By: Nitya Khanna, SFU Student

Editor’s note: scientific terms followed by an asterisk (*) are defined in the glossary section.

Researchers in SFU’s Setiaputra Lab study how cells repair damaged DNA, a process that is essential for maintaining genome stability* and preventing diseases such as cancer. The lab is led by principal investigator Dr. Dheva Setiaputra, who completed his undergraduate and PhD at UBC and now studies the molecular mechanisms that determine how cells choose different DNA repair pathways.

Master of science student Kyle Newcomb is part of the research team, working to understand how these repair systems function and how they may contribute to drug resistance. He also mentors undergrad students involved in the lab. Newcomb shared what a typical day in the lab looks like and what students should know about getting involved in similar research.

The following interview has been edited for concision.

The Peak: When you walk into the lab in the morning, what’s the very first thing you usually do?

Newcomb: I usually come in around 8:00 a.m. We’re very lucky in this lab because we have a lot of space compared to others, so I can do a lot of different types of experiments. I check my cells to see if they’re ready to be split or passaged*, and go over my plans and experiments for the day.

The Peak: What’s something you do every day that people would never guess is part of being a scientist?

Newcomb: The most unexpected thing about molecular biology in general is that we work with actual human tissues. For ethical reasons, we can’t work with human patients, and even mice and other organisms have their own considerations. But, the fact that we work with cells that were originally derived from human patients and we’ve immortalized* so we can continue using them as model systems. The main cell line I work with is retinal pigment epithelial cells, or RPE cells. Other people in the lab work with cancer-derived cell lines. 

The Peak: How do you acquire those cells?

Newcomb: We buy them, freeze them, and then scale them up in the lab. Some cells, like cancer cells, naturally keep expanding, and they’re biologically immortal. So from a small stock, you can get a large amount.

The Peak: What does a busy day in the lab look like versus a slow day?

Newcomb: A busy day could mean I’m busy with classes or TAing where I’m jumping in and out of the lab. That’s busy in a different way than, say, I’m running a lot of experiments, which means I’m doing multiple things at the same time. For example, a western blot* has long incubation* times, and during those periods, I might check the tissue culture, prepare something else, or jump in and out between multiple experiments.

A normal day might just involve a few experiments done sequentially. An easy day would be more so just looking at data, updating my lab notebook, reading papers, or general organizing around the lab.

The Peak: How much of your time is spent doing experiments versus planning or analysing?

Newcomb: For myself, when I’m in the lab I like to focus on experiments. Actual reading happens mostly outside of the lab. Especially because I’m relatively early in my graduate career, I want to get experiments done to make sure the project I’m working on has legs to run with, as opposed to focusing too much on the auxiliary research in the field.

The Peak: What would you tell someone who’s interested in pursuing similar research as you? 

Newcomb: I deal with the field of breast cancer. Obviously it affects a lot of people. It’s affected people in my family, so there is that looming existentialism of progressing towards a cure. If you want to focus on cancer specifically, when the research doesn’t go well, you must remind yourself that there’s a lot of people working together and even your small results can help build towards a cure. Otherwise, the weight of finding a cure and solving these real world problems falls onto you. For undergraduate students especially — because you’re acting on such a small piece of the puzzle, it can be very easy to burnout. But just remember even the small little baby steps help push us forward. 

The Peak: How does one adjust to managing experiments in the lab like this?

Newcomb: It’s definitely a learning curve. For undergrads, whether it’s co-op, honours, or volunteering, have the opportunity to take charge of a project on your own so you can feel the failures as well. That was the biggest learning curve for me when I did my honours research. There was a whole summer where most of my experiments failed. At the time it was frustrating, but looking back, it was a good learning experience.

My thesis was just me talking about what I tried, what I expected to happen, and what I would do differently.

“Being able to reflect on experiments and troubleshoot them is a huge part of doing science.”

— Kyle Newcomb, master’s student and lab researcher, Setiaputra Lab

Even now, with some of my experiments, nothing happens, so I have to re-do them.

The Peak: Looking ahead, what are your career goals or the kind of impact you hope your work will have?

Newcomb: Dr. Setiaputra is a relatively new professor, and I’m his first graduate student, so we’re trying to figure out what mark we want to make in the scientific field and bring about results other people can build on. My research focuses on a protein complex* called Shieldin, which is connected to DNA repair and breast cancer research.

There are drugs called PARP inhibitors that are used to treat certain cancers, but sometimes resistance develops. Loss of Shieldin has been seen in a small number of samples. One goal is to understand the mechanism behind that resistance and what role Shieldin might play.

The Peak: Any final thoughts you’d like to share with The Peak’s readership?

Newcomb: If students want to get involved in research, be open but also understand your worst enemy is timing. For right now, we’re very full and Dr. Setiaputra is busy, so we’re not looking to take on more undergraduates. But look for opportunities where you can and get your name out there. 

Glossary

Cell splitting/passaging: As cells multiply, cell splitting, also known as cell passaging, ensures the cells do not overcrowd by transferring a group of new cells to a different medium. This process creates a new subculture and must be done regularly as cell cultures rapidly expand. Overcrowding of cells in one culture can lead to the buildup of toxic waste and nutrient depletion.

Genome stability: A biochemical process that involves the DNA’s ability to remain intact and repair damage in order to maintain health and prevent disease.

Immortalized: Immortalized cells are cells which continue to divide therefore the cell culture expands indefinitely. Some cells with finite lifespans can be made immortal through scientific techniques.

Incubation: In this context, incubation is the process in which an antibody is introduced in a solution with the target protein. The researcher then observes how the antibody acts on and produces symptoms in the protein.

Protein complex: A group of proteins within a single molecule that function to perform biological processes, such as cellular transport around the body.

Western blot: A technique in which cells are separated by size and specific desired proteins are therefore identified and can be extracted.

Visit the Setiaputra Lab website for the latest news, research, or to get involved at setiaputra-lab.org.