CryoStore diary - João Gil Gomes Ferreira

May 2024 - March 2025 | University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic

It's been almost a year since I started my PhD as part of the Cryostore Project, time really runs away from you when you are not looking. I'm analyzing if cryopreserving and then transplanting germ cells into a sterile zebrafish will result in methylation changes and eventually be passed to the next generation.

In what I could only describe as the biggest roller coaster in my life, the last 10 months have been an incredible change of pace in my life.

Cryostore Summer School in Hannover:

August arrived, and so did I at the Leibniz University in Hannover, where I attended together with my fellow colleagues to a cryobiology summer school.  This week introduced us to cutting-edge technology and techniques that utilize cryobiology at its core.  Despite all of this, the most important part was meeting my counterparts, very intelligent, inspiring, and work-driven individuals who come from different backgrounds and, most importantly, are going through the same steps, difficulties, and challenges that I am.

Vodnany the center of Europe:

I arrived in Vodnany, Czech Republic in May of 2024, and I will be staying here until 2028. Despite the small size of the place where I live, I was capable of finding my people and my place. I have visited Praha with its beautiful castle, museums, and old libraries it's an astonishing city.

Current challenges:

As of late, I started teaching myself how to code in Python so that I can directly apply it to the data analysis that I will be doing in my work. I have been learning and improving my proficiency in microinjections as well as transplantations into embryos (let me tell you, not having coffee on those days is hard). I have learned and gained skills in so many areas, both inside and outside the lab (from learning Czech to epigenetics and cryopreservation).

I'm grateful to the people who work with me and help me relax outside of it. Ready for the next 3 years.

Ahoj 😊

Fertilization of sturgeon eggs.

Injection into the vegetal pole of the sturgeon embryo.

Successful EGFP injection done into sturgeon embryos 1 hour after fertilization. The green fluorescence marks primordial germ cells and allows for tracking and counting.