“I'm João Vitor Facco, a second-year medical student at the Unicamp School of Medical Sciences and an undergraduate associate in the Molecular Biology Lab of the Unicamp Hematology and Hemotherapy Center, coordinated by Dr. Sara Saad. In July 2022, I did a four-week internship at Yale University, in the Yale Stem Cell Center, located in New Haven, Connecticut. I collaborated with the Krause Lab, a research partner of our laboratory, under the supervision of Dr. Diane Krause, the principal investigator, and Dr. Rubia Isler Mancuso, a postdoctoral associate.

During my time there, I worked with hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell fate specification and CRISPR Screening. I also learned some new techniques like tissue culture, in vitro viral purification, bacterial culture, flow cytometry analysis and fluorescence-activated cell sorting or FACS. I also helped Dr. Mancuso with her experiments and assays.

Beyond the scientific knowledge acquired, I experienced the culture of the USA, experienced the lifestyle of a researcher in one of the most innovative research centers of the world and made friends. The networking I did at Yale was very valuable and helped me a lot. It is rewarding to be able to exchange knowledge, discuss data, and seek advice from researchers who I look up to. Of course, my time there made me grow as a scientist and as a person, envisioned new horizons for my future practice”.