Catching Up With: Greg McClain

What year did you graduate from the Academy?

I graduated in June of 2023.

What have you been up to since graduation?

I have been keeping busy with a blend of adventure and personal growth. Lately, I’ve been enjoying hiking, reading, and exploring the city, especially with my recent move to Somerville, MA. Additionally, I’ve been researching college courses to further my education, making this an exciting time for professional development.

Where are you currently working and what is your current title?

I’m a Research Lab Technician at the Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

How did you get into your current role?

I had the opportunity to intern with the Vidal Lab, and upon completing my certificate program at Gloucester Biotechnology Academy, I was offered a full-time position.

You were a contributing author on a recently published paper! What was that process like?

I was a contributing author on a paper published in Cell Magazine titled Pervasive Mislocalization of Pathogenic Coding Variants Underlying Human Disorders.

In short, widespread sequencing has identified numerous disease-linked missense variants, creating a challenge in assessing their impact. To address this, we developed a high-throughput imaging platform to analyze protein localization, evaluating thousands of variants. We found that mislocalization is a common consequence, primarily driven by protein stability and membrane insertion issues. These findings provide insights into disease severity and genetic variation, contributing to a publicly available resource for understanding human disease.

The Vidal Lab has been collaborating with the Taipale Lab at the Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, on a project to profile allele localization, for which a manuscript was being prepared for submission. When a plate of bacterial cultures labeled Lacoste et al. arrived on my lab bench, I experienced a mix of excitement and nervous anticipation. My primary role in the project was the isolation and purification of DNA.

The initial manuscript was submitted, and in response to a reviewer’s request for additional benign variants, the purified DNA I generated served as the critical material to produce 250 additional alleles, which were subsequently profiled to strengthen the story.

What career skills have you found were the most helpful to you, post-graduation?

The guiding principle in my career development has been prioritizing skill over formal education and recognizing it as an exceptionally powerful advantage.

Do you have any advice for alumni starting their career?

Trust in your abilities, embrace your journey, and remember that self-doubt only holds power if you let it.