Ketika penemuan kecil menjadi sangat lebay

Hey hey hey! Aku menemukan sesuatu. Sssstt.. pelan-pelan saja. Gini, kan riset YSEP-ku kemarin, alias Tugas Akhir (TA) tercinTA ku itu, mengidentifikasi gen-gen sistem imun dalam stem sel dari embrio tahap awal. Dan langsung saja, ( I won’t tell you all the difficulties of those drilling my head and life, hoho), hasilnya ditemukan gen-gen yang dapat mengenali ssRNA virus, yaitu Toll-like Receptor 7 dan 8. Jika mekanisme “downstream” dari aktivasi reseptor itu benar-benar beraksi, atau someday diaktifkan oleh manipulasi farmasi (baca:obat atau protein terapi yang—saya membayangkannya, for example, sebagai imunomodulator untuk janin), artinya.. virus-virus ssRNA seperti HIV AIDS yang menyerang seorang wanita (yang kemudian hamil) ga akan melukai sang bayi tak berdosa itu!

Aku jadi teringat cerita sahabatku Uta, tentang seorang bayi dari orangtua pengidap AIDS bernama Aldino, ibunya meninggal 3 hari setelah melahirkan, dan ayahnya kabur, kakek neneknya pun tak mau mengurusi, dan secara logis kemungkinan besar Aldino juga diwarisi virus yang sama tragisnya. Okelah, boleh saja kita mencaci perbuatan yang dilakukan orangtuanya, tapi sang janin tetaplah janin tak berdosa, tak tau apa-apa, dan ia sungguh tak mampu memilih ingin dilahirkan oleh siapa. Ia sungguh ingin hidup seperti bayi-bayi yang lainnya!

Saatnya penyelamat bumi beraksi! jika suatu saat nanti, ketika pharmaceuticals itu benar-benar beraksi berawal dari hasil riset ini, maka di masa depan, tak akan ada lagi bayi-bayi yang lahir mewarisi virus HIV AIDS! dan TA-ku benar-benar menyelamatkan dunia.. (amiiinn…*tawadhu) (Whaaa… Nobel.. Nobel prize!!! *lompat2 pecicilan)

*membahas TA berasa menyelamatkan dunia, lebay sungguh.

Healthy looking make you healthy

When I was at my previous home, once morning, I found a not-so-little cat was sleeping in front of my door. I was shocked since that cat was soo not cute at all—like the other cats. He just blinking his eyes slowly, looks so weak, with his dirty and bad smell fur, I cant bear not to afraid of him (and that was the first time I was afraid of cat!). Then, my coolest-saviour-gentleman-of-my-life  make that sick wild cat away, but the cats looks so healthy when running away! what??

*this cat is not the cat in my story :D, this one is cute pretending to be sick but still cute anyway

Then I got the answer today, maybe. From the article of science magazine coming to my email. That the healthy cat will act sick when he upset. The metabolism of his body was fine, but due to unexpected environment or something, he was so upset then act like sick. The fact that then conclude from scientific research by American veterinary clinical scientist is : The cat did just pretend that he was sick.

I dont know why this thought finally come to my mind.. o’ow!.. a little cat passing beside me! *I am in library, third floor. (wait, that cat take the stair??). Forget it. OK, I think it also does in human, when you are upset, or too stressed then your appearance may act like sick, right? but your body was OK actually. And the bad news is, that looking-sick body will force furthermore real sick of metabolism. That the fact of sick-looking is because of sick is not always true, I do believe it. Indeed, sick-looking make a real sick is maybe true. So that’s why, it is a good way to start today, with a bright smile and optimistic spirit from the morning. Then all day you’ll be healthy and fresh! Since healthy looking make you healthy.Trust me, smile now!

Just Today’s Seminar

Actually I wouldn’t attend this seminar if my third tutor, Chefy didn’t tell me that the presentation will be in English. Since my professor allowed me to not attend every Japanese (language) seminar, I just freely skip the seminar schedule then go home and sleep (ups!). But not today, this seminar is worth enough to attend. Although I don’t know why, my best tutor I ever had, Harry-san, just fell asleep even he was in the first line desk.

The first presenter was Bangladeshian PhD student (but he can answer the question and communicate with sensei in Japanese! Great! not like me of course) present about the

Bionanotechnology Class

I have never been thought before that I will attend this kind of class. Very futuristic and unimaginable lesson. What the lecturer say is about the combination of the two main technology that is biotechnology and nanotechnology. Sometimes during the class I just can’t stop thinking (with absolutely imaginative mind!) how could that stuff be real??

Anyway, today is the last lecture, and the lecturer tell us about the future of bionanotechnology. I think this is the peak of several lesson before, that explain us about the DNA origami (This is the first time I heard that we can make origami from DNA!), DNA combining semiconductor, Nanorobot for medical therapy, gene therapy, gecko’s feet for everlasting glue tape, etc. Very interesting I think. And the nice one is : the lecturer isn’t a Japanese, so he can speak in English very very very well.. hehe

Here are some nanotechnology from nature: The idea is mimicking the nature.

