Earthworms as the ultimate strategy to face microplastic pollution

Have you ever seen an earthworm make magic? These little creatures can, for instance, eat leaves and make them disappear! Earthworms are one of the few animals capable of decomposing organic material. So, even though they seem insignificant living things, it is hard to imagine a world without them. But, what if I told you earthworms could also make microplastics in soil vanish? What if they represent the ultimate strategy to face microplastic pollution?

I am Mireia Pagès Guitart, a Catalan biomedical scientist, a second-year student of the Master’s Programme in Pharmaceutical Research, Development and Safety at the University of Helsinki, and a new HiLIFE trainee! With the support of the HiLIFE Research Trainee Scholarship, my ambition was to engage in applying sustainability to science, a much-needed climate action.

Me working in the lab, performing a Western Blot. If I had known what my future research would be like back then, I don’t know if I would have believed it!

Even though my passion has always relied on combining both topics (sustainable science), this dream didn’t come true until I came upon Prof. Michael Jeltsch. He is another scientist fond of practicing sustainability, both in his lab and his research projects. What amazed me the most was the earthworm project that his lab team wanted to carry out: using earthworms as a microplastic degradation strategy.

Earthworm’s digestive system and microbiota

Before joining the group’s lab work, I did an extensive literature review on the earthworms’ digestive system and microbiota. This was useful to expand my background knowledge and have some insights on how to conduct the experimental part of the project.

Earthworm’s digestive system is mainly composed of the gizzard. The gizzard is an amazing structure responsible for grinding and crushing the food. Different digestive glands are also present and contribute to the digestion process by releasing proteolytic enzymes. In other words, these enzymes break down the ingested food into even smaller pieces.

Inside the earthworm’s gut, there is also the microbiota: a community of bacteria. The microbiota maintains the intestinal homeostasis and, most importantly, breaks down carbohydrates that the glands can’t digest, contributing to the digestion process further.

Surprisingly, it has been seen that the earthworms’ digestive system and its microbiota digest contaminants from the ground along organic material. Could this mean that earthworms would be able to turn microplastics into soil fertilizer? Indeed, this would be a promising approach to explore.

Two little creatures of our earthworm farm in the lab. They are making magic 😉
Picture taken by Michael Jeltsch

Microplastic degradation potential

On my first day in the laboratory, we designed the experimental plan. To make our dreams come true (creating microplastic-degrading earthworms), we should exploit the earthworm’s digestive system properties. For instance, if specific enzymes released by their glands are more effective than others, we could enhance their expression to improve the digestion process.

Overall, it was clear that we would need to modify the earthworm’s DNA to make them transgenic animals. Let’s imagine that we aim to enhance the expression of a certain enzyme. We would take the gene coding for such an enzyme, assemble it in a plasmid (=DNA) and place this plasmid inside a virus. This is known as a cloning step. Next, we would transfer the plasmid inside the earthworm by infecting the animal with the virus. Once inside, the earthworm would express the gene and activate the enzyme production. Finally, we would assess if the microplastics’ degradation takes place.

Gene expression and regulation: Overview of DNA Cloning, 2018 (Khan Academy): http://tinyurl.com/229ub9xb

The beginning of my research

Of course, every experiment needs a control before anything happens. For this reason, since I started my traineeship, I have made the mentioned cloning step with GFP protein instead of any enzyme gene (previous example). GFP protein is easy to detect on animals because it expresses green fluorescence. Using GFP will be useful for us to know if our experimental method on earthworms works at all: earthworms will emit green fluorescence if we are successful. If we are on the right track, we will be able to proceed with the rest of the project afterwards.

During this time, I have also got to know the lab team members and how they work. I give lots of importance to team building, so I am happy to feel that comfortable in this group. I have high expectations for all that I will learn, the lab techniques I will use and the skills I will earn. This traineeship will help me grow both as a scientist and as a person. And, if this project raises meaningful outcomes, we would have a powerful tool to fight one of the biggest issues that we are facing nowadays:  microplastics pollution. 

Studying in Finland is a worthwhile adventure. The snow gives light in the darkest times and the sun is much more appreciated than anywhere else. Also, the University of Helsinki provides plenty of opportunities to keep learning in the best way. All in all, it is an unforgettable experience. You will hear more about my traineeship experience and the research progress later this spring. Keep an eye out because there is more to come!

Again me, this time in nature, looking at sunflowers that probably have bloomed thanks to our little helpers, the awesome earthworms!

On how to teach a man to fish: experiences of my journey as a HiLIFE trainee

As a new year starts and new students are getting the opportunity to become HiLIFE trainees, I have been reflecting about what I did, learned and achieved during my own experience through this program.

I am Adrián Colino Barea, a (now) second year Master’s student of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.  On March 2023, I was lucky enough to join the Integrative Evolutionary Biology (IntEvoBio) lab to answer what I first thought could be a trivial question that popped in my mind. Claudius Kratochwil, the PI of the group, helped me to plan a small project aiming to determine how light depletion determines sexual choice and preference in colorful cichlid fishes from the African Great Lakes. You can learn more about it reading my previous post, by clicking here.

Males of the fish I use for my experiment show yellow egg-shaped dots in their anal fin. Females lay eggs on the ground and brood them in their mouth cavities. When the ladies lay, the lads display their egg spots close to the ground. Females, confused, try to swallow the egg spots as they do with their eggs. Then, males release sperm and fecundation takes place. Evolution is amazing.

In a nutshell, and if you are wondering, my short internship project didn’t come up with significant differences of mate preference under light and dark conditions. I did not find out how colorful fish fall in love in the dark. Instead, I found out how usual — and important — it is to not have results in science. It is crucial to get a glimpse on what questions are relevant to answer, and what research lines are worth following and investing on. There is just so much to find out, trial-and-error is necessary to keep going.

I learned new limits of the beauty of commitment. For my experiments, controlling fish schedules involved feeding them, and I decided to take care of it. I found myself showing up in the fish room every single day, sometimes in breaks between classes, sometimes during lazy Sundays, sometimes under absolutely crazy weather… And I loved it. Working March to June, I got to experience the Finnish weather every day at least for a bit. It was not too special at the moment, and anyone could do it if living in Helsinki. But now I am really glad I got to see how the seasons change. Very often, I stopped by the fish room only to go walking in the forest or birdwatching later, and experiencing nature changing with the seasons before my very eyes. Days became longer, snow melt, flowers sprung, everything sprung. And this experience is just so different to what I grew into, coming from the other side of the continent.

Dramatic winter panorama after a blizzard at the end of March in Viikki Campus, back from visiting the fish room.

