Here's a nifty infographic explaining what A1C is. It's from onedrop, which runs an app that makes monitoring your diabetes easier. However, this one is useful not just for folks who are diabetic, but for everyone who encounters blood sugar - healthcare providers, family members, folks who have high or low blood sugar, and so on.
I may come back later and discuss this in more detail, but for now, let's just start with this. Enjoy!
If the first few slides here are confusing, remember, they're describing what the AKLecture explained. Feel free to pause and rewatch as needed, but this was the final piece I wanted to share. Certainly, in the Ars Technica article, on the industrial scale, the equipment you see in this video isn't what's being used. But the general idea is the same. So thanks to these videos and the Ars Technica article, you can now feel fairly confident that you have an idea what to do when you walk into the Biochem lab for protein purification. At the very least, you'll feel less overwhelmed by all the equipment, steps, and terms in front of you, now that you can comprehend the basic concept!
I promised a follow up to the Ars Technica article on purifying proteins, and here it is. This lecture by AK lectures is excellent. He explains how each method works clearly (This is gel filtration, but there are links here for Ion Exchange and Affinity, as well, which should cover the other methods well enough that everything discussed in the Ars Technica article is reviewed well. The only thing I still want to find is the actual equipment used, so I'll be hunting for that next.
Ladies & Gentlemen, this is why I argue that anyone can be an auto-didact. We can all learn anything we set our minds to! The tools are there! That's why It's The Small Things exists - I wanted to make it easy for us to find and use them!
I think, in the last Ars Technica article I linked, I mentioned that I love them. Just in case I didn't, let me say it now: I love Ars Technica. This article more clearly and succintly describes the methods for how and why proteins are purified than I think any of my professors ever explained. I think my biochem professor (Hi RD!!!) came the closest to giving us this level of detail, but even he, I think, focused on the methods we had available to us in our lab and the techniques we'd be using. This is a nice overview. Pair this article with a video showing the actual equipment and techniques (Yes, I'll go hunting for it & cross link when I find it) and your budding biochemists will be well-prepared for the skills required of them in the lab! Not only that, the ordinary people who never go near labs but may rely on protein based medications (like insulin) can read this and get a larger appreciation of the work that goes into ensuring their medication is safe and effective as well as affordable.