PRODUCED BY The Importance of Adopting a Platform Approach New over Point Solutions Matthew Gardner: Generating More Robustly Infected Cell Lines by Co- Paths Culture Infection in Life Science Vikrant Minhas: Sickly Sweet — How Utilisation of Dr. Karmella Haynes: Sugars Afects the Synthetic Biologist, Disease Progression Artist, Advocate, and of Streptococcus Ultimate Puzzle Solver pneumoniae Dr. Tina Boville: Directing Evolution to Engineer Nature SUMMER 2019 CONTENTS Dr. Karmella Haynes: Matthew Gardner: Synthetic Biologist, Artist, Generating More Robustly Infected Advocate, and Ultimate Cell Lines by Co-Culture Infection Puzzle Solver The Only Path Forward The Importance of Adopting a for Biotech Platform Approach over Point Solutions Dr. Tina Boville: The R&D Data Directing Evolution to Maturity Curve Engineer Nature Vikrant Minhas: Five Key Takeaways Sickly Sweet — How Utilisation of from Benchtalk West Sugars Afects the Disease Progression of Streptococcus pneumoniae SPOTLIGHT Karmella Haynes Synthetic Biologist, Artist, Advocate, and Ultimate Puzzle Solver BY LILY HELFRICH 04 SUMMER 2019 VOL 1 BENCHTALK SPOTLIGHT Dr. Karmella Haynes is an Associate Professor at Emory University, where her lab focuses on a novel scientific problem: understanding and creatively modulating epigenetic responses to cancer. Her aptitude for problem DR. KARMELLA solving led her to a career in synthetic biology, but it HAYNES didn’t start with science. She was first an artist, then a LOCATION Atlanta, Georgia scholar, then a teacher and a professor. She is now all CURRENT POSITION of the above, plus a fierce advocate for representation Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, in science. Emory University EDUCATIONAL + CAREER HISTORY The Art of Experimentation biology started looking more and • B.S. Biology, Florida A&M • Ph.D. Molecular Karmella Haynes always had a more like a puzzle. Genetics, Washington strong leaning toward puzzle solv- University in St. Louis ing and experimentation. In ele- Formative Years • Postdoctoral fellow, mentary school, this came through Karmella’s career as an academic Davidson College in her math classes and, perhaps jump-started during college when • Postdoctoral fellow, Harvard Medical School unexpectedly, her art classes. She she participated in the MIT Summer • Assistant Professor of took of with art projects, morphing Research Program. Karmella Bioengineering, Arizona them beyond their initial scope. She spent two summers working with State University loved asking questions. How could Dr. Mary-Lou Pardue, exploring she put visual elements together telomeres and chromosome PRIMARY AREA OF RESEARCH to convey a message? How could replication in Drosophila. After Mammalian synthetic she use photorealism to convince finishing her undergraduate degree, biology with a focus on people that they were looking at a she entered the Molecular Genetics cancer research 3D object? Ph.D. program at Washington Through art, Karmella learned to University in Saint Louis, and she RECENT PAPERS 1. The synthetic histone- carry out her first experiments. But joined Dr. Sarah Elgin’s lab. She binding regulator protein it wasn’t until late high school that studied Drosophila heterochromatin PcTF activates interferon she developed a clear interest in and the role of chromatin states in genes in breast cancer science. Around that time, Karmel- gene regulation. cells. BMC Syst Biol. 12: 83 la was introduced to genetics in As a graduate student, Karmel- (2018). 2. Design, construction, and her classes—and through Jurassic la developed a strong sense of validation of histone- Park. She got excited about track- confidence in the lab. This confi- binding efectors in vitro ing genetic inheritance with tricky dence—built upon her strengths in and in cells. Biochemistry. but solvable Punnett Squares. She creative thinking, puzzle solving, 57: 31, 4707-4716 (2018). was curious about DNA, a cool and careful experimentation—al- 3. The Impact of Chromatin Dynamics on Cas9- molecular substance that worked lowed her to work productively and Mediated Genome Editing like a code, and what scientists independently. She loved devising in Human Cells. ACS Synth could do with it. To Karmella, testable hypotheses and design- Biol. 6: 3, 428-438 (2017). 05 SPOTLIGHT MORE ABOUT ing intelligent experiments. “I took started thinking seriously about DR. HAYNES the philosophy very seriously,” pursuing research again; she she says. “And I wasn’t bad at the wanted to apply synthetic biology bench. I had an artist’s skills, had to chromatin biology. ‘the hands’ so-to-speak. I suppose I At the time, there were only was a philosopher and a good tech- a couple of labs working at the nician, which is really what makes a interface of synthetic biology and What’s one word to describe successful Ph.D. student.” eukaryotic molecular biology. The your attitude toward science? Meaningful. leading lab was Dr. Pam Silver’s. The Road to Karmella shortly joined the Silver Synthetic Epigenetics Lab as a postdoc. A few years later, Though