Alumni Update: Brian Iritani
After finishing my Ph.D. in Roger Perlmutter's laboratory in 1997, I
went across town to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center where I pursued
my post-doctoral training in Bob Eisenman's laboratory, in the Division
of Basic Sciences. I chose Bob's laboratory because he had the reputation
of being a good biochemist, oncogene master, but above all, "a nice
guy". The Eisenman laboratory was a good environment for me to obtain
diverse training: 60% of the post-docs utilize classical biochemical approaches,
another 30% study Drosophila, and 10% employ mice to study development
and cancer biology.
In 2000, I came back to the University of Washington as an Assistant
Professor in Comparative Medicine. I set up my laboratory using a very
modest "Start-up package" obtained from the Dean, which provided
funds for supplies, one technician, and a student helper. I initially
obtained a NIH KO8 "Mentored Clinical Investigator Award", which
helped pay my salary and supplies through my post-doctoral period, and
during the first 2 years of my faculty appointment. After finishing my
KO8, I slipped by on several small pilot awards from the Howard Hughes
Medical Institute and Royalty Research Fund, and a NIH program project
grant that I obtained with colleagues at FHCRC. And alas, my first RO1
from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease began in
July 2003. No time for champagne yet; my mandatory promotion to Associate
Professor starts in 2004. My productivity has been good: Brandon (age
6), Tad (age 4), and Rachel (age 1). Unfortunately, children do not rank
as high as publications by the Appointments and Promotions committee!
[ UPDATE 2006: Brian was promoted to Associate Professor, Department of Comparative Medicine ]
My laboratory is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms
governing the ability of the Myc oncogene, a nuclear transcription factor,
to stimulate cell division. As a graduate student, I had previously viewed
transcription research as "slightly boring". However, the recent
development of cDNA microarrays, proteomics, chromatin immunoprecipitation,
and other technologies have allowed the transcription field to prosper
into a fascinating discipline. We have been combining all of these techniques,
and lymphocyte development as a model system, to understand how Myc, and
the Myc-antagonist Mad family of transcriptional repressors, function
to control development and proliferation. I am indebted to the U.W. Department
of Immunology providing me with excellent training through a well-organized
Ph.D program which fosters critical-thinking and high expectations.
Do I have any words of advice? Don't rush through your Ph.D or your Post-doctoral
training periods. These are your best years for productivity and fun!
If you are interested in academia, learn to write grants. Grant writing
is an art and requires considerable practice. Believe it or not, the "alternative
proposal" for graduate students in the Department of Immunology is
a good format to learn the basics. Writing fellowship proposals as a postdoctoral
fellow is another good avenue to obtain grant writing experience. There
are many good scientists that fail in academia because they cannot write
concise, clear, cohesive grants. Finally, for M.D.-types that are serious
about competing for NIH grants, try to keep your clinical service to a
minimum (<25% preferably). You don't want to use your service as an
excuse for a lack of productivity in your research.
Brian Iritani, PhD
Department of Comparative Medicine
Box 357190
School of Medicine
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington 98195
12-10-03
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