Thanks for your question Emma! There are several other compounds we would like to test, in fact we initially wanted to test α-Eleostearic Acid but it could not be shipped in time. Other compounds include Gallic acid, Catechin, and Vanillin acid. These all have been shown to have anticancer properties in different ways, but most of the studies are still really early so a lower survival rate would be expected, but it is hard to be sure.
You are completely correct, our results do not follow a dose response curve trend and are quite inconsistent. The main reason why is not due to the compound itself, but rather the limitations of the experiment. Each dose was only replicated twice, which is a very low replication that is not ideal. We also had vert few larvae to quantify in each vial (usually less than 10), so the raw data itself was not robust enough to make solid conclusions. I believe that if there were more replication of each dose with better control of other limitations so we have more larvae to quality, there would be clear results on whether there is a dose response curve. Thank you Delwin!
Really great question Amrita! We had several different sections of the class, as well as different groups of TAs, making the food and upkeeping the flies in their various stages, so it is hard to say where exactly things went wrong. Sometimes the food would dry out before the larvae could consume it, but the same formula and directions made it work other times. The flies, being living creatures that cannot communicate, would increase or decrease in population without us knowing exactly why. I think that in just replicating the experiment more times could possibly control for issues, but honestly I am not sure how else we could control for issues like that as they do come up often.
The easiest way to increase the sample size is to do more replications of each dose. We would mix our doses of the compound and the fly food into vials, with two vials per dose. Then, about 50 larvae were added to each vial, though they were not actually counted. If we had 10 vials, or even 20 vials, of each dose, we would have a much more robust sample of raw data to make conclusions from. We could also count exactly how many larvae are going into each vial to be able to quantify how many die in the food. Thanks Ania!
It is hard to say for sure, as other experiments involving CGA are still quite preliminary, but a consistently lower survival rate would definitely be expected. Especially considering that the dose with the most robust data was the one with the hit (Dilution 1), there would be a much lower survival rate overall, with hopefully smaller error bars. Whether or not a dose response curve would be present is less sure, but would be extremely helpful information as it would tell us if CGA can be dosed or if it is a poison. Thanks Nicole!
What other active compounds in the Bitter Melon would you test in the future and what would you expect the result to be?
Thanks for your question Emma! There are several other compounds we would like to test, in fact we initially wanted to test α-Eleostearic Acid but it could not be shipped in time. Other compounds include Gallic acid, Catechin, and Vanillin acid. These all have been shown to have anticancer properties in different ways, but most of the studies are still really early so a lower survival rate would be expected, but it is hard to be sure.
Good job Shelly! It seems like the dosing series’ results don’t follow a constant trend. Any thoughts as too why?
You are completely correct, our results do not follow a dose response curve trend and are quite inconsistent. The main reason why is not due to the compound itself, but rather the limitations of the experiment. Each dose was only replicated twice, which is a very low replication that is not ideal. We also had vert few larvae to quantify in each vial (usually less than 10), so the raw data itself was not robust enough to make solid conclusions. I believe that if there were more replication of each dose with better control of other limitations so we have more larvae to quality, there would be clear results on whether there is a dose response curve. Thank you Delwin!
Good presentation! How do you think you can ensure there aren’t issues with the larvae or food in future tests?
Really great question Amrita! We had several different sections of the class, as well as different groups of TAs, making the food and upkeeping the flies in their various stages, so it is hard to say where exactly things went wrong. Sometimes the food would dry out before the larvae could consume it, but the same formula and directions made it work other times. The flies, being living creatures that cannot communicate, would increase or decrease in population without us knowing exactly why. I think that in just replicating the experiment more times could possibly control for issues, but honestly I am not sure how else we could control for issues like that as they do come up often.
Good presentation! How do you think you could avoid issues with the larvae and their food in future experiments?
This was a very interesting compound you guys chose to study! I am wondering how you guys would change the sample size to gain a more accurate result?
The easiest way to increase the sample size is to do more replications of each dose. We would mix our doses of the compound and the fly food into vials, with two vials per dose. Then, about 50 larvae were added to each vial, though they were not actually counted. If we had 10 vials, or even 20 vials, of each dose, we would have a much more robust sample of raw data to make conclusions from. We could also count exactly how many larvae are going into each vial to be able to quantify how many die in the food. Thanks Ania!
Good job! What results would you expect if you performed a trial without issues with the larvae and their food?
It is hard to say for sure, as other experiments involving CGA are still quite preliminary, but a consistently lower survival rate would definitely be expected. Especially considering that the dose with the most robust data was the one with the hit (Dilution 1), there would be a much lower survival rate overall, with hopefully smaller error bars. Whether or not a dose response curve would be present is less sure, but would be extremely helpful information as it would tell us if CGA can be dosed or if it is a poison. Thanks Nicole!