she was skilled at the she took her postdoctoral research bench, Karmella was leaning to a faculty position in bioengineer- toward a teaching career at a ing at Arizona State University. What’s your dream liberal arts college. She pursued Karmella now runs a research research project? a postdoc at Davidson College, lab at Emory University whose goal In general, I love inventing where she serendipitously found is, broadly, “to use chromatin as genetic gadgetry that functions in live cells. My dream invention a role as a coach for the Davidson an engineering substrate.” By that, would make discoveries easier iGEM team. Working in synthetic Karmella means that she wants for resource-limited labs. My biology and on bacteria—a system to target engineered regulatory dream cell engineering project is new to Karmella—the iGEM team proteins to histone marks. Because to regulate whole sets of genes made waves when they published histone regulators can modulate in cells in a coordinated fashion to regulate cell behavior and a paper about bacterial computers, the expression of multiple genes, tissue formation. or E. coli engineered to solve a the techniques and bioengineered mathematical puzzle. Karmella proteins developed in the Haynes Where did you grow up? St. Louis, Missouri Where can people find you outside of the lab or classroom? Jogging through my neighborhood, walking my dog, or enjoying craft beer : MARCO_ALEXIS CHAIRA/ASU. Can you share a fun fact? ) I am the unofcial genealogist for my family. I’ve traced three diferent lineages back to ~1865. This work inspired me to build a collection of antebellum era information to help other descendants of enslaved African-Americans to do their own research: HEADSHOT AND LAB PHOTO www.sankofagenus.com. ( See Karmella’s Art! karmellahaynes.com/ category/Gallery Karmella shares her infectious energy with her graduate, undergraduate, and iGEM students. PHOTO CREDIT 06 SUMMER 2019 VOL 1 BENCHTALK SPOTLIGHT Lab can be used to study diseas- es in which controlling regulatory “More scientists are needed states is critical. These histone regulators also have the capacity to change 3D genome architecture, when we start talking about so the Haynes Lab is exploring ways to enable CRISPR editing culture and representation.” of previously inaccessible, tight- ly-packaged chromatin. With this —Karmella Haynes research, Karmella aims to improve both the scientific understand- ing and the treatment of various human cancers. me with kiddie gloves. They didn’t the experiences of working with On Representation give me the same kind of coach- trailblazing female professors like in Academia ing they would have if they were Sarah Elgin and Pam Silver, with Looking back on what set the stage comfortable with me.” gratitude. She also identifies the for her successful career, Karmella She fortunately found a program need for similar opportunities else- first credits her education at Florida at Wash U that supported minority where. “More scientists are needed A&M. She received a full scholar- and underrepresented graduate when we start talking about culture ship to Florida A&M, a historically students. Through the Chancellor’s and representation.” black public institution. “A&M Fellows program, students received taught me to be a scholar without a community and resources. Kar- Solving New Puzzles being distracted by being margin- mella remembers, “Ph.D. students Today, Karmella advocates strong- alized. Being marginalized has a like me that didn’t come from Ph.D. ly for representation in science strong impact on a person—on your families tended to be first-genera- and for her students. She balances self-worth. You’re defining your- tion. We lacked the cultural capital several other interests with running self by defending yourself. That’s that many of our peers had. I loved a successful research lab. While just draining.” that program. It really, really en- she works diligently to master grant Karmella did not have the same couraged me to stick it out.” writing and presentation giving, she experience during her first year The program at Wash U and continues excitedly to coach iGEM in graduate school. Though she the environment at A&M didn’t and to teach. Karmella has had to eventually excelled at Wash U, she make Karmella a good scientist, sacrifice painting in recent years, initially found herself distracted, or change how much potential she but fortunately she lives out her lacking moral support and strug- had. Instead, both experiences love of experimentation and puzzle gling with imposter syndrome. “The gave her the confidence to capital- solving through science. And she environment—the opposite of what I ize on that potential, the confidence does take advantage of her artistic try to ofer my students now—didn’t to recognize herself as a schol- side every so often, mostly to make have strong moral support. I feel ar and a philosopher. Karmella intuitive and aesthetically appeal- like some people tried to handle reflects on these experiences, and ing scientific figures.