I also found myself becoming part of a community, formed by all the members of IntEvoBio lab. Over my working weeks, it was easy to be motivated to plan and act thanks to the great support and hospitality of all the members of the lab. I always felt encouraged to keep up and be up to date on meetings, presentations, and the deadlines I kept setting myself to meet ends — something vital in such a small project. Indeed, perfecting the art of managing time has been one of the most valuable assets I got out of the internship. But in this case, considering the inspiring time planning the whole lab follows, being organized myself was a piece of cake.

Another thing I learned and cherish is the value of kindness and humanity. During my internship, I always found a smile and willingness to help of the members of the lab I treated with, including people of all levels, from PI to Master’s students. Without this help, my project wouldn’t have developed after the very first stage. I received life-changing lessons on how to build my research career without falling into mistakes others fell into in the past. I learned how important it is to build and take care of relationships, as we got to welcome incoming researchers from distant countries and prepared the departure of some of IntEvoBio staff to other universities abroad. This is the spirit of the science of today: learning by sharing.

Although almost no one in the lab was a Finn during my stay, the spirit of properly balancing work and life was a rule throughout my internship, and I feel this is also part of the kindness and humanity I experienced. I felt welcome not only by having a cozy desk with plenty of lovely pictures and catchy fish jokes hung on the wall. I also loved lab outings. To wrap up the work of months, give farewell to a visiting researcher and say hello to summer, we went all together kayaking the Vanhankaupunginlahti in a hot day of June, right before the end of my internship, and then stayed for dinner. We really had a blast. And although few of this has to do with how fishes mate in the dark, it proved vital for the development of this project which tried to answer that question.

Laughs and fun on a lab outing, kayaking around Kulosaari on a warm, sunny day of June, with IntEvoBio lab. A great memory of a great experience overall.

As the proverb says, ‘Give a man a fish and you’ll feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you’ll feed him for a lifetime’. Thanks IntEvoBio and thanks HiLIFE for helping me so much on my journey to learn how to fish.

Lignin in leatherwood: the key to replacing petroleum based plastic?

For the past several decades, forestry has been interested in developing transgenics to improve wood production. This is because in the majority of vascular plants, lignin biomass averages 20-30%, which means there is a large energetic and monetary cost to remove this unwanted lignin, a hydrophobic molecule with strong covalent bonds, during processing (Robinson, 1990). But despite its cost to paper and pulp mills, lignin has exciting potential applications as an organic molecule in the pharmaceutical, construction, and packaging fields, among others (Albuquerque et al., 2021). With proper bioengineering, lignin could even be used as a biomaterial capable of replacing fossil fuels in plastic production. However, current research and knowledge of lignification, the process wherein lignin is deposited in the plant, is lacking when it comes to our ability to produce widely-commercially viable plants with manipulated lignin properties. This is where the small, bendy shrub, Eastern leatherwood, enters the picture.

Eastern leatherwood. Image by Tom Potterfield https://www.flickr.com/photos/tgpotterfield/11608581226/.

During the course of my four months with the Fagerstedt lab, I had the opportunity to work with leatherwood, a species that was recently discovered to have unique lignin patterning, in a completely novel way (Mottiar et al., 2020). While I knew that I would likely use antibody staining to identify the locations of molecules, such as pectin, I didn’t know that I would have the opportunity to use a transmission electron microscope, or to turn this research into a thesis project.

One of the best things about science, and this traineeship with HiLIFE, is that I was able to try things that I, nor anyone else, had ever done before. With Yaseen’s expertise, the post-doc supervising me, I went from researching how to use a transmission electron microscope, which sends a particle beam through your ultra thin sample, allowing you to see where electrons are able to pass through, and where they are blocked, to actually embedding samples in small, pill-shaped resin capsules and eventually imaging those samples on a machine that looks like a spaceship (the transmission electron microscope). This type of microscopy allowed us to see, in extremely fine detail, the cell wall of leatherwood tissue. While the image below has some sample flaws (the dark line is a wrinkle in the wood section, and a few of the cell walls have torn), I think it’s a really cool way to see the cambium (with inner cellular contents that have been destroyed) and the empty xylem cells that, in a living tree, would transport water. Below is a sample of leatherwood, and if you look at the area between the cell walls, or middle lamella, you can see that it’s lighter in color, indicating that there is not staining present, and therefore there is not enough lignin present to darken the area.

TEM image of leatherwood sample stained with potassium permanganate.

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to spend four months of full-time work trying out different wet lab techniques and learning about what it is like to be a full time researcher. Additionally, this research has provided a step further in the quest to generate transgenic trees with modified lignin content and distribution. Hopefully in the future, scientists will be able to modify commercial species with lignin in ways that allow lignin to be used to replace plastics, among other things.

 

Works cited

Albuquerque, B. R., Heleno, S. A., Oliveira, M. B. P. P., Barros, L., & Ferreira, I. C. F. R. (2021). Phenolic compounds: Current industrial applications, limitations and future challenges. Food & Function, 12(1), 14–29. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0FO02324H

Mottiar, Y., Gierlinger, N., Jeremic, D., Master, E. R., & Mansfield, S. D. (2020). Atypical lignification in eastern leatherwood (Dirca palustris). New Phytologist, 226(3), 704–713. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.16394

Robinson, J. M. (1990). Lignin, land plants, and fungi: Biological evolution affecting Phanerozoic oxygen balance. Geology, 18(7), 607–610. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1990)018<0607:LLPAFB>2.3.CO;2

Exploring Cancer drug treatment through the lens of The Powerhouse of the Cell: My Journey with the HiLIFE Research Trainee Scholarship

From the very early days of my scientific curiosity, mitochondria have always held a special place in my heart. Not just labeling it as the powerhouse of the cell, but as a key to understanding our very essence, our homeostasis, and heritage. The  Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE) Research Trainee Scholarship allowed me to delve deeper into this fascination, offering me a unique traineeship across two distinguished labs at the University of Helsinki.

What is HiLIFE:

The  Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE) is an international institute where outstanding researchers across the University’s campuses solve today’s grand challenges in health and environment together.

The Battersby Lab Experience

My initial month at the Battersby Lab at the Institute of Biotechnology was an enriching experience of learning and exploration. Here, I was introduced to the intricate world of RNA-seq data analysis, specifically focusing on the cellular response to mitochondrial protein synthesis quality control defects. The cells of interest were cultured mouse fibroblasts (MEF), and the conditions involved knock-in mutations in AFG3L2 with matching wild-type control. The aim was clear: identify differentially expressed genes in MEF AFG3L2 KI/KI. The entire process, from data analysis to pathway analysis, was a revelation, and it provided me with a foundational understanding of the techniques and tools used in RNA-seq data analysis.

