From the beginning of my project, I was very much interested in knowing the structure of my protein of interest (CLUH). Therefore, I decided to do my secondment in collaboration with Prof. Martin Ott at the University of Stockholm Sweden. To achieve this objective, I planned to perform the cryo-electron microscopy of CLUH to get detailed insights about how different annotated domains of CLUH are oriented and how do they play a role in recognizing and binding the target mRNAs. Before starting my secondment, I had to standardize the purification protocol of the CLUH protein. The initial cryo-EM results showed that additional protocol adjustments are needed.

My experience in Ott lab was amazing. I was thrilled when I was given the chance to prepare my sample grids and handle the much delicate machinery of cryo-EM. For me, it was a very unique and amazing experience of my life. I was working with a senior Ph.D. student Jens-Berndtsson who taught me a lot from sample preparation up to the image accusation in cryo-EM. Other lab members were very welcoming and always helpful In fact, they celebrated my birthday together since it coincided with my secondment and we had a traditional Swedish bakery and I vividly remember we had a very serious discussion about the Italian food that time. We often used to have our meals together and discuss non-science stuff as well, including the Swedish cuisines, language, and culture. I was accommodated in a guest room in the same building where I worked which gave me the advantage to work very late in the evening.

After preparing the protein samples we had to visit SciLifeLab Karolinska Institute wherein they have kept the state of art cryo-electron microscope facility. Not only was this scientifically motivating I also got to interact with other international scholars working extensively in cryo-EM field. They were quite open in sharing their exciting and novel work. The ambiance in SciLifeLab was scientifically very motivating by seeing researchers working relentlessly round the clock. This experience of my secondment taught me how much more there is to explore and experience. 

Apart from experiencing the chilling temperature of Stockholm, I got a chance to see certain places including, Odenplan, Vasa museum, and Gamla stan.