle extracted from mice. First taking muscles that range from the rubber-like abdominal muscle to the compact triceps and quads, I then utilize enzymes to digest the muscle in order to separate the myofibers from the whole muscle and then the individual muscle cells from each other.  In the end of the
digestion and filtration process, I am left with tubes of satellite cells, cells that lay upon the outer layer of the muscle (where the muscle stem cells are located).

by Stephanie Wang

I remember learning about niches in fifth grade.  It was in relation to squirrels—fuzzy critters that managed to enjoy eating and planting acorns for a living.  That was their niche, their place in the forest ecosystem. Other animals and plants filled the rest of the forest space in a beautiful, interweaving tapestry of needs presented and needs met. Nowadays, I think of Harvard Yard squirrels satisfying the curiosities of camera-wielding tourists—quite a different type of niche, yet an entertaining one for sure.

This summer, I learned laboratory techniques such as performing surgeries on the legs of mice, running them on mouse-sized treadmills, using FACS (Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting) to sort muscle stem cells, and doing EMSAs (Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assays). I became a pro at Western Blotting and Western Blot exposing, and I spent dozens of hours at microscopes and in front of computers, counting cell colonies and determining the area of myofibers. I liked the in
vivo work I am doing and have found the independence of laboratory research to be truly exciting.

by Stephanie Wang

Doing research at Harvard has its perks. Okay, yes, there’s the big “H” attached to
the name of your lab, but more importantly there’s Boston across the Charles River. Being in Boston during the summer months is an experience not to be missed. Though humid and warm, summers in Boston are a time when people are much more chill and relaxed. The weekends are spent roaming around the city, taking walks by the glimmering waters of the river,
going to free events, and enjoying the company of friends.

Here are some of the highlights of my summer:

1. Watching Fourth of July Fireworks from Harvard Bridge 

Boston is arguably one of the best places in the US to be on the night of July 4. The firework show, with the Boston Pops Orchestra playing along, is truly spectacular. Starting from 8:00am in the morning, people start marking their spots by the Hatch Shell in order to get the best view possible of both the fireworks and the show.  This year, Jennifer Hudson and the cast of Mamma Mia joined the Boston Pops for a fantastic musical program. 

by Stephanie Wang

As an undergraduate, one of the best things that a lab can give you is good mentorship, whether it is from a principal investigator (PI), a graduate student, or a postdoctoral fellow.  After joining the Wagers Lab, I was lucky enough to be paired with Juhyun (Julie) Oh. Julie is currently a rising G4, meaning she’ll be entering her fourth year of graduate school this upcoming academic year.  Julie is in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) program through Harvard Medical School and specializes in the subfield of Translational Medicine. 

The undergraduates in the Wagers Lab joke that our PI, Amy Wagers, is an incredible
matchmaker.  Each match between grad student/postdoctoral fellow and undergraduate has gone exceedingly well, and I can’t say any less about my match with Julie!

This past week, I was able to interview Julie about her experiences.  I found her responses to be both encouraging and enlightening, and hope you may glean some kernels of wisdom from them as well!

by Stephanie Wang

The best thing about research is that each day is your own, each slightly different, full of potential and possibility.  I have a monthly calendar, just sheets of paper I printed out from the Internet, and it gives me great pleasure to plan  ahead, projecting new experiments and reanalyzing my main goals and the many steps needed to reach them.  These tentative plans change with the accumulation of new data, and that, too, is exciting.

I groan when I hear my alarm clock turn on, the yellow numbers shifting slightly as I blink awake: 7:30AM. The fan is humming beside me, and though Winthrop House (a dorm at Harvard) has no A/C, the feel of the moving wind and the coolness of the early morning is pleasant. It is a struggle to get out of bed.  I stumble out anyways, change, brush my teeth, and by 7:55AM, I am rushing out the door.

During the school year, I live in the best house on campus: Eliot House (affectionately called the “Domus").  Right now, as part of PRISE, a summer research program at Harvard, I'm living one house over, in Winthrop House.  My room has a river view, and I have a great roommate who works in the same lab as I do.

Speaking of lab, it's been a long journey, but the saying's true—the third time is the charm.  The Wagers Lab is the third research group at Harvard that I've worked with, and I can finally say that I love what I do day-to-day at the bench.