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tell me why and gel plate

Still More Tell Me Why was the third in a series of Tell Me Why books published in the 1970s. I loved this book and read it endlessly as a child. It initiated the interest in science and human disease I had from a very early age. The square plastic plate contains an old Gel. This is one of the most common experiments we perform in the lab.  The blue colour stains proteins in particular and the banding patterns tell us whether the protein antigens (the vaccines) that we are interested in are actually there, what size they are and how pure they are. 

tube, flask and weigh boats

The cryotube with the yellow lid is the tube that we get our bacterial samples in.  It can be used to store bacteria isolated from patients, or any other bacteria that we study, at -70oC. 

The flask with the orange lid is a tissue culture flask. This is the type of flask that we use for growing the human cells we are studying. Typically, we grow different types of human lung cells or gut cells in these flasks.  We discovered all of the vaccines that we develop in our lab because they attached themselves to the cells we were growing in these flasks. We can identify the ones that are also helping disease-causing-bacteria to attach to the cells. This way, if we can prompt the immune system to respond, that will also stop the bacteria attaching when and if the disease itself is introduced.The little white weigh boats are used to accurately weigh out the materials and chemicals that we need in the lab to do our experiments.   Quite often we only use milligram quantities so these small weigh boats are very useful for weighing out really tiny amounts of materials.

tube, flask and weigh boats

The cryotube with the yellow lid is the tube that we get our bacterial samples in.  It can be used to store bacteria isolated from patients, or any other bacteria that we study, at -70oC. 

The flask with the orange lid is a tissue culture flask. This is the type of flask that we use for growing the human cells we are studying. Typically, we grow different types of human lung cells or gut cells in these flasks.  We discovered all of the vaccines that we develop in our lab because they attached themselves to the cells we were growing in these flasks. We can identify the ones that are also helping disease-causing-bacteria to attach to the cells. This way, if we can prompt the immune system to respond, that will also stop the bacteria attaching when and if the disease itself is introduced.The little white weigh boats are used to accurately weigh out the materials and chemicals that we need in the lab to do our experiments.   Quite often we only use milligram quantities so these small weigh boats are very useful for weighing out really tiny amounts of materials.

old gels

included by Lorna Donlon

These old, used and no longer needed Gel plates were found accumulating in a lovely tower on the lab bench waiting to be discarded. They are really interesting objects to look at in their own right. The patterns of the protein ladders, the shapes the gels have dried into, the ‘fringes’ where the proteins were added and the labels on the outside of the plates all contribute to making these really beautiful, interesting objects that speak of work that has been done, and of results that had real meaning for someone at sometime.

Researcher Profile

siobhán mcclean

Siobhán is originally from Tipperary, but now lives in Dublin with her husband Liam. She has three grown-up children: Aoibhín, Caoimhe, and Joseph.

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siobhán mcclean

Siobhán is originally from Tipperary, but now lives in Dublin with her husband Liam. She has three grown-up children: Aoibhín, Caoimhe, and Joseph.

Find Out More

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