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.
Gina Wang approaches baking the same way she approaches scientific experiments. She tracks different variables and eventually finds the optimal way to bake a chiffon cake or detect abnormal RNA molecules in extracellular vesicles. The difference is that, in her research, there is no recipe. As part of the NERVE Validation Project team, she’s developing a first-of-its-kind device that could be used to monitor the progression of, and one day diagnose, ALS. Learn more about Gina and her work in this month’s Humans of the Wyss.
What are you working on?
As part of the NERVE Validation Project team, I am developing the first ultra-sensitive technology to detect abnormal RNA molecules inside extracellular vesicles. Extracellular vesicles are tiny particles that circulate in blood, cerebrospinal fluid, or other biofluids, carrying a package of proteins and RNA that provides important information associated with diseases. We plan to use our technology to diagnose and monitor these diseases.
What real-world problem does this solve?
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that impacts nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. People with ALS have abnormal RNA splicing, but this defect remains invisible to current diagnostic tools. Right now, there is no cure for ALS, so even if we could detect it earlier, we don’t know how to stop it.
We have industry collaborators who are developing a therapeutic, but since there’s no accurate diagnostic, they have no way of knowing if their drug is reaching the correct targets. With our device, they can determine if their drug is working, and if it’s not, they can make adjustments accordingly. By enabling longitudinal monitoring of treatment response, we’re helping to work towards an effective therapy for ALS. If that existed, we could try to refine our tool for diagnostic purposes, ensuring patients receive the treatments they need.
What inspired you to get into this field? What continues to motivate you?
When I was growing up in Taiwan, I wanted to do basic science. Science was cool, and I liked to answer questions. So, I joined a lab for my Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins that was focused on studying bacteria. My friend, who was working in immunology, was interested in detecting biomarkers in plasma. We were chatting, and he suggested that since my lab used single-molecule imaging, maybe we could collaborate and use it for biomarker discovery. We decided to try, so we set up this platform together. Now, we’re both in Boston. He completed his residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and has worked with me in David Walt’s lab on the NERVE project.
When I first started using extracellular vesicles, I was focused more on proteins. Then, our collaborators reached out to us, asking if we could also try to detect RNA. It was perfect timing, because I’d been thinking about that same question, but I didn’t really have a good disease model or use case. That’s what inspired me to develop this unique diagnostic tool.
I realized that sometimes there is a twist in your career that you didn’t expect, but then you pursue it and realize that it was the correct path to follow.
In both of these cases, I realized that sometimes there is a twist in your career that you didn’t expect, but then you pursue it and realize that it was the correct path to follow.
I’m motivated by my belief that this can be used soon to benefit patients.
What excites you the most about your work? What are some of the challenges that you face?
The most exciting thing is also the most challenging thing; we’re doing something that nobody has really done before. It’s different from conventional methods, and because of that, I get to be really creative and come up with totally novel ideas. But that also makes it difficult. There are no existing protocols or papers to read. We use similar methods to those used in molecular biology, but there is nobody to call to solve problems for us. We have to do that ourselves.
Why did you want to work at the Wyss?
My work is focused on translational medicine, which is a perfect fit for the Wyss. During my Ph.D., I was the only one in the lab doing this type of work. My lab mates were really nice and tried to help me, but they didn’t really understand. At the Wyss, most people are doing translational work, so I can get more advice and meet more individuals with similar goals.
What is unique about the Wyss? How has that impacted your work?
At the Wyss, there are so many resources to help researchers ensure that their technologies can transition from the lab to the real world. Being in this environment allows me to believe I can have near-term impact with my work.
What sets the Wyss apart from other institutes is that this organization makes a concerted effort to bring the technologies developed here into the real world. At other institutions, there is a greater emphasis on basic science, with the primary goal of publishing papers. If they create something with practical applications, it will take a long time to translate. At the Wyss, there are so many resources to help researchers ensure that their technologies can transition from the lab to the real world. Being in this environment allows me to believe I can have near-term impact with my work.
How do you collaborate with and/or receive support from other teams across the Wyss Institute?
The Communications and Business Development teams share our work with potential industry partners and investors, which provides us with more opportunities to develop collaborations. In other institutes, you have to publish a paper before anyone knows what you are working on. Our work hasn’t been published yet, but thanks to outreach efforts from the Business Development Team, as well as the website story and social media posts about the Validation Projects produced by the Communications Team, people can see what we are doing and reach out to us.
How have your previous work and personal experiences shaped your approach to your work today?
The bacteria lab I worked in for my Ph.D. utilized a variety of imaging tools for basic science studies. I was able to apply those methods to detecting proteins in plasma. That showed me that some fundamental science tools can also be useful in translational medicine; it’s just that nobody has thought about those applications yet. It inspired me to apply tools in new ways to solve different problems.
When not in the lab, how do you like to spend your time?
I enjoy indoor gardening and working out. I also like cooking and baking, especially cakes. Sometimes I treat baking like an experiment. Even if you have a recipe, every oven is slightly different. I write down the variables, like how long I bake something in my kitchen. For example, there’s a very delicate cake called a chiffon cake. It rises, reaches its highest point, and then starts to fall. That’s when you have to take it out of the oven. If you bake it too long, it will crash. I have found the exact right baking time in my oven to produce the perfect chiffon cake.
What’s something fun or unique about you that someone wouldn’t know from your resume?
Everyone has creative ways of relieving stress. For me, one unique way is by collecting bubble wrap and popping the bubbles.
If you had to choose an entirely different career path, what would it be?
It would probably be something related to animal rescue. I don’t have any pets now, but back in Taiwan, I had a few, including a lizard and two birds. I really love wildlife, so if I weren’t contributing to scientific research, I would want to help animals.
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?
It’s a dream come true. When I transitioned to translational research, I found it somewhat more challenging compared to basic science. Unless there’s a huge breakthrough, it’s hard to publish in high-impact journals. But I persevered because the only goal I wanted to achieve was to develop technology that could be used to help patients. It makes me really happy to see that my technology can have such a big impact.