This week, we honor the essential contributions of lab professionals who drive scientific progress and enhance patient care. These dedicated individuals work behind the scenes, ensuring that research is conducted accurately and efficiently.
Michelle Liu is a life science research professional in the Artandi Lab, led by Stanford Cancer Institute Director Steven Artandi, MD, PhD. She shares her journey and insights into the daily operations of a cancer research laboratory.
A personal journey into cancer research
Liu’s path to cancer research began in middle school when her grandmother was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Witnessing her decline from a vibrant, healthy woman to someone bedridden left a profound impact on her.
“I knew it was this huge, devastating, and debilitating disease, but I never thought it would affect someone so close to me,” she recalled. “It was really sad to see that progression.”
This personal experience ignited her curiosity about cancer.
“I think that just got me thinking — what is cancer? How does one person get cancer, and how come a whole world of scientists can’t find a cure for this disease?”
She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from UC-San Diego, where she focused on neurodegenerative diseases. In June 2023, she joined the Artandi Lab, marking the beginning of her journey into cancer research.
The Artandi Lab researches sophisticated biochemical, cell biological, and genomic approaches to understand the fundamental causes of these diseases.
Liu serves as a research associate and the lab manager. This dual responsibility means that she spends a significant portion of her time managing the lab’s daily operations, ensuring everything runs smoothly.
“Making sure the equipment is calibrated, getting repairs, and maintaining lab inventory takes at least 50% of my time,” she explained. “It’s not strictly research-related, but it’s what needs to happen.”
While she prefers to focus on research, the reality of lab management often takes precedence. For example, if a DNA sequencer malfunctions, she must quickly find a solution, whether that means troubleshooting the issue herself or coordinating repairs.
A typical day in the lab
In a cancer research lab, no two days are the same. Some days may start with a checkup on the mice colony; others, an analysis of whether the human embryonic stem cell culture is overgrowing. Still, Liu’s day typically begins like most of us — checking emails for urgent matters and creating a to-do list, but that’s where the similarities end. Based on her workload, she then strategically plans her experiments around cell “incubation periods” (the time in which cultured cells mature), allowing her to maximize productivity.
Her current research centers on telomeres — nucleotide sequences at the ends of chromosomes that protect DNA to ensure proper function and replication. As cells divide, telomeres shorten, contributing to normal aging. However, cancer cells can reactivate an enzyme called telomerase that maintains the length of the telomeres, allowing cancer cells to continue dividing uncontrollably.
“It’s fascinating to study how telomerase plays a role in homeostasis and cancer,” she shared.
Her work involves using CRISPR technology, a gene-editing tool, to knock out specific genes in human embryonic stem cells and provide a controlled environment to study gene functions before applying findings to cancer cells.
Liu also utilizes polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques to make millions or billions of copies of specific DNA sequences so they are detectable.
“I think of experiments as specific tasks related to the project I’m studying,” she noted.
Liu appreciates the ability to throw herself completely into her research.
“Doing research full-time really helps me understand the process from start to finish. I’ve learned a lot of technical skills [from the lab] and a lot about science in general.”
As we celebrate Lab Professionals Week, let’s recognize the vital contributions of individuals like Liu, who work behind the scenes to advance the field of oncology and improve patient outcomes.
By Kai Zheng
April 2025
