Interview with Dr. Justin Ichida: Succeeding in Stem Cell Research
In a continuation of our spotlight on the stem cells and regenerative medicine field, I interviewed USC Assistant Professor, Dr. Justin Ichida. His research group is currently using stem cell disease models to search for a pioneering drug therapy for Motor Neurone Disease (MND), known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in the US. In this article, Dr. Ichida provides insights into his groundbreaking work, alongside advice on how to move from a postdoctoral position to tenure track in the stem cell field.
Introduction
Dr. Justin Ichida currently works as Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor at the Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine based at the University of Southern California. He holds a parallel post as a New York Stem Cell Foundation-Robertson Investigator and is also President and Co-founder of a spin-out company helping to bring his research to patients, AcuraStem.
Justin was inspired at an early age into the life sciences, specifically synthetic biology, after reading Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park. His Ph.D. at Harvard sought to answer fundamental questions on the origin of life by creating synthetic cells. However, it was the energy and potential of the evolving stem cell field that attracted him to a long-term research career and his current post.
His lab focusses on the use of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) reprogramming technology to create motor neurons derived from the skin cells and blood of MND (ALS) patients. The group use this platform to provide an accurate in vitro model to screen for new therapies for treatment. MND (ALS) is a devastating neurological disease that progresses quickly and currently has no cure — a fact I am all too familiar with, having lost my mother to MND. Dr. Ichida’s recently published work [1] identifies a potential drug candidate and target treatment pathway for MND (ALS).
In this interview, Dr. Ichida speaks about his research, his key influencers and provides tips for researchers wanting to forge a successful career path in the stem cell field.
What does your day to day role involve?
My day to day role is varied. I have teaching commitments that include 4 hours of class per week for MSc students in the Stem Cell Biology program. I teach a class called ‘Bringing Stem Cells to Clinics,’ of which I also recruit outside guest speakers. They have expertise in the many aspects of the process involved in the stem cell field, from the bench to the bedside. Examples include other researchers, Company Founders, Business Development Professionals, Clinical Trials Managers and Regulatory Scientists.
A large part of the rest of my time is spent mentoring postdocs and graduate students in my lab, also writing grants. I try to dedicate an average of 10% of my schedule, dependent on other commitments, to working on the start-up company I co-founded, AcuraStem.
What were the key influencers for you choosing your current research area?
There are a number of combined influences that go towards explaining why I’ve chosen to put 75% of my time into ALS. I think neurological diseases represent a clinical area, for which there are very few therapies. It has been historically very difficult to develop effective therapies for these conditions. When you look at all of the neurological diseases, I feel that ALS is definitely one of the most devastating but also one with the most tractable course, in a way.
Unfortunately, the disease course is so rapid for most patients, that it becomes feasible to do clinical trials using a number of candidate drugs, as you can tell if they are working in a relatively short amount of time. The patient cohort is readily defined, with a specific set of symptoms in contrast to something like Alzheimer’s disease, whose complexity makes it more difficult to model. We know that in ALS the motor neuron is most affected, and we know how to make those from stem cells. I think induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC’s) might be the tools that we need, to finally make a breakthrough.
‘I found my postdoc very interesting but wanted to do something further for patients, and people with ALS. I made the decision to move to USC and once I started my lab, we put a lot of effort into trying to develop therapeutics and understand disease mechanisms.’
Can you briefly describe your career path to date, including your PhD.?
The reason I got into biology to begin with, was actually because I was inspired by reading Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park. I thought the cloning technology described was so cool and it sparked my natural interest in synthetic biology further. In My Ph.D. I worked with Jack Szostak at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston and his research focuses on the origin of life. We were trying to create an artificial cell. It was intended as a mimic of the very first cell, to try and understand how life got started on earth. I found that research fascinating and I really enjoyed the synthetic biology aspect of it, but realised that I wanted to do something more translational for the rest of my career. So, for my first postdoc, I chose to work with Dr. Kevin Eggan at Harvard and we were able to learn a lot about stem cell reprogramming technology and how far we could go with it. We learned we could use chemicals to make safer iPSC’s, and then use specific transcription factors to make a specific type of neuron. I found my postdoc very interesting but wanted to do something further for patients, and people with ALS. I made the decision to move to USC and once I started my lab, we put a lot of effort into trying to develop therapeutics and understand disease mechanisms.
My tenure at USC has been really exciting, and I have had a chance to meet a fair number of ALS patients and supporters of the research in the local area. The courage, determination, and hope that they show have been remarkable to see. Even in the face of this very difficult situation, they are still advocates and they are coming out, raising money and talking to scientists. It’s really inspiring.
‘I really enjoyed the energy of the stem cell field. The area was so nascent but with such huge potential. Everybody was so excited about it, and there was so much room for researchers to do something impactful.’
What experiences stood out in your previous roles before joining USC? What did you enjoy most and the least?
