We do science, too

We have a lot of fun in the Cohen Lab. We sail, and we eat donuts, and we brainstorm big ideas over tasty cocktails. But at core, we are a band of renegades, uncovering secrets of the genome. The only evidence for that claim that you’ll need is the picture below, showing Max and Maria and Clarice taking care of their cells, on a Cohen-Triple-TC-Hood-Combo-Day.

Back to back to back!

Congratulations to Clarice, to Siqi, and to Jeff on successfully proposing their theses! The three have hitched their wagons together so as one wagon advances ahead, the others are pulled alongside. In such a way, the three have boosted each other’s science and buoyed each other’s spirits. A regular Cerberus of science. What a team!

We look forward to seeing what comes out of each one’s thesis work.

Sailing through graduate school

When a few Cohen Lab members found themselves listlessly floating through the doldrums of graduate school, Barak came to the rescue. Quickly navigating rivers and creeks and roadside puddles, he sailed across Illinois and arrived in lab to the shock and awe of the other landlubber labs. His new crew gave a quick “yippee” and climbed aboard.

Might there be merits to guiding the ship into international waters where the rogue scientists could set up a nautical lab? Benefits would include easy access to fresh seafood, plenty of salt water for buffering our enzymatic reactions, and the inspiration of the fresh sea breeze. That said, we may need to invent new nautical approaches to sequencing DNA, discover internet-free ways of reading new papers, and identify some Atlantis-based funding source.

For now, we’ll keep residence within our lovely coffee-laden abode and escape to Carlyle Lake when the siren song becomes too much. But when the floods arrive again, look to the Cohen Lab for the beginnings of the NNIH: the National Nautical Institutes of Health.

Donut Day in the Cohen Lab

Mary Poppins sang that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. This morning, we sang that a dozen John’s donuts helps the Washington University in St. Louis Institutional Biological & Chemical Safety Committee Protocol go down, and an additional spoonful of sugar helps that lengthy name go down.

Around the rooster’s crow, Barak, Max, Clarice, and Jeff gathered round a table piled high with past protocols, laptops, safety certificates, and a hearty collective knowledge ranging from the origins of reporter genes to the dangers of graphite in space. And then there were the donuts. Our lab has a storied tradition of sweetening unpleasant days with samplings of St. Louis’ fabulous donut scene. For RNA extractions, we grab a dozen from World’s Fair. For library preparation, we grab a dozen from Vincent Van Doughnut. For Clarice’s seven-hour-long marathon of a practice talk, we grab a dozen from Strange. And for the latest effort in maintaining a safe and accountable lab, we grab a dozen from John’s.

Perched next to our venerable coffee source, the four toiled as the sun progressed across the sky. Time’s passing was marked only by the regular flow of fellow scientists, coming to refill their receptacles with the dark brown life fuel that surely represents far too high of a proportion within our electrolyte-deficient bloodstream. Some offered sympathies, while others jealously eyed the donuts. The latter group hoped to only experience the sweet without the accompanying sour.

As the crescent moon rose on the horizon, the protocol neared complete. The four, splitting the final donut into quarters, each raised a piece in cheers to renewed safety and accountability. And quickly retired from lab to find some vegetables.

Big Ideas Night

Aaaand we’re back for round three. This time with some new faces! Ah, time ticks on and people come and go. Fortunately for us, whiskey and science persist.

Back at the Scottish Arms, we tackled the problem of detecting simultaneous binding of two proteins to DNA; the proteins each must bind to the DNA and thus are not co-localized due to protein-protein interactions. In Barak’s words…imagine the TF a cowboy. Once on its DNA horse, it can lasso other TFs around it, but only those TFs also on horses. A wild west of a genome, indeed.

Some ideas included FRET-seq, 2-dimensional gels, and combination usage of accessibility and binding footprints. Without a clear winner, we’ll wait another day before discarding the lassos hanging from our bench top shelves. Until next time, keep thinking big, you crazy scientists.

Reflection upon a passed qualifying exam

Today in lab we were calling each other “champ”. My mom calls me Jeff. I passed my qualifying exam last Friday. Instead of providing you the blow-by-blow of my lively discussion on what sequence features determine pioneering activity, I will reflect. I hope to convey how positive an environment a lab can be.

