(This is a section of a post Janet made in the Whitney updates thread--it is re-posted here as it discusses Ron's research.)
Hi!
The best thing is that Ron keeps making progress and comes home with new ideas and details about what is happening. They've been mostly working on the NIH grant proposal, which is ridiculously complicated and annoying with its requirements, but the silver lining is that their time spent on putting together the grant is helping their thought process and they are spending unending hours together talking about everything. Raeka Aiyar, PhD, the wonderful communications director for the Genome Center and a great scientist too, came down on the train from San Francisco on Saturday and worked all day with Ron and the team on the grant. These people are just amazing and really dedicated. I keep being in awe of them all.
Rahim, the senior research associate at the Genome Center, has been making those nano sensor chip things so that they can do multiple tests of the cells at a time. Ron says he's almost got it done, after working out the inevitable glitches, so they will be able to ramp up the research like Ron talked about in his video very soon. He's going to make another video about it.
I guess I should have put the research part of this on another, public, thread, but someone else can if they want. Just not all the stuff about Whitney. Or tell me is you think I should and I will. Maybe it's not enough info for that, I don't know.
Anyway, keep on hanging in there. I think about you all every day, both the ones of you that I know and also all of you that I know are out there suffering and missing your lives. Again, I can't wait to meet you. Not to mention traveling all over the world to do it!!!!
Like I tell Ben, every day, eat some ice cream! And try to think of one thing you're grateful for. That helps me a lot to keep my mind and spirit in a better place. It's hard.
Love to you,
Janet