how to react - 1year for nothing (Jan/09/2007 )
Ok... well i don't know how to react, i mean if i should blow my boss or just say "it's cool"...
here the story.
I almost made a new tool for molecular biology purposes in my first year of PhD. 1 step was missing in relation with these damned siRNA... So after 1year, i decided to chage little of direction, and made an example of a study using this tool. For that, i needed to clone an ORF in expression vector, and transfect cell and do purifications....
The cloning wasn't a success at all (Kathy should understand me at best i suppose 
)
He told me that he has established clones 4years ago and that they may be in liquid nitrogen.
After screening 30 of his "positive clones", i gave up with the hope i found a cell line already selected.
In this august, when he was not at the lab, i made a bet and defrost all his clones... A bunch of western, but finally 1 express the protein... 
Experiments from that time were better as i fell i'm in progress....
Here is the tough thing.
We decided to set up a database of the plasmids we have in the lab. And guess what ? He HAS THE SO REQUESTED PLASMID 
So, assuming the selection procedure and clone preparation should have take 2month, 10month were lost
How would you react? I feel that he was laughing at me during 1year, but in an other hand i have the plasmid for next experiments... so not all is lost....
from the distance it is difficult to give good advices because one has to know the whole situation; although obvious perfidious behaviour, one has to be diplomatic if there is a dependence (financial, academic) on your supervisor; if you like to take revenge, wait for your opportunity to do it sophistically; your time will come...
have you tried drinking hard liquor (no, don't do that, i was kidding).
you smile, learn a lesson, and secretly plan to take over the world where this evil professor will pay for everything he has done to you. mwahahahaha, sweet, sweet revenge.
actually, i'd be pissed at everyone and complain to everyone for a while (a week max), and then move on. you've got bigger things to worry about than a little thing like 10 months lost. you've got new experiments to plan.
V
Fred, I am so sorry this happened to you. 
But look at the bright side of the story! you have yoru protein. Personally I would be happy if same thing happened to me 
. I would rather find out that the plasmid was there already (you are innocent and your professor owes you a lot! ) than struggling again and again with no hope in the horizon (my case 
). As vetticus said: you have new experiments to plan! AND NO CLONING ANYMORE!!!!!!! WAHOOOOOOOOO ! 
Fred, U have to take a revenge. U can't leave him like that.
I suggest U should some day publish better paper than him and that will take care of everything. He will be the one thinking how he should react.
Don't think about it anymore, it would be lose of time.
I don't think he had any interest to let you lose 10 months of work while you could have done something else.
PI wants you to be productive. I think he didn't know he had this plasmid, or forgot. It's sad I agree. sometime it's a real mess in the lab stocks !
You will see worse in your carrier.
Iknow people who lost 2 years because the results were not the one expected, less interesting, less well publishable and now in the trash because the PI doesn't want to publish under an impact factor of 6.
But look at the bright side of the story! you have yoru protein. Personally I would be happy if same thing happened to me . I would rather find out that the plasmid was there already (you are innocent and your professor owes you a lot! ) than struggling again and again with no hope in the horizon (my case ). As vetticus said: you have new experiments to plan! AND NO CLONING ANYMORE!!!!!!! WAHOOOOOOOOO ! well i'm copmplaining aboutthe fact my university doesn't allow to do more than 3 years of PhD. So 10month over 36... let's assume a rough 30%? so it's quite a lot i think. The pb is to publish, i don't have many tome left, so horizon is little cloudy
well i won't complain as it's not my true personality, but if he told me "you didn't made the pressure" well that sould be part of an aswer.
Thanks for all your comments. I can know consider not arguing is not fade away but good strategy.
thank you
things goes on
Fred, I´m so sorry for you.
But don´t think too much about what happened, cheer up and plan new experiments. And, as the others said, wait the appropiate moment and take a sweet revenge... 
Ánimo y mucha suerte
Oh I didn't know that. Are you sure you can't ask for a "dérogation"? (it's possible at least at Strasbourg, even for a fifth year, however it's a little more difficult to get it. It depends on the feasibility of your project)
the director of our doctoral scool (I think it's big deal to mention a department in the university) is proud to announce that thesis are done in 3.2years (avrage). In 2004, it was 3.6.
he was really enthusiast by that fact, but student were scared little..
it's possible to ask for a 4th year, but my fund came from the ministery of research, and no possibility of extension.
So there are other organisms to ask. But my boss is not very excited by that 