Artists capture the world around them by expressing it on canvas. While there are different approaches to the creative process, it is generally agreed Jackson Pollock’s methods were unconventional and chaotic. He would tack an unstretched canvas on the floor. He had a concept in mind, but he never sketched it. Instead, he worked directly on the canvas using sticks, knives, trowels, and blasting syringes. His work had no visible beginning or end. This is the effect Pollock intended. He lived in the new age of radios, airplanes, and atom bombs. These concepts, and the interaction of the artist with them, could not be expressed by old techniques. New techniques were needed to lay bare his inner world, and in turn compel the viewer to think of the same. Some critics found this unravelling of the traditional approach confronting; however, it was this unravelling that made Pollock a central figure in the abstract expressionism movement.
Natalie is an Associate Scientist in Nutromics’ Aptamer Development team. Her team is responsible for creating synthetic DNA-based sensors, called aptamers, that sense molecular targets in the human body. As a self-described autodidact and creative, Natalie studied both arts and science subjects in Year 12 and continued an exploration of both in university. Drawn to using her creativity to solve real-world problems, she was on a path to become an engineer when she discovered the captivating microscopic world of epigenetics. It was love at first seminar and the first step towards aptamer science. While a molecular biologist seeks to understand molecular processes better, aptamer scientists develop ways to convert these processes into tools and solutions. For Natalie, who wanted to wield DNA as a tool, this was the ideal path.
“The plasticity of DNA is one thing I really appreciate working with aptamers as a molecular biologist. We can take DNA and we traditionally think of it as a double-stranded piece of DNA that encodes life, which is amazing, but when you take it apart into a single strand, it becomes a tool that you can use in a multifaceted way”, she shared.
Living in the work
When Pollock was in the process of painting, he was not an observer of the outcome. He was completely immersed in his art, to the exclusion of all other things. He described it as being “in” the painting so that he could get acquainted with it and allow it to come to life.
Joining Nutromics, was Natalie’s way of not only being “in” the world of DNA, but also translating the molecular language of DNA into something tangible for the macro-world. The first ever time she heard the term ‘aptamer’ was during her first ever call with Priya Padma, Manager of Aptamer Development.
Describing her decision to join the team, she said, “I'd heard of riboswitches, which are the RNA equivalent of DNA aptamers that exist in nature, but I never really considered harnessing this ancient natural tool for human use. It was serendipitous that my love of DNA and genetics and problem solving and creating tangible tools were all married together in that phone call with Priya, where I was asked, "How do you feel about working with DNA aptamers?" And that was it.”
Upon joining Nutromics, Natalie went from observing epigenetics and DNA to being submerged in the canvas, actively painting and shaping it. With six members, plus university partners, the team may look small. However, together this represents a majority of the global experts in aptamers. Members of this team, along with academics like Prof. Kevin Plaxco and Scientia Prof. Justin Gooding have unlocked major innovations and accomplishments in the field of aptamers, including demonstrating them to work in humans in a peer-reviewed paper.
Sharing her first impressions of meeting the team as a post-graduate, Natalie said, “My immediate impression of the entire team was, "Wow", Our team and the scientists I work with are uniquely multifaceted, exacting, and generous in the way they solve problems together. Bouncing off each other in a way where we know we are working towards same goal and criticise and develop each other's ideas openly and creatively. Incisive, cutting edge of science is where I feel I am at in this team. At the end of the day, we push each other's ideas and pull them apart in order to make each other better scientists.”
Joining a start-up and a team that is working on creating continuous molecular monitors is not the most traditional path, especially for someone from a fundamental science background.
Commenting on it, Natalie shared “For someone really curious about answering questions, understanding how world works, the conventional path that would satisfy my itch would be academia. Being first person in family to go to university meant I was exploring terra incognita; without familial anecdote. So, naturally I anticipated academia first, this is what I began exploring first. The choice of industry science crystallised with my job offer at Nutromics and married two things: uninhibited curiosity and making something real.”
