a day in the life... Naana Jumah
Medical Engineer studying for a PHD at Oxford University by researching the development of a needle-free vaccinationsystem.
Featuring: Gareth Siret (16) and Kimberly Tippett (16)
10.00
Arrived at Naana's building and we got straight down to trying to understand what Naana is studying for her PhD. Luckily Naana was well prepared and explained her research in simplified terms.
The technology she is looking at will allow a vaccine to be coated onto particles which will then be shot into the skin using a cylinder of highly pressurised gas, in a device like this.
10.30
Next we are put to work making up a batch of agar gel moulds. Agar gel is similar to gelatine and is used to test the vaccination devices. Although we've measured and heated the mixture, Naana has to pour it out because it's so hot.
The gel has to be left to set for two hours, which is why we've done this first - investigation is nothing without preparation!
11.00
The next job is to weigh out the drug particles for the cartridges that fit into the vaccination devices. The particles Naana is using today are a form of polystyrene but miniscule, she also uses gold particles.
Due to health and safety regulations, the particles we're using today haven't been coated in drugs. Naana showed us how it's done and let us have a go. We keep a record throughout the day of important measurements and data. Naana explains that the whole day would be a waste if the results weren't recorded accurately.
12.30
Lunch involves a walk with some of Naana's scientist colleagues to the local (and very good!) sandwich shops where we all buy hot baguettes!
13.15
It's straight back to the lab after lunch. The agar gel moulds are dry and need to be turned out. This is up to us and the moulds feel very slimy and slippery.
13.30
Once we have the five moulds ready its time to fire the particles into them. For this we all don ear defenders! The loud noise is created by the pressurised gas being forced out of the chamber of the device at speeds of up to Mach 1 (about 765mph). First Naana shows us how to load the cartridge into the device and then it's our turn - stand well back!
13.45
Each of the five moulds is used to fire particles into it at different levels of pressure. The gas used today is helium. The highest pressure used is 60 bar and the lowest 20 bar. Once the particles have been shot into them, each mould must be labelled to make sure we know which one received which level of pressure.
14.30
The next bit is observation only for us as it involves sharp scalpels and razor blades! First Naana must remove the agar gel from the moulds with a scalpel and then she has to slice it in half and cut very thin slices from the inside edge of the semi-circle.
15.00
Before we go there's just time to pop into the workshops downstairs. In here the technicians work hard to make all the various bits of equipment that the scientists need.
15.30
Time to go. We pose for one last cheesy snap outside the medical engineering building and then set off with our heads filled with a magical world where there's no need for painful injections! Naana has shown us what a day in a real lab feels like and has uncovered the highs and lows of conducting your own research and discovering things that no one has ever seen before.
To find out more about Naana visit the www.noisenet.ws site.
Nanna
Although Naana grew up in Ghana and Canada, she was born in Liverpool and so was well chuffed with the chance to study back in England.
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Technology
The professor that heads up Naana's research group invented the devices used to do this and all patents for this type of technology are owned by his company – Powerjet Pharmaceuticals.
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Particles
The amount of particles needed is tiny - just half a milligram, which is 0.0005g and the cartridges that they need to be put in are about the size of a little fingernail! The scales used to weigh this are housed in a small, sealed glass chamber - as soon as the door to the chamber is opened the numbers on the scales go crazy because the air pressure is affecting this sensitive measuring device.
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Loud Noise
Although the noises are actually not that loud in themselves, Naana explains that health and safety regulations are very strict in a lab environment and that they have to guard against any build up. For example, if someone was performing 20 shots a day, every day for a year, damage to the ears could occur.
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