Week 5 -- Bunyarit

I attended a workshop that was held by TCGA (The Cancer Genomic Atlas). The workshop was involved shipping specimens and samples by use of cryoport, which is vessel containing liquid nitrogen in an effort to maintain the quality of samples for further analysis. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) is a landmark research program supported by the National Cancer Institute and National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health. TCGA researchers will identify the genomic changes in more than 20 different types of human cancer. By comparing the DNA in samples of normal tissue and cancer tissue taken from the same patient, researchers can identify changes specific to that particular cancer. TCGA is going to analyze hundreds of samples for each type of cancer. By looking at many samples from many different patients, researchers will gain a better understanding of what makes one cancer different from another cancer. This is important because even two patients with the same type of cancer may experience very different outcomes or respond very differently to treatments. By connecting specific genomic changes with specific outcomes, researchers will be able to develop more effective, individualized ways of helping each cancer patient. In addition to the workshop, I have learned how to control robotic arms via console by robotic simulator training. I sat on the simulator, and learned how to grab the samples through the simulator. After training, I do know that it was not easy to control the arms but is wonderful experience for me.