When plans to become a dolphin trainer don't pan out 🐬

Hi, Emily here!

Pleased to e-meet you, and I’m excited to start sharing my musings in Synthesis. 

A little bit about me:

Growing up, I was always a girl with a plan. And my love of David Attenborough documentaries and bird watching meant that I always planned to do something related to biology.

But I had to learn how to adapt when things didn’t turn out the way I’d predicted. 

Naturally, when you’re younger and the stakes aren’t so high, it’s easier to pivot.

For instance, I wasn't deterred when I discovered that some of my more unusual ambitions, like becoming a dolphin trainer at SeaWorld, perhaps weren’t the most realistic.

Nor was I discouraged when my phobia of needles meant that I barely lasted a day working at my local vets. 

It wasn’t until I was a bit older and committed to a career in biological research that I struggled to change course.

I was halfway through my PhD in plant sciences when I discovered that while I still love biology, working in a lab full time wasn’t for me.

I realized that when studying complex biological systems, you can plan your experiment to a tee, but there’s so much beyond your control. For instance, you can sterilize your seeds the way you’ve always done it, but if you have a dud batch, you have to start all over again.

For me, this felt a bit like banging my head against a brick wall—and all of a sudden, having no future plan to work toward left me feeling adrift. 

So, what do you do when your best laid plans go awry, and you don't know what to do next?

Facing this question was a daunting prospect. In an attempt to answer it, I focused on the things about biological research that I do enjoy: I love being part of novel research; I love answering questions that have never been answered before, and constantly testing the boundaries of what’s possible; and I also love discussing new and interesting papers. 

That’s what led me to join Synthace, and Customer Success. I still get to keep up with the latest scientific developments and be part of scientific research, by helping our customers to design and analyze complex experiments. 

While I still love a good plan, I’m trying to channel my inner Lennon and remind myself that “life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.”

Finding the balance between structure and flexibility is hard.

But I’ve learned that a willingness to learn through experience and refine your plan is a real superpower.

And there’s nothing like working at a fast-paced company like Synthace to keep you on your toes! 

Speak to you soon,

—Emily, Customer Success Manager, Synthace

🤖 Can you spell "Lab of the Future"? 

This week in Amsterdam, our Customer Success Scientist Nathan Hardingham used Synthace and the SPT LabTech dragonfly to spell out "LOTF" on a 96-well plate. How he found time to do that between demos, we're not entirely sure... though apparently it involved 14+ cups of coffee.    

Watch Synthace + SPT LabTech dragonfly in action

🚶 We love an ELRIG UK walking tour

We especially appreciated this tour around ELRIG from our resident automation specialist Daniel Yip, since we couldn't attend. From the buzzing atmosphere to a show floor full of amazing stuff in drug discovery, robotics and AI, we sure felt the FOMO.    

Take his tour

🧊 DOE Office Hours—Synthace edition 

Next week on October 10th at 11 am ET / 4pm BST, we're loaning out 2 of the DOE evangelists we turn to when doing DOEs with Synthace—Ross Kent and Nuno Leitão. Join them to get answers on using Synthace when applying DOE to your biological experimentation.

Save your seat

🔗 Content we're loving 

Future you: A conversation with an AI generated future self reduces anxiety, negative emotions, and increases future self-continuity 

Why we loved it:

Have you ever written a letter to your future self? Well, it seems that now you can skip ahead and directly talk to them via chat, thanks to generative AI.

Using this system, the authors found that it helped participants feel more connected to their future self and it decreased their anxiety. This tool opens up the possibility for exploring different “future yous,” so you can evaluate how different long-term choices can impact you as a person, your career or the climate, for example. 

Discovery of an embryonically derived bipotent population of endothelial-macrophage progenitor cells in postnatal aorta

Why we loved it:

It’s not every day that a new cell type is discovered.

Excitingly, this study identified endothelial-macrophage (EndoMac) progenitor cells in the outer layer of aortas in adult mice. These cells can transform either into endothelial cells that form blood vessels, or macrophages, the immune cells responsible for tissue repair and defence.

Not only is this crucial for our understanding of blood vessel regeneration, but it holds promise for treatments looking at supporting the body’s healing abilities. 

CRISPR/Cas9-based editing of NF-YC4 promoters yields high-protein rice and soybean

Why we loved it:

Protein is an essential component of our diet. Yet it can be hard to come by in many parts of the world, which mainly rely on starchy staple foods and plant-based protein sources. To meet the rising demand for protein, this study explored increasing protein content in rice and soybean plants through genome editing.

Using this approach, they created deletions of transcriptional repressor binding motifs in the promoter of the transcription factor Nuclear Factor Y subunit C4 (NF-YC4) gene. This prevented repressor binding, increasing NF-YC4 expression, which, in turn, boosted protein levels and reduced starch content.

This shows that precise genome editing may play an important role in global future food security.

About Synthace

Get faster, smarter insights from your R&D experiments. Designed by and for biologists, Synthace lets you design powerful experiments, run them in your lab, then automatically build structured data. No code necessary. Learn more.

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