Agata Hahaj-Siembida
4th Year of Doctoral School
Discipline: Veerinary Medicine

From November 6 to December 6, 2024, I completed a research internship at Charles University in Prague at the Laboratory of Molecular Mechanisms of Blood Diseases (MMBD), Institute of Pathological Physiology, First Faculty of Medicine. My research supervisor was RNDr. Karina Savvulidi Vargova, Ph.D. The main goal of the internship was to analyze miRNA in the plasma of sheep in connection with inflammation (with increased cytokine levels) during pregnancy.

During the internship, I expanded my knowledge of molecular techniques, especially the qPCR method. The research was conducted mainly based on RNA isolation from the blood of BCP sheep, selection of target microRNA/mRNA and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), as well as real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).

In addition to working in the laboratory, I had the opportunity to attend a lecture on miRNA given by Petr Svoboda. During my free time I had the opportunity to visit beautiful Prague situated on the Vltava River. I had the opportunity to walk across Charles Bridge, visit the beautiful Prague Castle with St. Vitus Cathedral, St. Ludmila’s Church and the Polish parish in Prague as well as the Prague astronomical clock. I also had the opportunity to visit the Prague Christmas market.

The internship at Charles University in Prague allowed me to expand my practical skills in laboratory work. In addition, I had the opportunity to meet many interesting people and work in an international team. Thanks to this, I gained valuable experience and international contacts.