By Robin Liang, PhD in TREC
The Easter Holiday in Norway is a time for active relaxation with family and friends. It’s a time to take advantage of the fresh snow on skis or to head to warm beaches abroad with family and friends. For many people, Easter is not Easter without oranges, Kvikk Lunsj, and candy. Another Norwegian tradition is “Påskekrim” – crime novels, stories, and films that people enjoy over Easter.
As researchers we are not so different from detectives. Like detectives, we must investigate thoroughly by gathering evidence, establishing a timeline, and finding out why something has happened. In the laboratory, my colleagues and I spend our days reading articles and running different experiments with the goal of finding out the “who”, “how”, and “why”. At TREC, we are working hard to find out how and why deep venous thrombosis (DVT) develops. Like at a crime scene, we examine blood very closely and interrogate the many suspects that may play a role in DVT.
In my work subgroup, we are focusing on different inflammatory reactions as the main suspects in DVT development. Investigations are still underway, and we suspect no single culprit; rather, an intricate cooperation between different factors is the likely culprit. We are running different experiments to interrogate these different suspects, uncover their methods, and establish a timeline. We will keep the public informed of our progress through articles and publications.
More and more of our investigators are leaving to enjoy the holidays. Meanwhile, our lab itself has become victim of a different crime.
Who ate the Easter candy in our break room?
