Zantac Attack by Humza Hussain

Hey everyone, it’s Humza again!  TRIP has been an amazing experience so far. Everyone at TRIP is very supportive and are always willing to give a hand. So far we have done one experiment. I tested the effect of Ginkgo Biloba on head trauma. That was really cool, especially since I got to whack the flies on the head. Progressing through the program I have learned not only lab skills, but also science communication as well as careers in science. This program has been teaching me patience, especially when counting the pupae, and has shown me how to become more creative. This enabled me to form my own project!

My independent project revolves around the acid reducer Zantac. In Turkey, a Turkish doctor said that this drug causes anxiety, and further research alluded to this drug diminishing gut bacteria. Based on these sources, I want to see how this drug affects the fly mood and gut microbiome. I will perform a Open Field Test (centrophobism) to see how anxious the flies are, and a bacteria assay to quantify the gut bacteria of the fly. I will also be comparing the long term effect of Zantac to the short term effect. During my project, I will also collect developmental data to see how the drug affects development. I hope my projects yield very interesting results. I will keep you all posted on how its going.​