The Kallioniemi Group Experience

Transitioning to the Kallioniemi and Paavolainen’s group for the subsequent three months, I got exposure to a high-throughput lab environment. Here, I embarked on a research project under the guidance of Dr. Isabel Mogollon Figueroa at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM). The project spanned from basic cell culture techniques to advanced analysis using data collected with the Opera Phenix microscope and GSEA analysis.

The Kallioniemi Group, specializes in precision systems medicine. In collaboration with Dr. Lassi Paavolainen’s group, they have made significant strides in bioimage profiling using AI tools. One of the recent publications of their collaborator, the Carpenter group of the Broad Institute, published in Nature Methods presented a dataset correlating gene expression data with Cell Painting imaging data. This dataset became the foundation of my project, aiming to characterize novel compounds/genes affecting mitochondrial morphology and function in cancer cells.

The project had specific aims, both in silico and in vitro. The in-silico analysis focused on data mining and big data analysis, identifying relevant genes affecting mitochondrial morphology based imaging features as potential drug targets. The in vitro work involved culturing the renal cancer cell line 786-O, optimizing it for the Cell Painting assay, and performing drug testing using custom-designed drug plates.

The learning curve from the project:

I learned some very important techniques, like cell culture, Cell Painting and western blotting. One of the key aspects was that I learned to approach a scientific question of my topic of interest through completely different perspectives. In the case of Battersby lab, the approach was more towards understanding biology, whereas in the case of Kallioniemi group, it was more centered towards drug testing.

Conclusion

My journey with the HiLIFE Research Trainee Scholarship was not just about learning techniques and conducting experiments. It was about understanding the profound impact of mitochondria on our health and exploring the potential of modern biotechnological tools to unravel its mysteries. As I reflect on my experiences at the Battersby Lab and the Kallioniemi Group, I am filled with gratitude for the opportunities I’ve had and excitement for the future of mitochondrial research.

Samuela – The European Glia Meeting

Hello everyone,

I’m Samuela, a Master’s student in the University of Helsinki Neuroscience program expecting to graduate soon. Today I will bring you back with me to the European Glia Meeting I attended last July in Berlin supported by the HiLIFE Conference Grant!

Choose a conference and apply!

I simply love the brain, and I always have been fascinated by how imperceptible processes allow us to think and behave. Throughout my Master’s studies, I got passionate about glial cells, which are the “supporting cells” of the brain very different from the well-known neurons. These cells are microglia, the brain’s immune cells, astrocytes contributing to the blood-brain barrier, and oligodendrocytes wrapping neuronal axons to ensure fast communication.

Lately, research in my field greatly shifted to glial cells due to their involvement during development and disease etiology. Therefore, I decided to attend this internationally recognised conference hosting the best researchers working on glia and coming from all around the world.

The application process for the HiLife Conference grant is really straightforward and pushes you to think about why you want to attend that specific conference and the impact it may have on your future career.  The process is fast and simple, so try to individuate the conference that aligns better with your interests and apply!

A conference helps you and your career goals in many ways!

I won’t lie, participating in long conferences is exhausting, but extremely rewarding! You get to know fellow students and researchers potentially establishing the ground for lifelong friendships and collaborations. Additionally, you get exposed to the most recent and exciting research on what passionates you.

I chose a conference with a very wide program, spanning from technical innovations for glial engineering to neutron-glia and glia-glia communication. I got to listen to recently published/unpublished data and gradually understood the logic behind experiments. Attending these talks gave me an overview of scientific thinking and the long process that leads from an idea to a discovery, exciting!

I chose to attend a voluntary Introductory course, prior to the start of the conference. It was a one-day course covering the basics of glial cell function in healthy and diseased brains both in the central and peripheral nervous systems. We also explored methods to study glia from stem cells to different animal models including Drosophila (common fruit fly).

The four-day program of the official conference was dense and included workshops on techniques used to investigate microglia and on scientific publishing. The lectures were of different types: plenary lectures by big names such as Freda Miller, Shane Liddelow, and Michelle Monje, and symposia featuring 4 speakers with a common focus (e.g., heterogeneity of microglia in brain stem cell niches).

I also got to listen to a symposium organized by my Master’s thesis supervisor and HiLIFE director Jari Koistinaho, focused on the study of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration employing induced pluripotent stem cells. Helsinki and HiLIFE were greatly represented at the conference!

A  highlight of conferences is certainly poster sessions. Posters are usually presented by young scientists (PhD and postdocs) and are a peerless opportunity to exercise your social and presentation skills!

I decided to be brave and present my own poster based on the research on microglia and Alzheimer’s disease conducted at the HiLIFE Neuroscience Center!

Initially, I was scared of not being able to answer questions and successfully deliver the main points of my research to the audience. But it was fun, engaging, and extremely rewarding. Don’t hesitate and challenge yourself!

Beyond the conference

Conferences are not only an educational opportunity, but also a way to visit new places and countries. The Glia Conference was held in Berlin, which I never visited before. Accompanied by students I met at the conference and also alone, I visited some of Berlin’s highlights!

The last night everyone I met was gone, and I enjoyed a solo dinner in a traditional German restaurant! These experiences make you certainly more independent.

Some advice for embarking on your conference adventure

Overall, I would highly recommend to participate in a conference. Here are some useful tips:

  • HiLIFE Conference Grant most likely does not cover all your expenses (the max amount in the 2023 call was 300 euros). However, most conferences offer stipends for those students who present posters. I would suggest presenting a poster for additional funding and for enhancing your presentation skills.
  • Plan in advance! I suggest you look for a conference you would like to attend as soon as possible since all costs rise with time. Conferences usually offer early-bird and student discounts with advantageous prices.
  • Look for partnerships and agreements between conference organisers and airlines and hotels. Sometimes they might be more convenient than other options, but sometimes you will need to find cheaper solutions (like Airbnb, which I opted for my stay).
  • Do some homework before the conference. It is important you arrive there prepared and organised, with a schedule of what you want to attend and who you want to meet, if possible. For instance, I took the opportunity to talk to some researchers from universities I’m applying to for the PhD.

Final remarks

Thanks, everyone for following my journey! I hope I have inspired you to join a conference you like.

If you are interested in the next European Glia Meeting, it will be held in Marseille in 2025 (it is a bi-annual meeting).

Feel free to contact me with any further questions you may have about the conference!

From the Hub of Thousand Lakes to the World’s Leading Biotech Hub

“Everything is bigger there, one needs a car to get anywhere, the baseball and football they play are something else, and it is supposedly the college town and biotechnology hub.” This was the rather stereotypical view of Boston I had seen and heard from multiple sources (such as many American movies) before crossing the Atlantic for the first time and landing to one of the oldest cities in the United States. For the next six months, I was going to work as a HiLIFE Visiting Graduate Researcher at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University.