The Gecko and Its Feet. Gecko has feet that covered by 500.000 setae/ foot, and each setae contain 100-1000 spatula in nanostructure. The structure can make gecko attach the wall tightly using van der waals interaction and capillary forces. So that, in theory, a single gecko can support more than 2 Kg weight hanging despite gecko have only 40g in weight. That’s why then people mimicking the feet nanostructure to make a everlasting glue tape. A glue tape that no need a glue anymore because of van der waals interaction and capillary forces. And the tape can be used over and over.

Spider Silk. Did you know that spider silk is very tough and much lighter than steel?! That nanostructure make it have extra properties in toughness, strength, and flexibility. So that people trying to mimic it to make a high quality surgical thread.

Lotus Effect. The nanostructure of lotus make it hydrophobic and let water on it always fall down and never make it wet. The always-falling-down water make the leaves always clean. That is because the lotus leaves have wax hydrophobic crystal around 1 nm in diameter. Then, what people mimic from the lotus is to make a wall paint that can wash its self when the rain come.

Then,let’s go to biotechnology inside! what the scientist still researching and developing about is

The Unforgettable “Mon-Mon” and PIMNAS 2009

“Mon2 Team”, nama kelompok penelitian itu akhirnya tercetus juga. Berawal dari situ, kami pun menjalani sebuah perjalanan hidup yang tak terlupakan. Aku tak ingat tanggal berapa tim ini didirikan, yang jelas sekitar bulan Agustus tahun lalu. Kak Hegar, salah satu Mapres SF ITB itu mengajakku bergabung, kemudian aku dikenalkan dengan Teh Nadia. Kemudian Teh Nadia mengajak Lala, dan aku mengajak Dewdew. Lengkaplah sudah : “Mon2 Team” terdiri dari ka Hegar, Teh Nadia, Aku, Lala, dan Dewdew.

Kenapa Mon2 team? Karena tim penelitian kami ini meneliti tentang jamur Angkak yang mempunyai nama ilmiah Monascus purpureus. Selama kurang lebih 5 bulan itu,si jamur Mon2 ini menjadi makhluk yang paling kami sayangi, kami cintai,dan kami perhatikan setiap waktu (*nampak lebay, hehe). Kalau si mon2 itu bisa bicara, pasti dia akan bangga karena dimanja tiap hari, dipresentasikan di depan juri2 terhormat dan dibawa-bawa di event nasional.

Maka tak sia-sia hari-hari yang kami lewatkan bersama itu. Di tengah segala kesibukan Ka Hegar bersama Uta dan Ipin yang menyambi meneliti sesuatu yang lain yang tak kalah rumit yaitu tentang Centella asiatica untuk terapi pasca stroke—kemudian  kami mulai memaklumi dan menjadikan si Centella asiatica itu sebagai saudara Mon2. Di tengah kesibukan Teh Nadia dengan Tugas Akhirnya, Teh Nadia menjadi ibunda ketua tim ini yang sabar banget tiada tara. Kemudian Lala dengan segala praktikum dan tugas asistensinya sekaligus amanah2 organisasinya yang sholehah banget, Dewdew dengan roadshow nya (lho?), maksudnya dengan kerjaan dia sebagai presenter dan penyiar dan wakil direktur sebuah radio kampus sekaligus tim inti kaderisasi suatu himpunan (hmm.. ajaib banget ni anak). Aku? Apa ya.. dungdung sebenernya, hehe,tapi gini-gini aku pun berkontribusi juga dalam kerjaan-kerjaan ini, membersamai aktivitasku sebagai kabid keprofesian di himpunan yang sama dengan Dewdew dan dalam ikhtiar seleksi student exchange ke Jepang.

Merawat mon2 ini memang butuh kesabaran dan ketekunan yang ekstra! Huhf.. kadang sempat terjadi pertengkaran batin ketika kami-kami sedang sibuk dengan dunia kami sendiri, mon2 pun tersudut sendirian karena kami saling menunjuk “kamu saja yang ngurusin!”. Kemudian Lala pun dengan ikhlas mengendarai motor jihadnya kesana kemari membelikan mon2 makanan, sebuah substrat, yang sederhana. Dewdew dengan tulus menimbang-nimbang bahan dengan timbangan yang rada2 bandel, aku sambil bernyanyi mencuci-cuci cawan petri yang sangat banyak, tempat hidup mon2. Dan Teh Nadia dengan senang hati kesana kemari membeli alat-alat yang diperlukan, serta mencari pinjaman cawan-cawan petri tambahan, dan Ka Hegar pun setia meng-autoklaf dan berjaga dengan tegar hingga malam hari ketika kami-kami pulang. Mon2 pun kembali senang diperhatikan kembali.

Seberapa pentingkah si mon2 itu hingga kami mati-matian menyempatkan diri mengurusnya