Translational metabolic laboratorium RadboudUMC

Translationeel metabool laboratorium, Radboudumc - Type 2 diabetes mellitus and the quantification of proinsulin and insulin

Lyke van de Pol 
The aim was to create an immunopurification sandwich ELISA with affimers instead of antibodies to determine intact (pro-)insulin proteoform analysis on type 2 diabetic patient samples. Further, we want to know if the proinsulin:insulin ratio can be used a diagnostic biomarker.

Learned techniques 
I learned how to do an ELISA, dot blot and I worked together with others on gel electrophorese. In addition, I learned how to set up an experiment and how you document and plan your experiments. Because my internship was on a lab in radboud umc, I also learned how it feels to work in a diagnostics lab together with researchers and analysts. You also meet a lot of people in different promotion phases, so you can ask a lot about what the future holds when you finish your masters. 

Tips 
Start early with sending emails, especially if you have a prefference for a certain direction in biology, because everything is quickly full. However, you can always find an internship somewhere, just email a lot of people and mainly PhDers because they have an intern most of the times. Lastly, if the department you want to have an internship in is full, just look somewhere else. It is only your bachelor internship and it is mainly to gain some experience. Where you do your internship doesn't really matter for your future, so don't worry.