Q&A with Michael Hsiao: Learning From Psychedelics to Create Better Drug Targets

How did you become interested in research?

I didn’t know I wanted to become a research scientist until I did an internship in a biochemistry lab the summer of my junior year in high school. Something about being able to interact on a daily basis with people who are all equally excited about making scientific discoveries really made me want to pursue a career in research. I majored in biochemistry in undergrad only to end up doing neuroscience research in grad school, so you really never know until you try it.

Briefly describe your PhRMA Foundation-funded research project.

Recently, there’s been a lot of interests surrounding psychedelics because they’re thought to be effective at treating neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression, and for much longer periods of time than standard selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a type of antidepressant. My research aims to find the underlying changes inside the neurons in our brain that allows for this to happen and to determine whether we can replicate the effects without the psychedelic itself, by directly affecting the neurons themselves using gene therapy.

What do you enjoy most about being a researcher?

I think what I enjoy the most about being a researcher is actually getting results that make no sense. This really forces you to think about alternative interpretations that can potentially explain a weird result that you didn’t initially expect to find, kind of like building a puzzle.

How will the PhRMA Foundation’s support impact your research and your career?

The PhRMA Foundation’s support not only allows me to do the research I want in grad school, I hope it’ll also demonstrate my commitment to doing translational science for future, non-academic settings.

What advice would you give to other early career researchers?

Just keep trying. You’re going to get a lot of rejections throughout your career, whether it be for graduate schools or fellowships, but in the end, you just need one to work in your favor.

What are your future career aspirations?

After I finish my PhD, I hope to transition into industry to be able to do more translational work.

Learn more about the PhRMA Foundation’s fellowship and grant opportunities. Check out more researcher stories on our blog.