Post by Niamh Lloyd-Fennell

I am pleased to share that I recently completed a two-week work experience placement at the Michael Smith Building, University of Manchester, under the supervision of Professor Martin Lowe and his team of PhD and postdoctoral researchers. During my time there, I worked on a mini-project investigating Golgi-related proteins in knockdown HepG2 cell lines. This hands-on experience allowed me to deepen my understanding of cell biology and build a wide range of laboratory skills, including cell culture techniques (cell splitting, lysate preparation, cell fixing and staining), immunofluorescence microscopy, and Western blotting. I also had the chance to explore computational tools such as AlphaFold. Other highlights included observing postdoctoral researchers working with zebrafish embryos in studies related to paraplegia and lipid metabolism, which broadened my perspective of in vivo models and experimental strategies in biomedical research. This placement has given me a real-world glimpse into life in an academic lab and helped clarify the path I may want to pursue after completing my studies. I’m incredibly grateful to Professor Lowe and his team for their guidance, support, and willingness to share their expertise.