The Wyss Institute has a strong emphasis on translating bioinspired innovations and research findings into clinical use. The number of patents, licenses and start-ups deriving from the Wyss is astonishing: during the 14 years of the institute’s existence, over 4000 patents have been filed and 56 start-ups founded. To enable this technology translation, Wyss operates through extensive collaboration with industry, government, foundations, and philanthropists. The Wyss teams have experts from different fields ranging from engineering to veterinary medicine, from general medicine to bioinformatics, and from molecular biology to bioethics.

The original six months got extended and therefore, during the past eight months, I got the opportunity to work in Donald Ingber’s (M.D., Ph.D.) lab in the Brain Targeting Program at the Wyss. Of these months, six I was present in Boston and the final two contributing to the program remotely from Finland. The Brain Targeting Program aims at discovering and developing new brain transport shuttles and brain-targeted therapies to more efficiently treat diseases in the central nervous system, such as neurodegenerative diseases and brain tumors. For reading more about the research topic, please have a look at my first blog post. The internship was certainly the most remarkable experience during my Translational Medicine Master’s studies at the University of Helsinki, and I could have not imagined a better way to complete my studies.

Laboratory setting
My dear lab bench at the Wyss Institute

What comes to my presumptions about Boston, at least one of them proved very accurate. According to the EPM Scientific (2023), this year, Massachusetts has earned the title of “the largest and leading Biotech hub in the world”. The life science and biopharmaceutical sector has grown massively in the Boston metropolitan area, this growth corresponding to increase in venture capital, employment rate, and governmental funding received. In fact, there are almost 1000 biotech companies, and over 60 colleges and universities in the area! Combine this with specialized medical centers and university teaching hospitals such as Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, or Massachusetts General Hospital, and you have the foundation for boundless opportunities.

During my daily bike commute along the Charles River, not only could I enjoy the views of prestigious red brick buildings from the 18th century, but also appreciate the modern glass office buildings with biopharma company names like Biogen, Takeda, Pfizer, or Eli Lilly written on top of them. The different universities, non-profit organizations, venture capital firms and other groups were organizing various incubator and accelerator programs with pitching events open to attend for anyone interested. In addition, there were free of charge conferences, seminars, and lectures given by top scholars of the field, by people you had previously only seen in Ted Talks or had read their state-of-the-art work from Nature, Cell, and Science. You would see advertisements of novel RNA technology in the subway and randomly hear discussion of a given research topic in almost any bar or restaurant in the city. Even if you would go on a walk in a national park hundreds of miles outside Massachusetts, you would encounter other hikers with their company or institute swag, portraying very clearly the amount of biotech and medicine professionals in Boston and Massachusetts area.

Building with pillars and a yard surrounded by trees
The Quad at Harvard Medical School

For the work of our Brain Targeting Program and my internship this meant that I would be immersed into science, innovation, and biotechnology. Truly feeling like a child in a candy store. It was deeply inspirational and improved my thinking to be more creative yet critical. I could meet like-minded people and create networks with scientists working on topics of my interest. We could also work with clinicians and hospitals from around the corner and foster collaborations with other research groups somewhat effortlessly.

To conclude, I wanted to summarize three main learnings from my internship experience that are not only applicable to Boston but can be utilized in other contexts as well.

1. Keep an open mind

The amount of biotech companies and research initiatives makes it possible for anyone to find their research niche from Boston. There are hundreds and hundreds of job posts on LinkedIn, in positions rarely – if at all – seen back home in Finland. The challenge is not how to find what you would like to do, but how to choose from all the possibilities. That is why especially if you are in your early career, keep your mind, eyes, and options open.

Participate in different events, listen to talks from various specialties from academia and industry, talk to undergrads, PhDs, professors, R&D scientists, COOs, patient representatives… and you never know if you happen to sit next to a company CEO ready to hire a talent. Reflect on what you already know and have experience on, what would you like to learn, what is your aspiration, and get inspired. If you cannot travel to a big biotech center at this moment, see possibilities online or gather information and plan possibilities for a research visit, for example via funded traineeships or short training courses.

2. Networking is key

Sorry, I know you have heard this a million times, but it just is so important… All the opportunities and events you attend will also gather important and interesting people for you to meet. These people can provide you with valuable insights into your research and career or introduce you to other connections. So even if you would not necessarily consider yourself the most outgoing person and have always felt that networking is anxiety provoking and definitely not for you, dare to get in contact with and meet people.

In addition to introducing yourself and engaging into conversations spontaneously in events, you can send emails and meet people in person after you have had some time to think what you would discuss with them. It is not a bad idea either to review the speakers of an event beforehand and formulate questions you would like to ask them. In this way you will feel more confident and importantly, not waste anyone’s time. Even though the art of small talk is very much mastered in the United States, and it is a big part of the culture, people are busy and appreciate using their time well. Yet, avoid thinking of what you have to say is not of importance and because of it cause you not to talk to people. Despite their overbooked schedules, it was amazing to see how top scholars with over 100 000 citations would stop and truly listen to what you had to say, no matter in which career stage you were.

But in all, you will get the most out of these situations when you are clear and concise. Thus, tell honestly who you are, what you would like to do and learn, and ask for advice or even collaboration if you have a potential idea. You can also create a short pitch for yourself, it will help you to focus. And remember to be gentle with yourself, practice makes perfect.

People in an auditorium
Brain Targeting Program Consortium Meeting. Picture courtesy of the Wyss Institute at Harvard University

3. Have fun and explore outside the hub

Even though Boston, or any place you work and study, is such an exciting place considering your career, do not just biotech and network 24/7 – even if conversations with your friends would every now and then slip to the lab experiments and recently approved therapeutics. It is good to take some distance from constantly thinking about career and go explore the city and its surroundings. Go to the nature, delve deep into the history, visit art museums, join block parties, and enjoy the culinary scene. This will give you a full internship experience which should not be just fun science but fun experiences overall!

The HiLIFE Research Trainee Scholarship gives you a unique possibility to work and contribute to science nearly anywhere in the world and with a vast amount of life science topics. The opportunities for you to go after your dreams are out there. What will be your path?

 

Reference

EPM Scientific. (2023). Boston is Now the Largest Biotech Hub in the World. https://www.epmscientific.com/blog/2023/02/boston-is-now-the-largest-biotech-hub.

Elephants, people and fences: conflict or coexistence?

Dream come true

It has been my dream since I was a kid to visit Africa one day and witness all the incredible wildlife there. And in December 2022, I actually had the chance to do this, all thanks to the HiLIFE traineeship!

