During the school holidays, the Scienteens Lab organises week-long interdisciplinary workshops for students aged 15 and above. The latest Scienteens Academy focused on cancer research, providing twelve budding scientists with invaluable experience in various scientific techniques through a combination of lectures and hands-on lab work.
The programme began with an insightful presentation by Dr Christiane Wurth-Margue, a researcher from the Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine at the University of Luxembourg, who prepared the young scientists for their research journey. In the laboratory, the participants were then introduced to basic techniques and carried out their first experiments.The following days were dedicated to intensive laboratory work, focusing on cell cultures. Students carefully observed and counted skin cancer cells using pipettes, microscopes and other essential laboratory tools. They then extracted RNA from the collected samples, gaining hands-on experience in molecular biology. Finally, the participants analysed the expression profiles of candidate genes associated with resistance to skin cancer treatment.
This edition also had the honour of welcoming Josannette Loutsch of the Fondation Loutsch-Weydert, whose support contributes significantly to the Scienteens Academy on cancer research. The Scienteens Lab expresses its sincere gratitude for this invaluable support.
At the end of this eventful week, during which the group explored various facets of cancer research, the participants were awarded well-deserved certificates.
