Name: Linda Joosen
Hometown: Breda, The Netherlands
Hobbies: Outside of the lab I like to do things like everybody else: socialize, outdoor activities. But of course like in every job, everybody is different!
Lab: Laboratory of Genetics under the direction of Dmitry Lyumkis
Lab website: https://lyumkis.salk.edu/
What do you study?
I study how HIV virus releases its capsid (basically the protective shell for its genomic material) we do this by taking cells in culture, infecting them with virus particles, and fixating the infected cells. After that do fluorescence imaging to visualize the proteins that we have fluorescently tagged and continue with “slicing up” the cell in little slices, in order to get a good resolution for electron microscopy. Both techniques can correlate with each other and give us hopefully the information on how these viruses behave.
Why is it important?
I started with an interest in how to make things. When I started to study biology I found my interest in microscopy as this was very visual.
What piqued your interest in science?
Once we know better how the capsid gets released inside cells we can anticipate how we can prevent HIV virus from being reproduced, spread, and making people sick. You can imagine that with this knowledge we can extend our knowledge for other viruses.
What do you like about being a scientist?
Finding new things (discoveries) that help to understand a mechanism/biological process better.
What are 5 general vocabulary terms someone should know going into your field of science? Fluorescence, proteins, microscopy, virus, mammalian cells
What are 5 specific vocabulary terms someone should know about your research? Capsid shedding, Electron microscopy, Fluorescent protein tagging, Resolution, Correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM)