Bi-Monthly Journal
This is a bi-monthly updated blog tracking Chase's progress throughout the completion of his project.
SummaryOver the past ~15 days since the last update, I have focused on finding papers related to the topic I am researching, Hemoglobin synthesis. This has been harder than I expected, because it is difficult to find research from reputable researchers that is general enough for me to understand and use as preliminary documents (as I slowly wade into the very complicated research ahead of me) yet also as comprehensive and focused as necessary. While I knew that my topic was pretty specific and that there would potentially be limited amounts of research on hemoglobin synthesis, I didn't expect it to take as long as it has to find good papers to use. As a note for the future, I really have to make sure to be efficient with my time and use the tools of the various databases (such as google scholar's advanced search/filtering system) at my disposal to only find relevant articles. I ended up finding 5 papers that I can use as a starting point to dive into. These papers are all related to different topics within the realm of hemoglobin synthesis. While I was expecting to find more than 5 suitable papers in this timeframe, I am happy that I found any (which was a goal from my last update's "looking forward") and I now have the skills to find more papers in a shorter amount of time. Of the 5 papers, there are 2 that I have started to read. The first is called "Recent Advances in the Microbial Synthesis of Hemoglobin." This paper, published in March 2021, in the "Trends in Biotechnology, CellPress" journal, focuses on recent developments in hemeglobin synthesis, specifically organic synthesis. This is related to a potential route I was thinking of for my research later this year to synthesize hemoglobin. After completing my CRISPR research project & experiments with Mr. DeMarte and Mr, Witzel earlier this year, I thought of the ways that colonies of bacteria and other organisms could be genetically engineered to produce the hemoglobin protein as opposed to inorganically chemically synthesizing the heme group inside hemoglobin. This would be a potentially more efficient and even more costs effective way of producing hemoglobin, which would contribute to the sustainability aspect of the processes I want to research later this year. While I am not fully done digesting all this paper has to offer, it is a very good paper to explore the possibilities of taking an organic synthesis route. It also is made in a sort of SLR format, so it is very easy to approach without sacrificing any of the technicalities important to my genuine scientific understanding of the chemical processes. The second paper I am currently looking into is titled "Chlorophyll and hemoglobin—Two natural pyrrole pigments" and was written by Emma M. Dietz. Similar to the first paper, this research paper focuses on Hemoglobin. However, this paper was focused less on the synthesis of hemoglobin but more on the unique relationship between Chlorophyll-A and Heme, the compound in hemoglobin that hold oxygen and gives blood its distinct red color. This is a unique topic because most of the papers I have seen don't take the time to research relationships such as this one, which is actually a focus of my research and of the SLR. My original inspiration for this project came from my discovery of the similarities in chemical structure of Heme and Chlorophyll, so this article was great in connecting that original observation with the new knowledge I have been developing. Pictures of Research PapersBelow are screenshots of the 2 research papers I have begun to dig into. Picture of Zotero InterfaceBelow is a screenshot of the note taking/biblography software I am using, ZOTERO, in action. At the time of this screenshot's taking, I had already begun to fill in some information for the first of the 5 papers, as you can see below. Looking Forward Looking forward, I first want to continue to work on the website. I have worked to fill in some of the empty areas such as the "About Us" tab to create a more complete looking website. However, I have been very busy recently with travel sailing, and with daily practices and big regattas such as C420 North Americans, I have had very little down time to dedicate towards making my website look the best it can. I am hoping to continue to chip away at it every day little by little as much as I can, so eventually I will have a fully fledged website complete with everything I need.
Outside of the website, I hope to really dive into the first few research papers I have chosen. As mentioned above, I have begun to read them, however I want to make sure I can understand them and get as much out of them as possible. Given that they are the largest part of the SLR besides the writing of the SLR itself, it is important that I take good notes on each article going forward (which I will make sure to include pictures of). A roadblock I am beginning to find that both Mr. DeMarte and Dr. O'Donnell said could exist is the paywall that many of these articles are locked behind. Something I want to do in the near future is figure out who I need to talk to (Ms. Carsley, if you have any thoughts on this issue that would definitely be appreciated in the comments below!) in order to potentially unlock these articles. Earlier this summer Mr. DeMarte thought Severn's librarians might be able to help me get access to certain papers or journals, however I need to double check the actual logistics of making that happen. In addition to the actual research, I hope to continue to meet with my mentors. It has been a little while since I have been in contact with them, so I am planning to set up a zoom with all 3 mentors as soon as I get home from my next regatta, C420 National Championships. It would be good to touch base with them and describe what I am finding in the research papers, and see what their thoughts are in terms of beginning to organize/potentially outline the SLR itself.
1 Comment
|