Pharmacogenomics, Here I Come

This morning, we went to Room 218, instead of our usual 324, for the lecture with our guest speaker, Dr. Peter H. O’Donnell! We shared this lecture with the biotechnology class, so the room was pretty full once everyone was seated. I sat near the back of the class, and it was funny to see how the two classes segregate themselves in some sort of nonverbal arrangement; our Contagion people occupied the right back side of the room, while the other class took the left and the front of the room.

At 9 AM, lecture began, and Dr. O’Donnell introduced himself. He works at the University of Chicago Medical Center and specializes in a field called pharmacogenomics, or the study of how a person’s genes affect their responses to certain types of drugs. I had never known that such a field of science existed before and was immediately hooked.

Two classes here, so the room is full.

The hour and a half we had with Dr. O’Donnell passed by in the blink of an eye; there was still so much to discuss, so much to learn, and I wished we were allowed more time with him. He went over the overview of pharmacogenomics with us, presenting us with little cases and explaining how a person’s genetics caused this or that adverse reaction to a certain drug. He also talked about the real-life application of pharmacogenomics, which could save lives.

Towards the end, he also talked about his research project with us, which had been going on for seven years so far. The 1200 People Project is an experiment that Dr. O’Donnell and his colleagues devised, where around 1200 volunteers gave consent for the scientists to run a basic genetic test on them, mapping their genetic sequences for the markers that could impact reactions to drugs. They then sent these results to each patient’s doctor to see if the doctors would change the way they prescribe drugs based on these tests. This project is still ongoing, but so far it’s looking that having genetic test results available really do aid doctors in prescribing the right medicine.

At 10:30 AM, lecture was over, and I left the room burning with the feeling of the discovery of yet another possible field of science I want to go into. I carried this excited energy into lab work (we did PCR once more and then patching experiments), which lasted until lunch, and into the afternoon lecture.

In the afternoon, Dr. Fineschi talked more about influenza with us. I found the 1918 flu to be extremely fascinating, given how it still puzzles scientists to this day how the three age groups with the highest death rates were infants/toddlers, the elderly, and young adults – young adults, whose immune systems should, theoretically, have been the strongest. I will read more about research done on this phenomenon on my own.

Then, I reminded Dr. Fineschi that she promised yesterday to explain why pigs were consider the “melting pots” for viruses to recombine their genomes into a new species, but unfortunately, we didn’t have time in today’s lecture, seeing we had still to cover the SARS outbreak. However, Dr. Fineschi said that the pigs would definitely be in tomorrow’s lecture.

Nice day, red car. 

After class, at 4:30 PM, I met up with Karla and left on a trip to the Osaka Garden in Jackson Park led by Charlotte, one of the RAs. It was around a 25 minute walk and rather hot today, but luckily, there were plenty of shade on the way, so most of the time we were not under the glaring sun.

Before we could go to the Osaka Garden, which is in Jackson Park, we had to walk around some parts of park, and it was really beautiful. There was a huge pond, and while the water was nowhere near the quality of lakewater at Lake Michigan, the whole view was extremely soothing. With the cool breeze from the water blowing across our faces on a hot summer day in Chicago, it made for a very pleasant walk around the park.

Walking through the park

I had known that the Osaka Garden is a Japanese garden built in 1983, and I had had high expectations going on this trip, but now I am beginning to notice a trend that whenever I have high expectations, they usually fell flat. The garden was breathtaking, for sure, and an amazing place that could give one inner peace and calm (there was a mini waterfall!), but the garden lacked the most distinguishing feature from its namesake – a sense of Japanese style.

The entrance

The garden had spider plants, moss, and walnut trees – which are awesome, don’t get me wrong – but there were only two or three bonsai trees. Groups of ducks and geese glided smoothly the water. There were a few structures with strong hints of Japanese influence, but for the most part, both Karla and I agreed the park was much Americanized and lacked a certain elegance of its Japanese heritage. It was a shame, because we read on a sign that the garden had been vandalized several times during World War II and, after the war, was repaired, reconstructed, and maintained since then. However, it was clear that they never managed to restore the garden to its former glory.

You can see the Japanese style if you look from far away.

I don't think spider plants are very Japanese ... but I could be wrong. 

After dinner, since I went on the trip right after class, I had to return to the dorms to do my homework. I caught up on my reading and did a bit research for our final project, for which my partner and I have finally decided on a topic, with the help of Dr. Fineschi: the origin of Zika and how it causes microcephaly.  

That was the end of my day! For tomorrow, I can’t wait to finally learn why pigs are the “melting pots” for influenza viruses to mix their DNA and create completely new strains. During class, we have learnt about the how, but I think it is just as equally important to understand why something happens as well, and it is just so interesting that pigs alone specifically serve as the melting pots. I’ll be sure to keep everyone updated as I find out more!