Patience, persistence and curiosity

To be a successful biomedical researcher, you have to have patience, intelligence, good communication skills and curiosity. Lots and lots of curiosity.

Minshi Wang, who celebrated her doctoral degree from the Rowan University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (RowanGSBS) earlier this month, has all of these qualities and more. Her skills as a researcher and her work at RowanGSBS have combined to help her secure a position at one of the region’s premier cancer research centers.

Originally from Tianjin, a town near Beijing, China, Wang came to the United States in 2008 to enroll in RowanGSBS, which, at the time, was part of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Although it was her first trip outside the country, her curiosity and sense of adventure had already led her far from her hometown.

"When I was younger I wanted to go far away, to explore," she says. "When I was in high school, I decided to go to a college that was far from my hometown. And, after that, I wanted to cross the ocean to another country. So there is something inside of me that wants to explore."

Wang received her undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Science and Technology of China. She recalls that most of her classmates were looking forward to careers in academia, but Wang decided to travel halfway around the world and plunge directly into a PhD program at RowanGSBS.

"It could have been a risk or a gamble," she says, but adds that her parents were very supportive of seeing their only child go abroad to study. "My parents had wanted to go abroad to study when they were younger but it didn’t happen. So, my going to the States was partially their dream, too."

Despite any risk, Wang’s decision to come to the U.S. to study has met with success, which she attributes in part to having a great relationship with her mentor, RowanGSBS associate professor Dimitri Pestov, PhD.

In turn, Pestov is enthusiastic when he describes her academic achievements.

"Minshi has accomplished a lot in graduate school and her publication record is nothing short of outstanding," he says. "She has three first-author papers in top peer-reviewed journals in the field. She co-authored three other papers and has one more manuscript in the pipeline."

Examining a ‘molecular machine’

Wang’s work with Pestov involved the study of ribosome biogenesis in mammalian cells. That may sound complex, but as her publication record shows, she can skillfully translate complicated science in understandable language.

"You can think of ribosomes as a machine inside of cells that build proteins from amino acids," she explains. "This little molecular machine is actually quite complicated. It is made of RNA and protein, which come together to form a fairly large structure. Our research involved exploring how cells establish this architectural structure and what would happen if the synthesis is not 100 percent correct."

Part of her research was to determine what control mechanisms exist to guide cells to detect or eliminate any defective proteins that result from the process.

"Basically, if you have a problem in the ribosome synthesis, sometimes the cell will trigger a stress response and initiate a process called apoptosis, and that cell will die," she says. "That’s why some chemotherapeutic drugs are targeting the ribosome synthesis pathway."

She adds that some people also carry genetic disorders that result from a mutation in the genes involved in ribosome synthesis. Patients with this mutation can develop certain types of abnormalities, including anemia and skeletal and muscular defects resulting in shorter stature.

Attending RowansGSBS also led to a more personal discovery for Wang.

"I met my husband, Andrey Parshin, in grad school," she says. "It was totally unexpected. I never thought that, while I was in grad school, I would get married."

The couple met while she was completing an academic rotation in the RowanGSBS lab where Parshin worked. Like Wang, Parshin had come to the United States to study at the University. The two became friends while working together and, around the time of Wang’s last day that lab, she and Parshin began dating. Two years ago, the couple wed. Parshin, who is from Togliatti, Russia, is currently working as a post-doctoral fellow engaged in mitochondrial research.

Patience, persistence and curiosity

Because scientific discovery usually doesn’t occur in leaps and bounds, every successful biomedical researcher learns the value of patience. Progress can sometimes be slow and incremental, with each step studied and repeated to confirm the results.

According to Wang, "We don’t really see the progress for a very long time."

Still, the intrigue of the unknown holds strong appeal for her sense of curiosity and adventure.

"I think it is curiosity that attracted me to research," she says. "With research, you will never know what actually will happen next. Results may not happen fast, but you will always get something unexpected and new. That’s the excitement."

According to Pestov, Wang’s passion and persistence have contributed greatly to the success of her research.

"Minshi is the kind of person who is not satisfied until her theories are thoroughly tested," he says. "She critically examines her data and does not take shortcuts, both of which are especially valuable qualities for an experimental scientist. Her enthusiasm for research and her ability to turn ideas into well controlled experiments make me strongly believe that she has a bright research career ahead of her."

The bright career that Pestov predicts for Wang has already begun to take shape. She is currently employed as a post-doctoral fellow at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Northeast Philadelphia.

At Fox Chase, she is one of several researchers focusing on the role of ribosomal proteins in the development of T cells, which are a type of white blood cell essential to the body’s immune response system.

"My current research is focused on a protein that is just one component of the whole ribosome," she explains. "The lab is studying mutations of this ribosomal protein to determine the consequences for T cell development and leukemia."

Even though she is still conducting basic research, Wang notes some subtle differences to working in a clinical lab. "It’s a different dynamic from the university. Even though it’s still basic research, in school you depend on your mentor. But in an institute, we are at least semi-independent to work on our own."

Exceptional researchers like Wang recognize that there is always more to understand. Even when experiments yield expected results, researchers will often uncover more questions that need answers.

She notes that her current position appeals to her for the same reasons that science has always been her career choice.

"Even as a young child, I was always fond of science. It’s very exciting for me. There are always a lot of new things to learn."

Wang received her doctoral degree during the RowanGSBS Commencement ceremony on Wednesday, May 13, on the University Green in Glassboro.