My name is Mihika Sen, and I am part of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Master’s Programme at the University of Helsinki. Growing up in Assam, Northeast India, I was exposed at a very early age to the many fascinating yet threatened species of my region, and consequently the importance of wildlife conservation. Particularly in my hometown, Guwahati, I became increasingly aware of how Asian elephant habitats were constantly shrinking, bringing them closer and closer to people. It soon became evident to me that the future survival of elephants (and other wildlife) in human-dominated spaces largely hinges on the interactions they have with the people around them.

5 year old me in Kaziranga National Park, Assam (where my love for wildlife began!)

The research journey begins

Given my interests, my research has largely been focused on the mitigation of negative human-elephant interactions, also termed as human-elephant conflict. As I took part in several projects across India, I soon understood that the support of local communities living close to wildlife is essential to truly achieve coexistence. And with an eagerness to learn more about human-elephant conflict in the African context, I ended up packing my bags and travelling more than 6000 km from India to Finland (where there are no elephants), finally knocking on the door of the Global Change and Conservation Group at the University of Helsinki. To explain why I made this decision, this very interdisciplinary group, led by Dr. Mar Cabeza, has done years of fascinating research on human-wildlife interactions in Kenya, and I knew this was my place to be! Mar was thankfully equally eager to have me join her team, and then the discussions for a Master’s thesis topic began.

After considering several ideas, I finally decided to focus on the use of electric fences as a human-elephant conflict mitigation tool, particularly in Laikipia county, Kenya. Laikipia is a region in Kenya where human-elephant conflict has historically been a widespread problem, mainly arising from intense land-use zoning there since the 1970s. The conflict there mainly takes the form of elephants raiding crops in community farmlands adjoining conservation areas. Electric fencing is the primary conflict management tool used there to prevent elephants from entering croplands. While the ecological effects of electric fencing have been looked at in various studies, the social perceptions of local communities towards them is largely neglected. These perceptions can play a crucial role in long-term fence effectiveness, and this is precisely what I delved into in my research.

                    

An African elephant near the West Laikipia Fence in Mutara Conservancy; A regular day in Laikipia with people, livestock and elephants coexisting in the same landscape.

Preparing for the field

Next up was the most challenging part: how do I actually get to Kenya and conduct the research? Despite the fact that my research group has worked in Kenya before, they had not worked specifically in my study region. This meant I would have to develop my own set of contacts there to plan the project. So I wrote multiple emails to multiple people across the globe who have worked in Laikipia before, and I was lucky enough to receive a very kind response from Marcia Van Eden from the US, who had conducted interviews with local communities there in 2016. Through her, I was able to get a set of contacts for Kenya and I finally managed to arrange my accommodation, travel, research equipments, as well as a local research assistant. There was also the issue of funding. Finland unfortunately has very few grants that fund research abroad during the Master’s degree, and the HiLife traineeship was the only grant I could actually apply to. So it really was a blessing to be able to receive this grant, and I would urge anyone reading this to apply for it too!

Jambo Kenya!

After months of planning, I finally made it to Kenya! The wildlife and the landscapes were exactly as stunning as I had imagined, and the people extremely kind and welcoming. As I had only around two months to finish interviewing three communities, I immediately set off to my study site to begin my research. For the first time in my life I saw zebras, giraffes and of course, African elephants! It was hard not to feel emotional during these moments. My assistant, Lucy, and I were lucky enough to be offered a place to stay at the ADC Mutara Ranch in Laikipia. From here, we travelled on motorbike every day to interview the communities, conducting a total of 188 interviews with farmers (and occasionally pastoralists) over the course of three weeks.

                    

My first African elephant sighting; Lucy and me on our loyal motorbike that survived some of the worst terrains.

For me personally the best part of conducting this research was meeting the local people! Despite the fact that I was a stranger to them, each family opened their doors and welcomed me into their homes, many times even offering me warm tea and delicious food. And even though I was so far away, I still felt like I was at home.

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Happy faces; After a successful focused group discussion with the Mutara community.

Reflections

My study ultimately revealed that human-elephant conflict continues to be a persistent problem in Laikipia, with farmers often facing crop raids by elephants. Maize was the most frequently raided crop, and elephants mostly raided crops at night to minimise interactions with people. Community perceptions showed considerable changes over the years, revealing important insights for long-term fence effectiveness as well as elephant movement patterns in the region. One of the most significant results of my study was that higher involvement of local communities in electric fence management can lead to more positive community perceptions towards electric fences. I was also able to identify crop raiding hotspots in the target communities, and I found that the higher the diversity of crops grown in a given farm, the higher the chances of an elephant raiding it. My next step now is to submit a detailed report on all my findings to the various stakeholders involved in the establishment of the electric fences in my study region. For more details about my research, you can read my thesis at the following link: https://helda.helsinki.fi/items/c29c4de9-f1b7-4ecc-89de-041820cac57b

                   

Damages by elephants to crops and electric fences.

Overall this project was an unforgettable learning experience for me both personally and professionally, and I’m very grateful to HiLIFE for helping me turn my dreams into reality. Signing off with a picture of a beautiful moment between a mother and her calf!

Unveiling the World of Ovarian Oncology: My HiLIFE Traineeship Journey

Introduction

Let’s begin our journey through the world of Ovarian Oncology with the story of a patient named Maija. A grandmother and avid sportswoman, her life took an unexpected turn when she began experiencing high blood pressure and abdominal discomfort. Misdiagnosed initially, her journey into the realm of ovarian cancer reveals the critical importance of the research conducted during my HiLIFE traineeship.

Maija’s Journey

Maija’s health struggles began with indigestion-like symptoms (pain and discomfort in abdomen) and were initially attributed to common ailments. However, as her symptoms worsened, medical investigations unveiled a more sinister reality. Ascites, fluid accumulation within one’s abdomen, found during ultrasound analysis and elevated cancer antigen levels raised the alarm. A subsequent CT scan revealed possible stage IIIC ovarian cancer, a diagnosis all too common among patients.

The Crucial Surgery

Maija’s journey took a hopeful turn when she underwent primary debulking surgery, a critical procedure to remove cancerous tissues. Although most tissues were successfully removed, one remained elusive due to its location. Post-surgery, her recovery was on track, but the pathology report delivered unsettling news – high-grade serous epithelial ovarian cancer, known for its aggressive nature.

The Treatment and Challenges

Chemotherapy, combined with an anti-VEGF drug, became the next chapter in Maija’s fight. Genetic testing revealed BRCA1/2 mutations, classifying her as homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) positive. Being HRD-positive means cancer cells have a more challenging time repairing themselves after DNA damage. PARP inhibitors further block this repair mechanism, causing more cancer cells to die. However, the treatment journey was not without hurdles, with hemoglobin levels dropping as a side effect of PARP inhibitor therapy. Despite the challenges, the treatment was continued, albeit at a lower dose, in pursuit of extending Maija’s life.

