The past two weeks were spent finishing protocols and bringing my project to a completion point. I was able to use these six weeks to create a system that I will now be able to use to investigate my original research question with more reliability and reproducibility. I originally planned to knock down the lncRNA genes with RNAi and then investigate the effects of this in breast cancer cells. This technique is a way to temporarily decrease the expression of certain genes by using RNA molecules that interfere with mRNA, and is fairly quick and easy to use. I would have been able to transfect my cells with the RNAi (package the RNAi and send it into the cells to then knock down expression), and then start working on measuring changes in gene expression. However, one set of analyses made me realize it would be better to establish a more effective system. Though RNAi can induce significant changes in gene expression, it is not as reliable as a CRISPR system, which is designed to permanently knock out genes at the DNA level. I had originally not planned to use CRISPR because it takes a lot longer to establish, but it is a lot more reproducible, specific, and sensitive. Now that I have established the system, I can work on replicating this system in other cells, which will allow for a more comprehensive understanding of my long-term research question.

Now that I have finished my project, I can start working on my poster. Leading up to the last day, my main challenge was choosing a cut-off point for what I could include in my poster. Midway through the last week I wanted to keep working and put more results on my poster, but the next set of experiments belongs to the next stage of my research journey. The six weeks really flew by and it's hard to believe I'm done with this project. I am excited to build off of it and continue my research. I am very grateful that I was selected to be a part of this program, and look forward to the rest of it!