When I first went into my postdoc, my intention was to learn the iPSC reprogramming technology, then go on and found a start-up company. However, I enjoyed the research so much that I decided to stay in academia. I liked the fact you could spend most of your time thinking about science rather than having your own company, where you need to make sure you are making enough money. I didn’t find that latter prospect that attractive.
In addition, I really enjoyed the energy of the stem cell field. The area was so nascent but with such huge potential. Everybody was so excited about it, and there was so much room for researchers to do something impactful. I found working in stem cell research meant you had access to a huge network of researchers, coupled with a tremendous potential to help others through potential applications. That’s really what made me want to stay in academia.
This formed a contrast to the origin of life field that I worked on previously during my Ph.D.. It undoubtedly involved research on one of the biggest questions facing mankind — but it was also a very difficult question, with not many scientists actively researching it.
What I enjoyed the least was having to ensure your research progressed at a certain rate to secure enough publications to get a job. There’s a certain amount of pressure involved in that. I felt it before I got a tenure-track position and was going from a postdoctoral researcher to a PI. Although, it didn’t detract from me enjoying my research work overall.
For many researchers, securing funding can also be a potential source of stress. Fortunately, in the applied field I’m working in with therapeutic potential, there is more funding support available from private foundations and also, governmental agencies like the NIH. Although it’s still challenging to obtain funding, we’re not feeling the crunch as badly as those working in other fundamental research areas.
Which of your experiences and qualities did your employers value the most?
- Hardworking ethic - Undertaking your research to make a complete story for publication, involves the input of a lot of time and dedication. Academic employers really valued this hardworking ethic.
- New technology development — When my Chair hired me, he thought that applying stem cells to neurodegeneration was really important. He also highly valued the new technology platform that we had developed.
- Interpersonal skills — My employers have strongly appreciated an ability to get along and collaborate with other people easily. It’s important to them, as you’ll make their work environment a better place to be.
What are the highlights of your working career to date?
So we recently published a paper [1] on new cellular mechanisms for neurodegeneration in ALS, and I feel like it was the best work that I’ve ever been a part of. It was really rewarding to be involved in that research. Other highlights include getting to work with the ALS Association and meeting a lot of the patients in the Los Angeles area. It was good to understand what they were going through first hand, and what the research means to them.
A third highlight was being able to start AcuraStem, due to the potential it offers for treatment to patients. The company uses our stem cell technology platform to provide cellular models from ALS patient cells and screen for drug candidates against them. We are currently also advancing a candidate drug we have through clinical trials. It’s been a rewarding learning experience setting things up, and a great extension of what we do in the lab so that we can get to the clinic and patients.
What do you enjoy most about your current role?
What means a lot to me is having really bright people in my lab. I can have great discussions with them, and they come up with great ideas. Sharing the excitement with my group members when they produce exceptional results, either from the point of view of being surprising or conducted well experimentally, is really one of the most fun parts of the job.
What do you enjoy least about your present position?
What I enjoy the least is just having to worry about managing everything. There is an endless number of things to do as a PI, and managing a research group effectively is probably one of the most challenging parts of the job. I think I’m much better at it now, but it was definitely a steep learning curve!
From experience, what 3 pieces of advice would you give others wanting to go from a postdoc to tenure-track to lead their own group in the stem cell field?
- Perseverance is key. If you persevere you will get there. If you are really committed to staying in academia and getting a tenure-track position you will definitely get there — it just takes persistence. I think the percentages of those receiving tenure from postdoctoral positions can put you off, but this is down to people dropping out as they see other things as more attractive.
- Get involved in new technologies — One of the best ways I’ve seen of getting to a tenure-track position is working on a new technology during your postdoc. Something that can serve as a platform or innovation in the stem cell field for further discoveries is really helpful in the job market. Some of the most successful people I’ve seen that get several job offers are those that have a really groundbreaking technology. Especially one that others in the stem cell field can easily apply to their own research. In my opinion, that’s a really successful roadmap.
- Preparing your research plan well in advance — I would recommend starting to come up with your research plan for tenure 3-4 years in advance. Or if this isn’t possible, 2 years in advance at least. You need to try and shape the research you are doing at the time to link to it. It can be hard, as you are most likely juggling a lot of experiments and publications as a postdoc. However, it’s important to set time aside to think of your long-term goals and define your research plan. You can then do some preliminary experiments to bolster your plan and provide the groundwork when you apply for a role. Starting early also has the advantage of being able to get feedback from PI’s, which is critical.
Finally, how would you summarise your working experiences in academia?
It's a very rewarding career. You manage to think about science quite a bit and the networking and seminars offer you unlimited learning potential. Despite the common complaint people may have about academia, it’s a great job.
References
1. Shi Y, Lin S et al., Haploinsufficiency leads to neurodegeneration in C9ORF72 ALS/FTD human induced motor neurons. Nat Med. 2018 Mar;24(3):313-325
Related jobs
Jobs in Molecular BiologyJobs in Disease ModelingJobs in Stem Cell Research