The Heartbreaking Relapse

After three years of battling cancer, Maija experienced a devastating relapse. Multiple rounds of chemotherapy and PARP inhibitors had taken their toll. Left with limited treatment options and a dauntingly radical tumor, Maija confronted the harsh reality that current cancer treatments had little more to offer.

Tailoring Treatment: The Key to Ovarian Cancer Patients’ Survival

 The heart-wrenching journey of patients like Maija underscores the critical importance of ongoing research in the field of ovarian cancer. Statistics reveal that in over 7 out of 10 cases, ovarian cancer returns after the initial treatment1. This sobering fact highlights a pivotal lesson from ongoing research: there is no universal solution when it comes to treating ovarian cancer. Each patient’s experience is unique, and their tumors are characterized by heterogeneity. It is, therefore, imperative to delve into the realm of precision medicine, where treatments are tailored to the individual. The quest for personalized medicine hinges on the discovery of a myriad of biomarkers. These biomarkers serve as keys, unlocking the understanding of how each patient responds uniquely to available treatments and which approach holds the most promise.

The Role of Traineeship in My Journey

At the forefront of the search for answers to these pressing questions stands Färkkilä lab at the University of Helsinki. This laboratory is dedicated to pioneering prognostic and predictive biomarkers, along with innovative therapeutic approaches aimed at elevating the treatment and survival prospects of ovarian cancer patients. And I had the incredible opportunity to be a part of their research. Our project aimed to analyze imaging data to predict cancer cell mutations, seeking out predictive features that could shape future treatments. Throughout this journey, I never felt alone; support was always at hand. From day one, I felt like an integral part of an exceptional team.

During my traineeship, I eagerly embraced Machine Learning tools to unravel the secrets that could serve as predictive markers for cancer mutations. This experience allowed me to immerse myself in cutting-edge technologies for profiling tumors and the intricate process of analyzing the data we received. It was an opportunity to push the boundaries of Machine Learning applications, to turn theory into practice, and to contribute meaningfully to a field that holds the potential to improve people’s lives.

One of the most eye-opening experiences was coming face-to-face with the immense challenge of acquiring sufficient data for effective Machine Learning models. It underscored the monumental collaborative effort required to create a dataset that could be harnessed for Machine Learning analysis.

Beyond the Lab

 My HiLIFE experience extended beyond the laboratory; it was about forming lasting friendships, discovering the artistic side of life, and even indulging in sports. I had the privilege of collaborating with colleagues who not only expanded my knowledge of ovarian cancer challenges but also introduced me to the beauty of Finland and the joy of camaraderie. We organized a fun and educational musical video about our staining procedures, explored the Finnish tradition of berry picking, and even tried our hand at standup paddleboarding.

A Recommendation for All

In closing, I wholeheartedly recommend seizing the opportunity to join the lab of your dreams. It can be a life-changing experience. Remember the old proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” My journey through Ovarian Oncology taught me the power of collaboration, the significance of research, and the beauty of friendships forged in the pursuit of a common goal.

So, embark on your journey, make a difference, and create lasting memories along the way. Your HiLIFE traineeship could be the start of something truly extraordinary.

References:
  1. Surgery for Recurrent Ovarian Cancer May Help Selected Patients – NCI. https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2022/ovarian-cancer-return-surgery-desktop-iii (2022).

Following the swallows

Ecology field course in Kenya

At the hottest hour, we stop at a cliff for a lunch break. It’s January in Ngangao, one of the few protected montane forests remaining in Eastern Kenya. Everyone finds a rocky seat and starts digging their backbacks for lunchboxes. I have brought fresh avocados, passion fruits and mangos from the market place. This time we found both sweet and sour varieties of passion fruit. Someone asks a half-question about nature and our Professor, Jouko Rikkinen, seizes the moment and starts lecturing about lichens and lichen symbionts. I listen, but mostly for the beauty of it all. View behind him stretches hundreds of kilometers to the lowlands. Wind is soft and Ken, Darius and Mwadime are asleep and snore slowly. Swallows, such as barn swallows (Hirundo rustica), greet us with their spectacular airshow. I wonder if they are the same to which I bid farewell a couple of months back in Finland.

Taita Hills and a happy bunch of biologists

Jambo! I’m Maria Reiman, a Master’s student at the Master’s Programme in Integrative Plant Sciences. With the help of HiLIFE Trainee Conference Grant I was able to participate in Flora and vegetation of East Africa –field course (IPS-175) in Kenya in January 2023. In this blogpost, I’m going to share some of my key learnings as well as plant treasures of Taita Hills.

The course was organized by the University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, and our teachers on the field were Prof. Jouko Rikkinen, Mr. Mwadime Mjomba and Mr. Darius Kimuzi. The aim of the course is to learn about plant biodiversity in the area as well as climatic and environmental factors determining it. The Taita Research Station, established by the University of Helsinki in 2011, served as a base to our field course. It is located at Taita Hills in southeastern Kenya, in the village of Wundanyi. The area has attracted many scientists from different fields but especially biologists and geographers as it is a very unique area biogeographically. Taita Hills are like a miniature of East-Africa with an elevation range from 500 to 2200 meters and ecosystems including dry grasslands to moist montane rainforests.

Learning in the field

Nature was our classroom for the week. Every day, we would go to a different mountain, walk up the slopes and wonder at everything around us. Picture a group of students and teachers walking very slowly, taking pictures, squatting and pointing at something. Our guide and driver Ken was always sighing like “I just can’t with these botanists…”.

Mountains are an exception to Africa’s very flat general landscape. This goes back to 100 million years ago when the ancient supercontinent, Gondwana, broke up. South America, Antarctica, Madagascar, Australia and India separated but the remaining middle part – Africa – didn’t go through massive mountain formations unlike the other continents. However, these movements formed Eastern Arc –mountain chain of Kenya and Tanzania. Taita Hills are the northernmost mountain range of Eastern Arc.

Map of Eastern Arc -mountains on the left (EAMCEF 2014) and map of Taita Hills on the right (Kaasalainen n.d.).

Taita Hills are one of the most important biodiversity hotspots of Africa. They are known for their moist forests and unique flora and fauna. The moist rainforests support high diversity of life. One explanation to this is that because water and temperature are not limiting factors, species can focus on competition with other species, leading to speciation and evolution. For example, in dry and only seasonally warm Finnish forests, there are usually only a few dominant tree species but Kenyan rainforests host tens or even close to a hundred tree species. During the field course, I learned at least 176 new species (or if not learned then at least took notes and pictures).

