Collaborative Chemistry

I thought I might never want to do this again, but a confluence of circumstances is making me want to do something. I am itching to get back in the lab. One day.

My last wet lab experiment was in 1998, sure I have managed others since then that did  experiments in my lab, or collaborated with others that did work I proposed. So it’s not like I have been away from the “lab” just kind of missing from it.

So much has happened in 16 years, automation, new dispensing methods, new methods, new tools. I am at that point where I really would like to test my computational hypotheses myself again. I did it in the past so why not go back to that.

Pretty frequently I have emails in the inbox from postdocs applying for a position in my non existent lab. It’s quite sad not to be at least be able to interview these people for my imaginary lab. Don’t get me wrong I am quite happy, if not ecstatic with my current collaborations, I just want a bit more freedom to test some ideas my self. For one I would like to contribute to help some of my friends with rare diseases in their families. I keep having ideas, but honestly I get tired with having to convince others to do the experiments when I could move quicker. I am an outsider and always will be, why should they listen to me?

So many things that I still want to do, perhaps a refrain that many of us have, but it keeps hitting home. It seems recently that I keep being reminded of the brevity of life itself.  Putting this all together, it also appears there is no time like the present to at least think about or consider what I want to do in the next phase of my scientific career. Though I probably would not want to go too far outside my comfort zone, a fresh challenge or change in direction might be just what I need.

My wish list: Find a treatment for Sanfilippo syndrome, Charcot-Marie Tooth and Giant axonal neuropathy. Work more on cancer, because it’s affected many people close to me and my efforts, research wise, amount to very little. I think  I could still maintain my interest in TB and other neglected diseases, but this work would remain with help from collaborators.

I will be at BIO in San Diego next Tuesday so if there is anyone there that can give me a lab I would be keen to chat!