Continuing, she said “I just loving solving problems and having a tangible output. Making something that's real, especially when you're working with DNA…I will never see DNA with my naked eye. Never. And maybe this is a bit of an exaggeration, but to know that the thing you're making exists by proxy of it being in a product that works, that is the most satisfying output”.
Proving the abstract
When one’s work is abstract, it is held up to constant scrutiny and judgement. This is true in both art and science. The energy at a start-up, to learn, to deliver, is akin to a strong, ever-changing ocean tide. Natalie felt drawn in and found herself wanting to swim with the wave even as a graduate. Sharing how she balanced learning with performance, she said “Given that there are a handful of aptamer scientists in Australia, most people don't know much about it. There's a big learning curve. The other side of that coin, though, is that you have to be willing and really hungry to make that learning curve. There's a point where you're not going to have learned every single detail about aptamers (and what defines one that works!), but you have to use your existing knowledge and make informed assumptions so that you can start developing assays and finding ways to solve the problems we care about in discovery.”
Being open to learning, trying, and failing helped Natalie become a better aptamer scientist and take on incredibly complex projects. For instance, one of the questions she worked to solve is the DNA-based sensing equivalent of “how long should a piece of string be?” She first explored the current process of determining the length of an aptamer and identified that it was inefficient and marred by bias. A firm believer in the scientist’s neutral pursuit of the truth, she explored building a tool that would allow other scientists to rationally assess the optimal functional length of an aptamer. This is significant because it fills a previously unconsidered gap in the initial steps of DNA-based sensor development. Furthermore, it is a solution that can also be automated and scaled – ensuring it is fit for purpose for a start-up.
Commenting on how she felt comfortable approaching a problem such as this, Natalie credits the mentors and collaborators she works with every day. “We're very lucky in that in this job, you get to collaborate and learn from not only with the really talented aptamer scientists in Australia, but also with world class scientists including our team in San Diego and brilliant scientists like Kevin Plaxco.”
Another key factor for success as scientist in a start-up is a healthy balance between exploratory projects and safe ones. Elaborating, Natalie shared “There are high-risk projects and low-risk projects, and it's always important to have those running in parallel. That also comes with the development and discovery dichotomy. You're maturing DNA sequences you know should work, versus doing something high risk because it's in an exploratory space. It's just a balance of understanding what is known, what people have done before, and pursuing both avenues at once. That safety-slash-exploratory balance.”
An infinite canvas
Over a year in at Nutromics, the culture and people have been a big part of what has kept Natalie engaged at the company; she sees mentorship and the ability to give back as among the most rewarding. She has actively engaged in projects beyond her day-to-day work including speaking about aptamers during Melbourne Design Week and currently being a mentor for the Monash Innovation Guarantee program.
“I've also always valued mentorship. Going back, I really learned to value the importance of mentorship throughout my university studies, in terms of outreach programs and mentoring for younger students as well. And coming here, having opportunities, for example, to work with Monash University in their careers and outreach program, representing Nutromics there, connecting with students, it matters so much to give back in that way. Mentorship is so critical for a student to figure out who they are, and to see a reflection of maybe who they could be. That's a massive thing I really appreciate about working here”, she shared.
When asked what advice she’d give to other scientists considering moving to start-ups, Natalie said “You have to be quite self-directed. Sure, we have goals we work towards, but you have to be able to, with conviction and with some level of certainty, define what your stepping stones are moving forward. Coming to a startup, there's excellent support, but you can't thrive and do your job in the best way possible without learning to figure out what you need to do as a scientist, what the next questions are to answer, doing it with conviction and certainty, and understanding your context.”
For Pollock painting was a state of being and self-discovery. Natalie views DNA in a similar way. It is the very essence of life and as a tool it helps the scientist understand and explore the world around them better. Working with aptamers, while niche when she started, is a movement gaining momentum. It is the tool to paint with for the canvas of healthcare and life.