About Me

Hi! My name is Bonnie and I decided that even though I wear nitrile gloves every day, I still deserve to have gorgeous fingernails. I have a Masters degree in Pathology, and I do research and development for a biotech company in Redmond, WA. I live with my husband and my Chihuahua, Rocky, in Seattle.

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Interstitium - A new organ?

Recently, a paper was published in Nature, reporting on the discovery of what the authors call a new organ - the interstitium. Before we get into the merits of the paper, let's cover some basics. Most organs are made up of two general tissue types - parenchyma and interstitium. Parenchyma describes the functional cell types of the organ - the cells that do whatever the organ has evolved to do. For example, in the lung, you would describe the alveoli (air sacs) and trachea as part of the parenchyma. Interstitium is made up of a variety of other cells and structures that support the parenchyma. ("Inter" = between, "stitial" = to set, positioned "interstitium" = positioned between) This part is made up of different kinds of collagen and other structures as well as some cells that contribute to things like inflammation and wound healing, like fibroblasts. So parenchyma = the heavy lifters, interstitium = support for the heavy lifters. Theise, et. al. pu...
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Essie's "Berry Naughty"

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Hi everyone! I'm back! It's been a while since I posted, I apologize! I started a new job and things have been so busy this summer! Although it's a beautiful sunny Labor Day in Seattle, I'm ready for all things fall. That's why I'm wearing a classic Essie shade "Berry Naughty". This is a deep wine crelly that is perfect for crisp days. Though I really despise this formula, it's very thin and it stains the living daylights out of your cuticle line. But I'm going for it because the color is gorgeous! And here's a couple of nakies as a bonus too! My thumbs are a bit short, they've been peeling so I chopped them down. But the others are growing long and strong!
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Exosomes are cell mail

For my first science-related post, I want to introduce you to exosomes. Exosomes are small (~30-100 nanometers) spheres that are produced by cells. Many different kinds of cells can produce them, and they can do all kinds of things, including carrying proteins, DNA, or RNA to neighboring or distant cells. Think of them basically as cell mail, carrying important messages between cells. The cargo of the exosome differs depending on what kind of cell the exosome came from, and what kind of cell its target is. For example, exosomes from cancer cells can contain enzymes that break down the surrounding environment and make it easier for cancers to spread. (1) While exosomes from other cell types carry signals that stoke the immune system in response to diseases like sepsis (2). Now that we have the understanding that cells use exosomes to affect the behavior of other cells, researchers are trying to utilize the exosome system to affect cell behavior. Because exosomes are made by our cells ...
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