Arising bona fide macrophages and dendritic cells from bovine bone marrow

Can you introduce yourself and your summer research project?

My name is AJ Boyland. I'm a 4th year biomedical sciences student taking infectious diseases. My project was the arousal of dendritic cells and macrophages from calf bone marrow. We achieved this by use of CSF-1 for macrophages and GM-CSF and FLT3L for dendritic cells. We grew the cells for 14 days then used flow cytometry to assay cell surface markers to characterise the cell populations. 

How did you receive the funding for your research project?

I received the biomedical deanery fund for my research. I applied to this fund via the deanery website and by filling out a form. This could only be done after being declined funding by another body, which in my case was Medical Research Scotland. 

What was the most rewarding part of your summer research?

I found it extremely rewarding to feel like I'm contributing to real science. The lab I was in does cutting edge research into Mycobacterium bovis, which is a zoonotic tuberculosis. This has a massive impact on agricultural farming and I feel quite passionately about the topic, so being able to help the struggle against this was very rewarding. 

Why should students get involved in a summer research project?

Students should get into summer internships because it gives you real experience in a laboratory setting. This allows you to decide what sort of research you're interested in. I also utilised a lot of my time to take advantage of having to many other scientists around me and asked almost everyone I could to have a chat with me about their research which was invaluable in figuring out what I want to do after my degree. 

How has this research experience influenced your future study and career paths?

When I first came to university, I strongly believed I'd go into phage therapy. Doing this internship has really switched that up for me and cemented my interested in Tuberculosis. I'm seriously continuing into a PhD now as well, especially in the Roslin if possible but it's also had me considering some clinical work too. 

What advice would you give future students applying for summer research scholarships?

Start early. I started applying for internships before November. Come prepared to meetings with perspective supervisors and do something you're interested in and passionate about otherwise you'll be bored and won't find the value in the experience. Finally, don't be intimidated by supervisors as a lot of them are very nice and are willing to help accommodate internships for you.