Research needs great patience…
And not only that! We need to be persevering and very tenacious. Never giving up is the golden rule, particularly when the experiment we are carrying out does not work as we want it to. Indeed, a series of variables contribute to the good outcome of a study, some of which we have no power over or we do not even know. An example is the extreme variability of the state of a cell which can change from one day to the next, with inevitable repercussions on the experiment underway. This is why it is important to not throw in the towel and above all to understand what did not work out properly and to act accordingly. We need to constantly ask ourselves whether we have made mistakes in a procedure or whether it is the experiment that is not suitable and therefore we need to adopt another one.
How important is it that an experiment should be repeatable?
It is crucial. Repeating an experiment, one that may have been successful the first time, equates to giving further value to the results obtained and increasing the certainty of what was demonstrated.
This work requires time and attention. Clockwatching is not a part of your day... how does a typical day evolve?
Our days are never punctuated by clocks, they are defined by the work we carry out. As a “good practice” we all meet up together and as well as an update on the on-going work, we plan the day and where possible the week in order to obtain a medium term schedule. Then we start the lab work, my favourite.
Of the many research activities you have taken part in, which gave you the most satisfaction?
I am greatly interested in using the Seahorse. To simplify, this is an instrument that allows explaining the cell’s metabolism, providing a great deal of specific information that concerns it as well as a series of valuable data. Working with it is gratifying, also because it is not an easy instrument to use: to set it and find a protocol that works perfectly you need many attempts. When things work out though, the satisfaction is great.
Can you give us an example?
Certainly: we used this instrument to verify the effect that ASA’s MLS® Laser Therapy has on cells. In practice, the objective was to understand whether its application led to a change in their metabolism, in the oxygen consumption and in other parameters. The data collected allowed us to understand that using a laser leads to a significant change in their metabolism.
For the future instead, are there any studies you would like to carry out?
I can’t wait to use 3D bioprinting! By using bio-ink with cells, this technique allows giving shape to tissue constructs and in a not too distant future could also lead to constructing tissues and organs. An extremely interesting methodology both because of the instruments it uses, where the engineering component embraces the biological one, and because of the uses that it may allow in the future.
Whilst you wait, you are “testing” other experiences, such as parabolic flight…
A breathtaking and unique experience! During parabolic flight, the only way on earth to try out what astronauts experience, hyper gravity alternates with microgravity, generating extreme sensations when moments of high compression alternate with moments of emptiness, similar to those felt on a rollercoaster but lasting much longer.
