The Humans of the Wyss (HOW) series features members of the Wyss community discussing their work, the influences that shape them as professionals, and their collaborations at the Wyss Institute and beyond.
After studying physics for many years, Bogdan Budnik realized instead of using his knowledge to generate power, he wanted to use it to empower people with better disease diagnostics and treatments. Once he discovered the field of proteomics during his Ph.D., he knew he’d found the right fit. However, because of his cross-disciplinary background and work, it wasn’t until he began analyzing proteins for diverse groups at the Wyss Institute that he finally felt at home. Learn more about Bogdan and his work in this month’s Humans of the Wyss.
What is your role and what projects are you involved with?
I am a Principal Scientist, and in each project my job is to analyze proteins. Overall, I am working to build up the group that will serve the whole Institute’s proteomics, or protein analysis, needs. I also serve as a subject-matter expert on proteomics. I am part of the Human Proteome Organization and serve as a Chair of the Single Cell Proteomics Initiative. So, even if a group presents us with something I haven’t done in my over 20 years of experience, I can work with experts from around the globe to continue learning.
One of the big initiatives I’m part of is the Wyss Diagnostics Accelerator, or DxA, where we’re looking for biomarkers for use in diagnosing diseases. To do this, we analyze biofluid samples from patients. These can include plasma, nasal fluids, lung fluids, urine, or tears. We use these to understand the differences in the protein content between samples from patients with certain conditions and healthy patients. This helps to determine which proteins could serve as an early biomarker for that disease.
Another large chunk of my work involves cells and liquids coming out of Organ Chips. Each of the chips allows us to analyze a different organ and how it’s affected by a certain disease, drug, or other environmental condition. We analyze the human cells that come out of those chips to see what changes the therapeutic or stress have on the protein levels in the cells to find out what proteins are responsible for those changes. Our goal is to identify protein targets to develop new drugs.
I am also working to improve our ability to do single-cell analysis, which is the ability to analyze the proteins that come from individual cells. This has been challenging because the protein quantities in cells are so small.
That leaves me with a wide variety of projects ranging from analyzing zebra fish cells that serve as a model for melanoma to analyzing real brain cells.
What real-world problems can be solved with these projects?
We’re working to develop a number of diagnostics and therapeutics to help find and treat diseases. I’ll give you a few examples.
Recently, we’ve been working on a multidisciplinary, collaborative project called CircaVent. After receiving a BD2 Grant, we’re able to broaden the scope of this project to really understand the biology of bipolar disorder. The group creates bipolar brain organoids, and we can analyze them.
This year, we’ve gotten the opportunity to expand into looking at multiple sclerosis and ALS using CircaVent. We aim to add more information and eventually work on understanding neuroinflammation independent from one disease, but instead as something that happens to people as they age. If we can understand the earlier stages, we can eventually develop treatments.
A huge percentage of drugs on the market target proteins. So, if a group wants to develop a new therapeutic with a protein target, they’ll eventually need proteomics.
At the same time, we’re involved in cancer-related projects. We’re collaborating with Boston Children’s Hospital, looking at zebrafish melanoma models. We’re also collaborating with Dana-Farber in investigating lymphoma and leukemia.
A huge percentage of drugs on the market target proteins. So, if a group wants to develop a new therapeutic with a protein target, they’ll eventually need proteomics.
Who makes up your team and how do you collaborate with others across the Institute?
Including myself, there are four of us working primarily on proteomics. Michael Lewandowski works on DxA projects, Jéssica Feitor concentrates on Organ Chip projects, and Shad Morton is focused on analysis. We also work very closely with Alexander Pauer, the Materials Characterization Technologies Manager. Together, I see us as collaborators, not a service. What I mean by that is that we’re here to help other researchers from early in the process of a project when they’re not sure what to do. Community members can, and should, come to us and discuss their project even before submitting a grant application. We can determine what needs to be done, how we can serve them, and what funds are required to do it most efficiently. Right now, we’re collaborating with members of multiple labs across a wide variety of projects to get their protein analysis done.
What inspired you to get into this field?
