Research orientation in Talman Lab

Hey! We are Laura and Emilia, master’s students in Pharmaceutical Research, Development and Safety from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Helsinki. During the autumn of 2023, we have had a great opportunity to follow the work of Talman Lab's researchers as part of our Research orientation course.

During the autumn semester, we participated in a diverse range of activities that provided us with valuable insights into the world of research. We got to observe various studies in the lab, gaining knowledge about different techniques. Beyond the lab, we had the opportunity to meet and discuss with the Principal Investigator (PI) of the group, Virpi. These discussions provided a glimpse into her daily responsibilities. As part of our learning process, we delved into the research group's publications. A notable highlight was a discussion with a researcher on the article "Distinct Regulation of Cardiac Fibroblast Proliferation and Transdifferentiation by Classical and Novel Protein Kinase C Isoforms: Possible Implications for New Antifibrotic Therapies". 

The autumn was very interesting and eyeopening experience for us. Before this course, we had some prior laboratory experiences from our bachelor's studies in pharmacy, but all the various laboratory techniques that we had the opportunity to follow, as well as the analysis of results, were completely new experiences for us. Our main takeaway from this experience is understanding how collaborative pharmaceutical research is and how crucial patience and persistence are when doing research. 

Thanks to all the group members for the past autumn!