From Campus to CRO: Scientific Summer at RoukenBio

In this interview, we have the pleasure of speaking with Zuhaa, a master's student at Glasgow University who is currently undertaking a three-month internship here at RoukenBio, and her mentor, Sophie. Together, they will share their experiences, highlights, and the valuable lessons they've learned throughout their journey. 

Future Scientist in Focus: Zuhaa’s Internship at RoukenBio

Originally from Pakistan, Zuhaa completed half of her schooling there, and the other half in Saudi Arabia, where she grew up. After this, she moved to Glasgow to undertake her immunology degree.

“The degree strengthened my fascination with research and working in the lab”

After completing her undergraduate degree, Zuhaa was unsure whether to pursue a PhD immediately after, as it is a big commitment. She therefore decided to study a for a master’s degree in precision medicine and specialise in cancer. As part of the programme, Zuhaa had to undertake an independent 12-week project that could either be at a university lab or within industry.

“This internship was advertised to us through our course advisors. Initially, I was uncertain about the project due to my unfamiliarity with SPR and limited knowledge of FC receptors. However, after conducting research, I realised that my background in immunology includes an understanding of FC receptors, and I was interested in lab work. I applied and had my interview with my now mentor Sophie and then I got the internship.”

Zuhaa’s internship involved working with our Scientific Support team, where her project focused on protein production and purification. To begin with, she was culturing mammalian cell lines expressing the Fc gamma receptors, harvesting the supernatants and then purifying the proteins using the AKTA chromatography system. Finally, she was also involved in assessing the final proteins in all internal QC tests prior to release for testing in downstream assays.

“What’s really exciting to me is that these proteins will actually be used. They have passed their quality checks, look nice and functional, and they will be used for binding assays using SPR in the future hopefully.”

When we asked Zuhaa what her favourite part of the internship was, she highlighted the collaborative nature of our team:

“It was advertised that this project will enable collaborative scientific workflows and the people really showed that. I came from an academic background I wasn't aware of all the documentation processes, and everyone really came together to bring me up to speed. At first I was told that I won't issue forms by myself, but after I started doing things more independently, I was able to issue the forms, carry on experiments by myself, and the team really helped build my confidence in the lab. I could ask them any question and even if they're doing their own work, they would always step out to help me. So while my project has been really fun, working with the people has been my favourite part of the project.”

Zuhaa highlighted the fact that she really gained a good grounding in basic lab skills and techniques that would help her in future, from making buffers, to prepping media, to culturing cells from small flask to big flask.

“It was really helpful for me to learn how to use basic lab equipment such as the balance, the pH meter etc. because these things are essential once you get into the habit of your own project. You will be making your own buffers and everything. In academic labs, you just get into your project, but here I've been able to learn and enhance all these skills that essentially just make you a better researcher”

Like any internship, there were things that pushed Zuhaa out of her comfort zone and challenged her. Mainly, this was getting used to our AKTA chromatography system. However, she noted that the forms and procedures that were outlined were very helpful in enhancing her knowledge of the machine.

“I can't believe at the beginning of my internship I didn't know what the machine did, what the processes were, what the different buffers do. But the more I have used it, I've definitely come to become friends with the machine and understand how it works and gives us nice, purified proteins”

Undertaking a three-month internship in industry can significantly shape and individual’s view on working in a lab and in industry itself, whether it solidifies their original career plans or leads them to a different career option that they hadn’t previously considered. For Zuhaa, the internship has strengthened her passion and ambition to work in industry, rather than pursue an academic career.

“Particularly with RoukenBio, I love how collaborative everyone is. There’s also so much cool science going on in therapeutic antibody development, before this I didn’t know what was actually going on in the industry”

Sophie’s Perspective: Becoming a Mentor at RoukenBio

Zuhaa’s mentor, Sophie Moncrieff, is a Senior Study Manager at RoukenBio and has worked here for 5 years. We asked her what her experience being a mentor was like:

“Overall I found it fairly straightforward, mainly due to the project being well defined before Zuhaa started. It was also down to Zuhaa being very well organised and good to work with. I had really good feedback from everyone in scientific support, Zuhaa picked things up really quickly”

Although Zuhaa’s internship wasn’t placed directly within Sophie’s team, the pair would have continuous meetings in order to ensure any questions could be answered. This was Sophie’s first time being a mentor at RoukenBio, and based on this experience, she would definitely do it again.

Zuhaa's internship at RoukenBio has been a transformative experience, enriching her skills and solidifying her passion for industry work. With Sophie's mentorship, Zuhaa has navigated challenges and celebrated successes, leaving a lasting impression on both her career and personal growth. Their journey together exemplifies the power of mentorship and the profound impact it can have on one's professional development.