Rainforest’s canopy is multi-storey as plants compete for light. Taita Hills used to be a vast rainforest area but due to changing climate and its consequence, anthropogenic pressure, there are only a dozen forest patches left. Most are the size of a few hectares and some are 70-190 hectares. Many species have evolved in Taita Hills and are thus so called endemic species. The mountain peaks have acted like islands and some species have their own subspecies for every mountain peak due to diversification.

Plants of East Africa. The strangler fig (Ficus thonningii) uses other plant’s truncks to climb up since the competition for light in the rainforests is though and investing into one’s own truck is very energy-consuming. Impatiens teitensis and the Taita African violet (Saintpaulia teitensis) are endemic to Taita. As visually beautiful species, they are area’s flagship species that are used to spread awereness of area’s biodiversity. African violets are endemic to Eastern Arc –mountains that Taita Hills also belong to. They are popular houseplants as well as Zamioculcas zamiifolia that grows in dry lowlands of Africa and is thus a good houseplant in dry households. Coffea fadenii is also endemic to Taita and is commercial coffee’s wild relative. Crop wild relatives (CWRs) are important for food security.

People’s livelihoods, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are interdependent

Taita Hills, like all mountains, provide many vital ecosystem services for humans. One of the most important is water. Water’s journey to Taita begins 200 km eastwards from The Indian Ocean. Moist trade winds flow towards Taita and condense to water when they hit the eastern forested slopes of Taita. In this sense, the mountains act as water towers. Montane forests capture and provide water for vast areas and households far below in the lowlands.

Deforestation of montane forests and climate change have led to decreased water security in the area. Clear-cutted forest land doesn’t catch water as well as montane forests and their vegetation would and ‘water tower effect’ is lost. Rains have become unpredictable and sparse. This has devastating consequences for humans and wildlife. When humans struggle, questionable methods are used to meet the living costs. Even more forest is cut to get livelihood from selling timber and firewood. This leads to a vicious circle where water is even scarcer. However, local authorities are taking action to stop the deforestation of remaining forests. These include e.g. guidance of agroforestry methods and reforestation with native tree species.

In Taita Hills, there are some reference areas like Mount Kasigau (1000 m up to 1600m), previously inhabited higher at the hills but people moved downhill when the issue with water arose. Currently, only the lower hills of Mount Kasigau are inhabited and there are no plantations. Mount Vuria (500 m up to 2200m) however, is largely under human pressure and deforestation is ongoing. Optimally, Mount Vuria would look like Mount Kasigau. On our hike at Mount Vuria we witnessed forest cutting and many invasive tree species. Invasive tree species and their plantations are a huge problem in East Africa. For example, Eucalyptus-plantations cause many wildfires because their bark is very fire-prone while the tree itself is very fire-resistant.

Mount Vuria (left) is largely under human pressure and covered with invasive species (pic by Maiju Kupiainen). Mount Kasigau (right) is not and it is covered with native afro-alpine vegetation.

Native and biodiverse montane forests maintain functioning ecosystems which in turn mean secured water supply and livelihoods for people. Nowadays, people are moving downhill to the lowlands which is good in terms of water security. However, this has increased the number of human-wildlife -conflicts when residential areas and wildlife territories overlap. Elephants and baboons can destroy crops but they are undeniably vital for lowland ecosystems and their ecosystem services. As always, the co-existence of humans and the rest of the natural world is complicated but the search for compromise is a necessity.

The joy and anger of finding things out

As botanists, we were of course very interested in individual plant species of Taita Hills. In addition, we gained a lot of insight about ecosystem dynamics and societies of the tropics that could never be learned from the books. We discovered new species, ecosystems and phenomena every day. The more we learned and understood, the wider our view of the natural world got. Access to this type of knowledge is a privilege that correspondingly means responsibility.

Developed countries such as Finland, produce most of the greenhouse gases yet the consequences are currently mostly suffered in the developing countries such as Kenya. Developed countries must learn to live within the planetary boundaries e.g. by carrying their responsibility, reducing emissions and stopping overconsumption. Actors of the developed countries – states, companies and inhabitants – have the resources for these actions and there aren’t any acceptable excuses for not acting. Liveable future for all lifeforms of the Earth is secured and determined only by actions done in this decade (IPCC 2023).

Getting a wider perspective of global change, such as climate change and biodiversity loss, meant anger caused by injustice, lack of actions and already unstoppable consequences such as deaths of people and endemic species. We are devastated by drought and deforestation in the area, which were largely caused by climate change or its consequential human pressure. Defending and fighting for the beautiful but threatened biodiversity and ecosystems of Taita Hills are also our duty. Our realities are linked and swallows migrating from their overwintering sites in Kenya to their breeding grounds in Finland are an evident symbol of that.

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Big thanks to station staff, teachers, faculty, steering board and everybody who made this field course possible. We students really appreciate this as we know that field courses are constantly threatened with tightening budgets. Thank you for understanding that skilled biologists are made in the field, not classrooms!

PS:

  • Fellow students and dear friends of mine have also written HiLIFE-blogposts about Kenya. Gabriela Lemoine wrote a post about her experiences with more reflection e.g. about native and invasive species as well as our teacher’s, Mr. Darius Kimuzi’s, innovative agroforest farm. Lola Fernández Multigner took part in Human-Wildlife Conflicts in East Africa –field course (EEB-306) organized also by the University of Helsinki. She describes the complicated relationship between elephants and humans in this post.
  • Kaisaniemi Botanic Garden has many East African plants. For example, you can find Saintpaulia teitensis in the African Violet Room, Ficus thonningii in the Dry Forest Room and Coffea fadenii in the Rainforest House! Pictures of these are earlier in the text.
  • Water’s Journey, a documentary (2022) about Taita Hills can be found in Yle Areena. Beautiful nature, daily life and current topics are displayed magnificently. Watch Water’s Journey here.

References

EAMCEF. (12.8.2014). Eastern Arc Mountains. The Eastern Arc Mountains Conservation Endowment Fund (EAMCEF). [Webpage]. Available: https://eamcef.wordpress.com/2014/08/12/eastern-arc-mountains/

IPCC. (2023). Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, H. Lee and J. Romero (eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, pp. 35-115, doi: 10.59327/IPCC/AR6-9789291691647

Kaasalainen, Ulla. (No date). Taita Hills and Mt. Kasigau. Lichens from East Africa and elsewhere. [Blog]. Available: https://lichens.academy/taita-hills-and-mt-kasigau-kenya/

Laine, Toni. (2022). Water’s Journey. [Documentary Film]. Helsinki: Wild Heart Productions Oy. Available: https://areena.yle.fi/1-61218224

Niemelä, T. (2011). Vihreä Afrikka: kasveja ja kasvillisuutta. Norrlinia; Vol. 23. Luonnontieteellinen keskusmuseon kasvimuseo.

