Ieva Budriunaite - biomedical scientist

Working in the laboratory that is heavily involved in transplantation, my work ranges from booking in samples for testing from evaluation patients or patients who have already been transplanted, performing and analysing those tests such as screening for HLA specific antibodies (analysis shown below) that could cause rejection or CDC cross matching to check compatibility between specific donor/recipient pairs. I am also involved in registering patients on transplant waiting list and updating any changes to their antibody profile. Furthermore, I participate in the on-call rota, where I perform HLA genotyping required for national organ allocation, and pre-transplant compatibility testing of kidney, pancreas, intestinal and cardiothoracic recipients.

As the number of transplantations reduced during first wave of the pandemic, some of my colleagues and I went to help other laboratories with their work. I temporarily moved to the clinical immunology laboratory, where I helped to set up the Sars-CoV-2 antibody screening test. I was involved in testing staff and patient samples, as well as helping out with several research studies looking at exposure to Sars-CoV-2 in different patient groups.

It is hard to identify just one thing that I love about my job. My work in a single week varies a lot, so I am never bored. In addition to the routine clinical work, I am able to help with research, which allows me to constantly keep my knowledge up to date and learn new developments in the field. By participating in the on-call rota I am able to see that my work results in patients receiving life-saving transplants which gives me great joy and appreciation of my role and all the healthcare professions involved in the process.