By Yosef Scher, Science and Technology Senior Editor
Yosef Scher (YS): Hi Natan (NL). Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. Let’s start by getting to know you.
NL: Hi! I am starting my Junior year at YC and have yet to decide on a career path. As of now, however, I am on the pre-med track and am doing a shaped major in English, philosophy, and Jewish studies. Some of my favorite hobbies are learning, reading, playing basketball, and traveling to new places.
YS: How did you get involved in this research?
NL: I found myself in a very fortunate circumstance. A couple of years ago, I was trying to figure out what I would do for the summer, and my parents mentioned that a member of our community ran a medical research lab at one of the major hospitals in Boston (my hometown). All I did was connect with him, and he graciously found a role for me to fill.
YS: Whose lab do you work in, and what do you study?
NL: I work in Dr. Sol Schulman’s laboratory, which is a part of the Division of Hemostasis and Thrombosis at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) of Boston. I am currently working on a project investigating the causes of the overexpression of a certain protein complex (Tissue Factor) that plays a significant role in the coagulation cascade, the biological process that culminates in hemostasis (blood clotting).
YS: What did you gain from this research experience?
NL: Aside from the concrete laboratory skills and techniques that I’ve had the opportunity to learn and implement, I think I gained an important perspective into the day-to-day life of scientific research. I’ve grown to appreciate the precision and punctiliousness required in ensuring that external factors don’t take effect, the multilayered process of experimentation, and the immense amount of resilience a researcher must exhibit in his work.
YS: What role do you play in this lab?
NL: My primary responsibility is carrying out the project that I referenced earlier, but I also help with others’ work when I have the availability.
Much of my work comes in the cell culture, wherein I grow and maintain cancerous cell lines and transduce them with guide RNAs, using antibiotics for the selection process. I also isolate and store protein from these cells and conduct Western blots to determine the degree of expression of the protein of interest (Tissue Factor).
YS: Is there anything you encountered that was especially difficult during the research?
NL: I think the most difficult part of my experience was adjusting to the reality that experimentation doesn’t always lead to noteworthy conclusions. Sometimes even week-long processes failed to produce results relevant to the issue at hand, instead indicating that some external variable led to inconclusive findings. Being able to internalize the fact that these types of experiments also constitute a form of progress was one of the more challenging aspects of my work.
YS: What did you find most interesting about your research?
NL: I found that the theoretical elements of my project sparked my interest most. Understanding the biology underlying basic bodily functions and brainstorming ways to manipulate them in order to test for isolated issues was enriching and intellectually stimulating.
YS: Lastly, do you have any advice for students interested in lab positions?
NL: As I mentioned earlier, my entry into the world of medical research was very fortuitous, so I am probably not the best person to offer advice about securing a lab position. That being said, I would strongly recommend that students try to make connections with people involved with scientific research – sending an email never hurts! I would also encourage anyone already involved in lab work to invest in a relationship with the head of his or her laboratory or supervisor.