From Theory to Practice: Reflections on the Daily Life of Brain Research

Hi everyone! I’m Santeri Lepistö, a master’s student in the neuroscience programme. I conducted my HiLIFE internship in Satu Palva’s research group, part of Palva Lab, at the University of Helsinki. During the trainee period I contributed to a research project that investigates how digital therapeutics can be utilized in the treatment of depression. Next, I will tell you about my thoughts regarding the internship experience!

 

Biological Brains and Digital Treatments 

Since depression is a common and serious mental disorder, causing a significant amount of suffering, there is an evident need to gain new knowledge to understand it and new ways to treat it. During the internship I was involved in a research project that studies how a video game-based intervention can be utilized in the treatment of depression. In the study, the subjects go through an intensive period of video game playing, a training program, that aims to alter operations of the brain underlying cognitive functions. These neurocognitive alterations, in turn, can be linked to changes in the state of depression. In addition to video game-based intervention, the project exploits an extensive repertory of other methodological instruments, including multiple brain imaging methods, behavioral experiments and psychological questionnaires. 

In my case, the internship made it possible to be absorbed in the daily practicalities of the project and participate in organizing and implementing the study – from recruitment to data acquisition. Before all, I focused on conducting magnetoencephalography measurements, behavioral tasks and clinical interviews for the subjects. Since there was diversity in my day-to-day duties, I had a chance to see how different methodological steps are connected in the project and what is the scientific value of some precise part of the study. So, experiencing the same project from many perspectives was informative! Clearly, understanding methodology is not just about putting cables into the right devices (which is indeed relevant), but becoming aware of the theoretical underpinnings how combinations of certain methodological choices serve the goals of study and capture valid information about the world. To take one example from my daily work, in the clinical interviewing – in which I examined subjects’ state of depression – it was essential to evaluate what kind of psychiatric symptoms are concordant with study’s research questions and how subjects’ different psychiatric and neurological conditions might influence to subsequent stages of the project, namely, brain imaging measurements, video game playing and, eventually, data analysis, results and theoretical interpretations. It was therefore necessary to know the specific scientific aims of the project and to keep in mind how one phase could affect another.

Brain’s Information Processing as a Window to Mental Health 

Importantly, the internship gave me an opportunity to deepen my understanding of magnetoencephalography. The facilities of Meilahti Campus and the BioMag Laboratory at Helsinki University Hospital provided an adequate environment to collect magnetoencephalography data and, simultaneously, connect with inspiring people and learn from others. In the lab, it was not only rewarding to learn new but also to notice how the four-month training period made it possible to routinize oneself with many methodological procedures. Daily activities soon became habits. Also, efficient working in the lab is a must, since schedules are limited and each brain imaging session consisted of numerous steps, such as preparations of the lab settings, preparations of the participant, the actual brain imaging measurements and, additionally, use of psychological questionnaires and behavioral tasks. 

What theoretically fascinated me in the utilization of magnetoencephalography was that the neuroimaging method illuminates brain’s architecture and activity from the perspective of information processing. As I contemplated in my previous blogpost, the human brain can be conceived as a complex information processing system that selects, modifies and transmits – or even creates – information. As an astonishing feat, this information processing, shaped by different biological and cultural forces (like natural selection and social conventions of our species cultural niche), orchestrates mental phenomena. Since magnetoencephalography gives an elegant access to brain’s information processing in the form of oscillatory activity, it is consequently possible to investigate what happens to brain’s information processing during depression. 

When looking at the brain’s system-level information-processing in depression, several functional alterations, both increased and decreased connectivity, can be found within and between different neural networks [1, 2]. For instance, in a magnetoencephalography study of large-scale brain dynamics, it was found that central executive network hyper-intertwines with itself, whereas salience network hyper-integrates with other networks in depressed patients [2]. Moreover, the trainee months made me contemplate the heterogeneity of depression. Since varying biopsychological factors and symptoms have been linked to depression, it has been characterized as a heterogeneous clinical syndrome that might be caused by different pathological processes and, possibly, require various treatments. Also, it has been argued that different system-level functional alterations take place in different subtypes of depression. For example, in a fMRI study distinct subtypes were found based on differences in dysfunctional connectivity patterns of the fronto-striatal and limbic networks [3].

Thinking Science: Terms, Tools and Theories 

Working in a scientific project provokes scientific thinking. In addition to learning about digital therapeutics in the treatment of mental disorders, oscillatory activity and subtyping of depression, the internship experience offered a great vantage point to think about scientific inquiry in general. The project, broad in its scale and important in its objective, provided a good impetus to contemplate how novel scientific knowledge comes into existence. To take a Simple View of Scientific Progress (a plain view on a complex process), I often found myself thinking scientific research through three interrelated domains: terms, tools and theories. Terms are the set of conditions where science takes place at a given period of time. Academic research has its surroundings, time and place. It emerges in a sociocultural matrix and is influenced by contemporary ideas, beliefs, values and resources – for instance, shared recognition of the importance of treating depression and other mental health problems. Tools, on the other hand, are the set of methodological ways that are harnessed to acquire scientific information – like magnetoencephalography and other brain imaging methods. Lastly, there are theories: systematically collected data can be transformed into sets of explanations about the world and models that imitate life – for example, more detailed and accurate understanding of depression. These perspectives, three Ts, can be considered tightly connected and guided by each other. 

To sum up, I’m thankful for HiLIFE and Palva Lab for both educative and inspirational internship experience! Not only is science a process of seeking truth but it’s also a source of awe and amazement. It adds beauty to our lives by inviting to appreciate the many and diverse characteristics of reality, like simplicity and elegance, complexity and harmony, and hidden logic and patterns.

 

References

[1] Mulders, P. C., van Eijndhoven, P. F., Schene, A. H., Beckmann, C. F., & Tendolkar, I. (2015). Resting-state functional connectivity in major depressive disorder: a review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 56, 330-344.

[2] Tian, S., Chattun, M. R., Zhang, S., Bi, K., Tang, H., Yan, R., … & Lu, Q. (2019). Dynamic community structure in major depressive disorder: A resting-state MEG study. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 92, 39-47.

[3] Drysdale, A. T., Grosenick, L., Downar, J., Dunlop, K., Mansouri, F., Meng, Y., … & Liston, C. (2017). Resting-state connectivity biomarkers define neurophysiological subtypes of depression. Nature medicine, 23(1), 28-38.