Mia Kilkeary

Anatomy
Summer 2016
2016-17 Anatomy Summer Assignment

I began my virtual lab research with the bacterial identification lab. In this lab, I
successfully learned how to prepare a bacterial cluster sample from a patient to then isolate a
piece of bacterial DNA. I then watched as the DNA was extracted from the bacterial sample
through the use of a digestive buffer. Afterwards, I prepared the sample for automatic
sequencing and, when done, I put the reaction tubes onto the thermocycler to run PCR. With the
new final PCR product, I separated the individual DNA pieces and identified the end nucleotide.
The DNA was then sequenced for analysis. Through this, I learned the process for identifying
bacteria type by using DNA sequencing.
Next, I moved on to the immunology lab. This lab taught how antibodies could be
extracted from the liquid portion of blood and then put through an ELISA test to help diagnose
diseases that may have been caused by infection or immune system malfunctions. I took the
blood sample of a patient and created dilutions of patient serum for the ELISA test. I added an
anti-DNA primary antibody as a positive control and a buffer as a negative control to the ELISA
plate, and then incubated the plate at 37 degrees C for 15 minutes. A second antibody that
recognizes human antibodies was then added and the plate was incubated again. The antibodies
were finally removed from the tubes and were identified. The test was then finished and it was
possible to use the results to determine the human antibodies and diagnose disease.

Then, I completed the virtual cardiology lab. I examined three patients and used multiple
diagnostic tools to make a diagnosis for heritable diseases of the heart. I used a preliminary
stethoscope exam as a first tool to examine a patients heart and look for things such as a systolic
murmur, a prolonged murmur during diastole, or a gallop rhythm. I then learned to make
echocardiography images and Doppler echo images. I then issued an MRI for the patient and
furthered cardiology testing to eventually give the patient a diagnosis for an aortic aneurysm.
Finally, I went through the virtual lab for neurophysiology. This lab allowed me to record
electrical activities of individual neurons and identify stimuli responses while delivering
mechanical stimulus to the attached skin. I injected fluorescent dyes into a patients neurons to
visualize their morphology and was then able to identify the neurons based on their morphology
by comparing them to previously published results. This lab allowed me to witness reactions for
senses and sensitivity when it came to watching neuronal alliances for senses such as sight and
sound.