Rana Fetit – ‘It's Alive!’ at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

I studied Pharmacy and Biotech and that was a five-year program where you are eligible for doing all sorts of different internships. So I did a few internships in Germany and I realised I really enjoy research.

So, after I finished my undergrad I moved to Germany in Heidelberg, and I lived there for around two a half years.  I did my masters in the field of cancer and biology as a joined Molecular Biosciences programme. And then I was again lucky because I managed to come to Edinburgh for a three months internship. And that was back in the IGMM - Institute Genetics and Molecular Medicine (before they changed the name and everything). I really enjoyed the field, working with organoids and stem cells, etc.

My supervisor back then asked if I had heard about the Translational Neuroscience program, and was like ‘why don't you apply?’. So I applied, got accepted, and then got really, really lucky because I'm an international student. I managed to get a scholarship to cover the differences between the EU fees and the international fees. So I was fully funded.

I moved to Edinburgh around seven years ago. I did my PhD in translational neuroscience. And I was working in organoids and developmental neurosciences, trying to see how rare genetic deletions can affect the development of the brain.

And then after when I finished, I still wanted to work with organoids, so I had a short postdoc in the same Edinburgh lab that I was in. And then I commuted to Glasgow for almost a year which wasn’t ideal, so I found a position with Anna. And here I am working with Anna and working using stem cells to generate oligodendrocytes, trying to understand how they work.

What are you working on at the moment?

Last Christmas we got this email from the Edinburgh Research Office asking if anyone was interested in performing in the Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

It was one of those days where you’re just stuck in the lab and finishing at seven in the evening and you’re like “Okay, you know what? I’m just going to fill out the form.” Then, lo and behold, they liked my idea and asked me to perform.

I've been working with stem cells for a long time, and I really enjoy working with stem cells in the lab. So, my ‘dangerous idea’ is basically: how do we use stem cells and where do we get them from? What are the controversies about them? But also taking it a step further and using organoids derived from patient cells that carry their own genetic background - we know that these organoids are alive, but do they feel? Do they have consciousness? Do they have your genetic background, or do they have your thoughts? And it's all up there so that we can debate with the general public and talk to people about the ethics around that.

I’ve got two shows this year called ‘It’s Alive’ at The Stand Comedy Club. The first one is a joint show on the 14^th August, and the other is a solo show on the 23^rd August. It’s a full hour to discuss what sorts of crazy things we can do with the organoids and stem cells and ask whether they are actually alive in the fullest sense of the word.

I'm really excited about it because when you're an academic, you spend most of your time with scientists and people that do the same things. But when you go to the public, you get really interesting feedback, questions and thought-provoking ideas. We're really excited to see what people think about the kind of stuff that we do on a day-to-day basis that we take for granted as our routine. I’m really looking forward to the debate after the talk.

Would you recommend the Fringe to colleagues that haven’t done much public engagement before?

I would totally recommend it if you're someone who doesn't really mind everyone looking at you. It's a comedy club but you don't have to be funny. It's more about getting your ideas out there in an accessible way and then just, you know, chatting and answering questions. I’d totally recommend it for anyone who has an interesting, dangerous idea that you want people to engage with.

What do you like to do in your free time? Any hobbies?

I like cycling because Edinburgh is a great place to cycle - with all the up-hills, it's a proper workout. I also like learning languages. I've lived my life in different places. So I grew up bilingual Arabic and English, and then I learned French in school. And then German at the university when I lived in Germany for a while, and I'm learning Spanish too, which is nice because I can travel anywhere I want.

I play music as well. So that's also one of the things that I like doing in my spare time with my partner. We like to jam together. I'm all self-taught, so I play the violin, the piano and the guitar and I'm learning the drums as well. I don't know, it's like, you only live once!

What's your favourite thing about the IRR?

The IRR is actually one of the friendliest places that I've worked in, and people are really nice, very open and very helpful. It’s a very homey environment to work in.

The things we do can be really stressful on a day-to-day basis. We spend two weeks doing something, and if your experiment doesn't work, it takes a toll on you. But in fact, you're in a very supportive environment, and I'm lucky to be in a lab that is very supportive and everyone is very understanding.

So that kind of makes you want to be better and perform better in a way. You feel like the people trust you to do the work that you're doing and that there isn't that sort of micromanagement. It makes you more efficient in a way, because you know that you're doing your part and you're trying to do your best. It's really one of the friendliest places that I've been.

You can read more about Rana's research on the Williams group research page and find her comic book 'The Flickering Message' on Amazon.