Lab Experience Personal reflection – Davide Battaglia

I got the opportunity to do my 1st lab rotation at the Research Center of the “Fondazione Tettamanti” in Monza, a non-profit academic organization aimed at promoting the study of leukemia.
PI of the laboratory: Dr. Marta Serafini
Tutor: Dr. Sarah Tettamanti

The Lab
The laboratory focuses on understanding the mechanisms of leukemia and improving the quality and efficacy of treatments. During my lab rotation, I had the opportunity to follow several projects on CARCIK cells, which represent one of the most advanced frontiers in hematological research. CARCIK cells share some of their properties with natural killer cells and present a series of advantages compared to “traditional” CAR-T cells, including a lower number of side effects and the possibility of obtaining them from the blood of a donor.

Most of the experiments I took part in were purposed to investigate the application of this innovative cellular therapy in a preclinical context of relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia. Moreover, I got the opportunity to participate in further research projects on acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a disease that can also arise in childhood (the “Fondazione Tettamanti” is a well-known research center for the study of pediatric hematological malignancies).

The lab team I joined is committed to explaining the molecular biology and the kinetics of leukemia and verifying the efficacy and safety of CARCIK cells. The cell factory within the “Fondazione Tettamanti” is one of the few Italian centers that can afford to investigate such a revolutionary therapeutic approach and is also a pioneer in the use of nucleofection of transposons as a way to engineer cells.

Research Laboratory Experience
I chose this laboratory because of my interest in Hematology, especially after attending a curricular course in the past academic year. Research on CAR-T cells has fascinated me since the beginning of my studies.
My experience in this lab was very productive and engaging, as it provided me with new ways of approaching science and medicine. I put into practice several procedures that allowed me to relate directly with the scientific world of medical research: I learned how to grow a cell culture and understood all the steps necessary to process cells adequately. Among the numerous biomedical techniques/procedures I became familiar with, the most relevant ones are cell counting, staining, splitting, immunophenotyping, flow cytometry, nucleofection, electrophoresis on agarose gel, etc. I also became aware of several protocols for cell processing and carried out some assays to verify the efficacy of cellular therapy in vitro. Besides, I gained knowledge on reagents and specific products necessary for the experiments.

I also would like to mention that I became more confident when handling lab instruments: I acquired better manual skills with pipettes and learned to work under a laminar flow cabinet. Furthermore, I was taught how to interpret the evidence coming from experiment results and learned how to calculate and process quantities numerically with formulas.
I got in contact with a new way of solving problems and analyzing data: this will represent a great resource and a further motivation for my future medical studies, as it stimulated my scientific reasoning.
I always tried to see obstacles as challenges: this was my attitude even when experiment results were not satisfactory. Seeing failure with my own eyes made me understand that perseverance and determination are vital features for a successful researcher.

This unique opportunity made me appreciate the strict, essential link between medicine and basic research. My lab background will help me implement an evidence-based approach with my patients and will allow me to properly interpret data from the scientific literature, in addition to being aware of the strengths and limitations of emerging therapeutic products.

My rotation at the cell factory was one of my best experiences since I started my academic training. I have a sincere feeling of gratitude towards my Tutors, who have played a fundamental role and have actively helped me develop new skills, which will be critical to me in the years to come. I am very thankful to them for following and supporting me, answering my questions, and providing me with a clear glimpse of the activities carried out in a research lab.

Thanks to their patience and dedication, I learned and deepened topics I did not know thoroughly before. I always felt comfortable and particularly enjoyed the serene and constructive atmosphere in which we worked together.