We kicked off the second half of an action-filled day at Aravind with a tour of two research laboratories within Aravind: the proteomics lab, and the microbiology lab. Given the immense clinical magnitude of the Aravind Institute, the research sector of Aravind holds its ground pretty well! At the start of our tour, we donned some fancy kicks to prevent contamination.

I was a fan.

We ventured into first into the proteomics lab. To be perfectly honest, I did not know what proteomics was, so this was definitely a learning experience for me. Turns out that proteomics is the characterization of proteins; in the case of Aravind’s research, mainly the proteins found within the eyes of individuals with varying vision-threatening conditions (most commonly, fungal keratitis). Because I work in a lab at Geisel, I found it very interesting to compare the set-up of the Aravind labs to those back at Dartmouth. I think that the students may have cleaned up for our visit/ the conference– it didn’t look as though any experiments were actively running.

Here’s a shot of a bench in the proteomics lab.

A student who had presented a (very cool, very interesting) poster on the immunology behind fungal keratitis infections during the poster session led us around to show us some machinery, including Mass spec machines, and a Typhoon apparatus used in protein characterization. Next step was the microbiology lab, where we learned some captivating info about a parasite found in Southern Indian ponds that causes granulomas and uveitis in the eyes of children. The parasite uses a pond snail as a vector. We had the privilege of having this research project explained to us by the first author himself, whose work was featured on the front page of Ophthalmology. I think everyone was suitably impressed.

After a long day of sessions, the group had an extremely special treat. Arun’s incredibly generous family (aunt, cousins, uncles, and grandmother) invited us over to a delicious meal at their home in Madurai. This meal included the best desserts that some group members had ever tasted, in addition to about 5 different types of delicious breads, chutneys, and cooked meats. I don’t think it would have been possible to find more gracious hosts. Arun’s 7-year-old cousin even sang us a song (heart-melting). We are incredibly grateful for such amazing hospitality and the opportunity to have spent time with his family. I would have loved to stay and get to know everyone better.

Man oh man oh man we love Southern Indian food.

Jalen said that if he ate another dessert, he “would die”

Arun’s fam + the group!

-Rachel Van Gelder, ’18