My undergraduate degree is in general physics and my master’s is in nuclear plasma physics. After getting that degree, I realized I would like to make sure my career and knowledge go to something to help save the world. Once I decided to focus on human health, I did my Ph.D. in analytical chemistry in Denmark. There, I was introduced to the field of mass spectrometry. Next, I came to Boston for a two-year postdoc – 22 years later and I’m still here. In the United States, I’ve been involved mostly in biology and the analysis of biomarkers, analysis and prediction of disease, and putting together a map of how proteins influence and work in our cells.
Proteomics specifically is a fascinating field, because it requires all of my physics knowledge to apply statistics and work with very complicated instruments, while allowing me to pursue my passion for diagnosing and treating disease.
What continues to motivate you?
I love science. I love the people I’m working with. Though I’m not a biologist by training, I’ve been lucky to be surrounded by very talented biologists throughout my career. The complexity of biological questions that can be answered by combining my unique background in physics, math, and proteomics, is my main motivation. I know the answers I provide will help people in the long run.
What excites you the most about your work?
Those moments in the lab or in front of a computer when you get results, and you realize you’re the first person to see something that nobody knows about…that’s exciting! This is especially true if you find something you can see would help somebody.
Those moments in the lab or in front of a computer when you get results, and you realize you’re the first person to see something that nobody knows about, then you get to reveal that to the public – that’s exciting! This is especially true if you find something you can see would help somebody.
What are some of the challenges that you face?
I think there are two main challenges. One is that when you have one of those exciting moments, you know that it can take two years before you can share that information in a journal.
The second is financial. I’m working with very complicated instruments that cost, on average, about $1 million each. Unfortunately, most grants are not at the point where they can cover these costs. So, often I feel like I spend a lot of time writing grants instead of doing the science, which is really what I’m most interested in.
Why did you want to work at the Wyss and what makes it unique?
It’s such an inspiring place. As a physicist who knows chemistry, wasn’t trained in biology, and spent my whole life doing biology, I’ve often felt at the crossroads of different disciplines. Here, I feel at home. My whole career, I felt like I was breaking down disciplines, but at the Wyss I’ve found a place where the whole Institute is doing that. There are researchers from all different backgrounds who aren’t afraid to change fields or think outside the box. These cross-disciplinary projects have achieved beautiful results. The Wyss’s unique model is a totally new way to operate a scientific institute and I’m glad to be a part of it.
I feel at home. My whole career, I felt like I was breaking down disciplines, but at the Wyss I’ve found a place where the whole Institute is doing that.
How have your previous work and personal experiences shaped your approach to your work today?
I’ve had the privilege to work with great biologists on excellent projects addressing a variety of problems. Since I’ve had exposure to so many disciplines, starting a new project doesn’t scare me, even if I don’t know much about it. I’ve done this many times before and I’ve learned enough to help achieve great results, so I have the confidence to approach any problem.
Also, because I’ve seen so much science, I can understand where the technology I work on would have strengths compared to other methods and that we can do more than what is currently possible.
When you’re not working, how do you like to spend your time?
My primary interest lies in science – in my free time I’m still thinking about biomarker discoveries that I’d like to do. If I want to disconnect from that, I like to go into nature to hike in New Hampshire, Maine, or anywhere really. When my time and budget allows, I love to travel, especially back home to Europe. There, I can be really relaxed. My favorite places to travel are Switzerland and Northern Italy.
What’s something unique about you that someone wouldn’t know from your resume?
I played volleyball in school and for my university. At one time we were the number two team in all of Ukraine. That was a long time ago, but I’m connected to the sport again because my daughter is playing now. She’s much better than me.
If you had to choose an entirely different career path, what would it be?
Economics, because I think our society spends and wastes way too much money. I would want to give economic power to more people.
What does it feel like to be working on cutting-edge technology that has the potential to have a real and significant impact on people’s lives and society?
I’ve been educated in four different countries, and that education was given to me for free. So, I feel obligated to use what I learned to give back to society. What I’m doing now is the best application of my knowledge, and hopefully those biomarkers and drug targets that I provide contribute to the development of a drug that will help people.