PhD candidate clocks in at Three-Minute Thesis competition
Researchers at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy hold hyper-specific expertise in disease states and treatment development, but reaching that level of understanding comes with a high barrier of entry.
PhD candidate Andrew Mitchell, MS, recently found success in translating his research for non-research audiences. Mitchell, a trainee researcher in the Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, won first place in the Ohio State Graduate School’s Three-Minute Thesis Competition (3MT) for his presentation, “Molecular Glue: A New Way to Stick it to Cancer.”
3MT challenges student researchers to distill their complex research into a compelling and accessible presentation within—you guessed it—three minutes. Mitchell used the limited time to explain his complex work in the Experimental Hematology Lab (EHL) exploring methods of targeting and treating cancer cells.
“I think that a sign of a true expert is for somebody to be able to teach others. The Three-Minute Thesis is a really great way to practice that skill and prove what you’ve learned as a researcher.”
Graduate students representing 13 unique programs participated in the university-wide competition on Feb. 5 at the Ohio Union.
“It’s a way for students to practice telling the story of their research in a way that’s easy for others to understand and to share how their research will benefit society,” said Mary Stromberger, PhD, dean of the Graduate School. “The other interesting thing about it is, in participating in this research, these students are developing networks and communities with each other, and that helps to develop this really strong, vibrant research culture here at Ohio State.”
To compete at the university-wide level, students must first win their department/college-hosted 3MT. The College of Pharmacy hosted its local showdown in January with Mitchell taking first place.
Mitchell’s win at the university's 3MT marks the third year of the College of Pharmacy’s representation in 3MT, and the second consecutive year of a pharmacy competitor placing in the top three.
“I think that a sign of a true expert is for somebody to be able to teach others,” Mitchell reflected. “The Three-Minute Thesis is a really great way to practice that skill and prove what you’ve learned as a researcher.”
Originally created by the University of Queensland, 3MT encourages participants to not only communicate with speed but also in a digestible manner.
Under the guidance of his mentors and co-principal investigators, Kerry Rogers, MD, and Jennifer Woyach, MD, Mitchell has developed a penchant for accessible communication.
“One of the benefits of working with physicians is the emphasis placed on using patient-friendly language, even as a researcher,” Mitchell said. “Anyone can get cancer, so when patients come into their clinic, physicians need to be able to explain cancer and treatments easily. Drs. Woyach and Rogers encourage those of us in the lab to practice that as well.”
Within the EHL, Mitchell and his lab mates are investigating chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) – the most prevalent adult leukemia in America. They’re currently investigating how to combat developed resistance against the two primary drugs used to treat CLL.
“Andrew has a talent for organizing and presenting background information and experiments,” Drs. Rogers and Woyach wrote. “We were delighted to support him in the 3MT and provide some input on the wording of his presentation, but the concept of using Pac-Man to explain how molecular glues can overcome molecular BTK inhibitor resistance in CLL was all his.”
In the final presentation, Mitchell utilized a combination of video game analogy and self-made graphics to present his research topic.
“I use an analogy to Pac-Man to explain how current therapeutics—which are Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors—work and how the molecule that they target can develop mutations that prevent the inhibitors from working,” Mitchell said of his 3MT presentation. “And then how my drug, a molecular glue, overcomes those mutations and overcomes drug resistance to offer patients that same therapeutic value that these other drugs no longer have.”
In the future, Mitchell hopes to maintain his focus on the patient and continue developing cancer therapies.
“Everything we do in the EHL is focused on improving outcomes for patients, whether that’s developing a new therapeutic or decreasing off-target effects of current treatments,” he said. “My goal is to save one person’s life in my lifetime. The best way for me to do that in my career path is pushing the newest therapeutics forward and helping patients with diseases where they don’t have current therapeutic options.”