Arailym Akhatzhanova, a junior researcher at the Physico-Chemical Methods Research Laboratory of LLP SPE “Antigen” and a 3rd-year PhD student of the Biotechnology Department at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, completed a research internship at the L2A Laboratory of the University of Lorraine (Nancy, France) from March 11 to April 19, 2026.
The main objective of the internship was to conduct a meta-analysis of scientific data on the assessment of oral bioaccessibility of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in soils using various in vitro methods, as well as to evaluate their correlation with in vivo study results.
During the internship, Arailym also gained experience with in vivo experiments on animal models (piglets) aimed at determining contaminant bioavailability. The training included understanding experimental design, feeding procedures involving contaminated soil, as well as sampling and preparation of biological samples (blood, liver, adipose tissue, urine) for chemical analysis.
The internship provided valuable skills in the field of contaminant bioaccessibility assessment. The acquired knowledge will be applied in further research and in the preparation of publications in international scientific journals.