Labor adventures, musical moments & the Oxford Street shock

Hello everyone,

First of all, I would like to sincerely thank you all for your kind get-well wishes that reached me over the past few days. You are amazing! Unfortunately, I caught a pretty stubborn cold and had to actually miss two days in the lab. But I can give the all-clear: I'm on the mend and I'm back in the lab hustle and bustle.

And what can I say — just in time for my return, I learned something new! On Friday, I was finally able to measure the transepithelial or transendothelial electrical resistance for the first time. For those who might not know: This indicates how tight cell layers are and whether they are functioning well. I found it really exciting to see how the values can even change within the cells. My lab partner, in the meantime, represented his cells in a completely different way, and it was fascinating how we were essentially investigating the same thing, but arriving at our results in completely different ways. Science is sometimes really like a creative playground.

Since I still didn't feel 100% fit, I intentionally relaxed a bit over the weekend — well, almost. On Friday evening, I went to the theater and saw Moulin Rouge. Guys, what a musical! The music, the costumes, and that bittersweet love story… I was emotionally captivated.

On Saturday, a friend spontaneously asked me if I wanted to go shopping with her. Without much thought, I agreed — and we came up with the glorious idea of going to Oxford Street on a Saturday afternoon. Big mistake. I'm telling you: I've rarely seen so many people in one place. It was really so crowded that it was almost scary. But at least there was a happy ending: After the shopping chaos, we stumbled upon a really cute café — Leto Café. And I can tell you: The cakes there are an absolute dream! We tried a few varieties and each one was better than the last. The perfect ending to such a turbulent afternoon.

Otherwise, this week has been rather quiet, but that will change in the coming weeks — many exciting things are on the horizon, and I am really looking forward to reporting back to you.

If you'd like to experience a bit of lab life, London highlights, and everyday adventures again next week, make sure to stop by!

Until then, stay healthy and take care of yourselves!

Yours, Steffi