Following Protocol

This week’s lab was about following the protocol from start to finish.  It also gave me a sense of how much time was needed to finish the lab procedures from beginning to end.  When I got through the whole protocol and repeated it a 2^nd time, it felt things were a little more streamlined and progressing right along.  When I got to the 3^rd time I realized the amount of Providencia stuartii bacteria/TSB I had left was not enough to complete the entire process.  Now that I know more TSB is needed I will increase the amount of TSB at the beginning of each week, adjust the protocols to show that change and continue collecting data.

Centrifuge Machine at 4°C

Centrifuged Egg White Lysozyme

Centrifuged Kit Lysozyme

Working on the Protocol

This week in lab was about working out the specifics in the protocol for extracting DNA from egg white lysozyme.  The protocol given to me was a little vague and needed more details.  After repeating the experiment several times I was able to fill in the missing details.  It made things easier to follow and it helped me figure out the time frame for each DNA extraction.  Getting the egg white solution pH level to a 4 by adding acetic acid and 40% ethanol one drop at a time, was really time consuming.  Now, with the detailed protocol this process is a little faster and more efficient.  Tomorrow I will put the new protocols to test and hopefully see the improvements in time and consistency of the DNA extraction process.