Marina Loch’s Week of Lab Research at the University of Helsinki

 From February 19 to 24, 2024, Marina Loch had an amazing opportunity to collaborate with the University of Helsinki to experience research techniques in their lab. 

She was first introduced to real-time qPCR. She then tested 201 samples from calf tracheo-bronachial lavage for six viruses. 

Marina also attended a seminar on sharing microbiota sequencing data management. She learned how to prepare this data, add the necessary details, and upload everything to the NCBI database, which helps other researchers access and use the information.

One of the highlights of her week was comparing PCR protocols for detecting viruses and for amplifying microbiota DNA for sequencing. This comparison helped her understand the differences and special requirements for each type of protocol.

Marina about her experience says "I really enjoyed getting to know another lab/research group and how things work there at the University of Helsinki,  I'm looking forward to collaborating with them again in the future."