CryoStore diary - Batuhan Kaplan
INRAE Tours, France | November 2025Hello from the middle of my PhD and the world of an Andrology lab! I began this three-year journey back in May 2024, and already I am halfway through. Time moves fast when you’re trying to balance experiments, data, and the small joys of lab life.
My research focuses on boar sperm preservation, that means I spend a lot of my time reading and thinking about motility, interaction and fertility from a male gamete perspective, but meanwhile I had many hands-on experiences with female gametes and 3D culture systems. In practice this has meant weekly deliveries of boar ejaculates that I analyze their kinetic parameters to profile their mobility patterns across different breeds, and running assays that explore if achieving in vitro experiments close enough to mimic the in vivo environment. If that sounds niche, it is — and that’s why it’s exciting!
One of the real pleasures of this period has been our community (Doctoral Network). So far, two CryoStore summer schools organized, where I met peers, colleagues and PIs from different countries, exchanged tips about lab-life, moving into new places and the kind of late-night scientific conversations. Those events were not only intellectually stimulating but also motivationally upbringing which they remind you why you started the PhD in the first place.
Various pictures from the second CryoStore summer school in Rennes, France, July 2025.
Loire River, Tours, France (October, 2025)
Back in my home lab (INRAE), I’ve been fortunate to present my PhD’s progress during two internal doctoral days. Presenting to fellow PhD students and PIs gave me useful feedback and taught me to translate technical work into clear messages that is actually as important as the benchwork itself. Lately, my main technical challenge has been finalizing a flow cytometrical method to measure oxidative stress in boar sperm. Numerous samples and experiments will demonstrate a success soon!
Meanwhile, I can’t wait for an upcoming secondment which surely will broaden my scientific and personal perspectives, expose me to new approaches, offer amazing collaborations and friends. Which I’ll be sharing that adventure in my next post! À la prochaine!
Batuhan Kaplan