This week I finished up my first set of experiments. They were designed to quantify the resistances towards antimicrobial peptides (also called bacteriocins) varying mutations in a particular gene could strengthen or lessen. The antimicrobials I used functioned in distinct ways, but both served to inhibit normal peptidoglycan function in the cell walls of L. lactis bacteria. I am still parsing my data, but it appears that the results of my experiments were all within expected parameters, if not a tiny bit strange. Strange in the sense that my cell cultures did not interact with these antimicrobial peptides in the same way they did with bacitracin in earlier experiments. But now my role is expanding to assisting others in the lab with their experiments and furthering my own, which will involve testing exactly how different mutations in the bacteriocins themselves will affect their activity.

Last weekend in Valencia was beyond amazing with the gorgeous beaches of the Mediterranean and vibrant city life that was not at all unlike Southern California. The climate, weather, sights, and sounds were so different than what I am used to, here in Asturias. My only regret is that I didn’t see enough of it