As an MD-PhD student, I completed two years of classroom medical school prior to starting my PhD. During those first two years, I took many exams. Each exam was a real battle – from memorizing each drug used to treat heart failure to understanding how the kidney uses a litany of channels to filter our blood. By design, these two years were me against the knowledge base. Indirectly though, it was me against my classmates as we vie for a limited number of spots in competitive specialties. The result was that at times the crushing individualism led to lonely isolation.

What a difference the Cohen lab has been. A tradition of committing ourselves to each others’ crafts defines the lab, and defines the research environment at WashU. As my talk rose on the horizon, my lab mates gathered around our cozy conference table and spent hours helping me hone my ideas and sharpen my arguments to send me towards my QE. And as I stepped out of the room as my committee deliberated, there was Clarice down the hall with a wide grin on her face welcoming me back into the arms of the lab.

While the day-to-day life of medical and graduate school differ greatly, each focuses on the pursuit of knowledge. In my experience, one goes about that individually and one goes about that collaboratively. And I thank the cloning gods above that I found myself amongst the champs of Barak’s lab.

Farewell, Hemangi!

On Sunday, Barak hosted a farewell brunch for our senior graduate student, Hemangi Chaudhari. Beyond her contributions to the scientific community, Hemangi has provided wisdom and guidance to our lab for several years now. To the younger graduates, she provided patient instruction. To her classmates, she provided unbeatable cuisine and loyal companionship. And to post-docs and PIs, she provided an intellectual debate over the implications of a result or the design of an experiment.

As Hemangi moves to Boston, we wish her the warmest farewell. As she leaves behind her pipettes (to be scrounged after by incoming students) she leaves a lasting mark on both the lab and the scientific trajectories of those that were lucky enough to spend time with her in St. Louis. We all hope to cross paths again soon, as we crisscross through scientific communities all pointed towards a greater understanding of biology. While the farewells may be blue, the difficulty in parting demonstrates how strong the connections developed to be.

Farewell, Hemangi! We’ll see you again soon!

Image: Masala dosa – featured at the farewell brunch – every bite cherished (source: NY Times).

Bissinger’s Chocolate Factory Tour

In an effort to find something sweeter than the satisfaction of sequencing DNA, the lab trekked downtown to visit St. Louis’ own Bissinger’s Chocolate Factory. Led by a couple of chocolate fanatics, we sought to uncover the secrets behind this famous chocolate. But alas, our phones were confiscated and the chocolate-factory-dungeon was threatened if we strayed from the walkway and became too pesky of visitors.

On our tour, we learned of the hand-crafted nature of Bissinger’s chocolate. A few lab members couldn’t help but be reminded of how we too take care to make sure that every library we design receives high quality and individualized attention. After the tour, we were treated to a tasting. Barak liked the chocolate-covered cherries. Siqi preferred the milk chocolate over the dark chocolate. Clarice quipped that her mint chocolate tasted like toothpaste.

All in all, we had a wonderful time. Was it sweeter than that feeling of opening up your sequencing results to find a beautiful array of A’s, C’s, T’s and G’s? Maybe not, but alas the factory was neat and the chocolate was tasty.

Qualifying Exam Successes

Congratulations to Clarice Hong (Molecular Genetics and Genomics) and Siqi Zhao (Computational and Systems Biology) on passing their Qualifying Exams!!! They have their wagons hitched to a star and we can’t wait to see where their scientific adventures travel next.

Big Ideas Night

Following the smashing success of our first big ideas night, big ideas coated our benches just as Barak’s wool sweater once did. Ideas so big that we contemplated moving into a building with even higher ceilings. But alas, we shan’t desert our loyal coffee maker, so we stay put.

The second gathering of Big Idea’s Night took place at Retreat Gastropub. Amidst some fries and whiskey, we pitched ideas for how we can utilize our Center’s newest sequencing technologies. PacBio’s ultra-long sequencing reads and the 10x single-cell method both provide new avenues for innovative research. And to not exclude our friends in imaging, we discussed a new application of FISH, called clampFISH. This technology generates a FISH signal strong enough to be detected by FACS.

The idea most discussed utilizes ultra-long reads to query chromatin interactions. In our lab, we have identified strong regional effects on gene expression. How far do these regions stretch? With our landing pad in place, we can integrate reporter genes at variable distances and ask how the length relates to the coordinated expression between the reporter gene at the LP and at distance. If we see discordance at a certain distance, it may be possible to restore the similar expression with looping-related proteins, such as CTCF or YY1. As team landing pad ventures further into the mechanisms of this strong regional effect, we will draw from these discussions and this big idea.