For Professor Pete Dedon, this year’s ACS Division of Chemical Toxicology (TOXI) Founder’s Award winner, the joy associated with his research on nucleic acids is his driving force. He says “When it’s not fun anymore, I quit doing it”. Since his undergraduate studies at the University of Rochester, where he addressed platinum-DNA crosslinks, he has never left the vast and exciting field of nucleic acid chemistry and biology. After joining the Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty in 1991, he initially focused on genetic toxicology associated with deleterious DNA damage. His more recent work has expanded to functional DNA modifications associated with epigenetics and a new focus on RNA, involving studies defining how RNA modifications regulate transcription and gene expression. When asked to speculate on why he was chosen to receive the Founder’s Award, Dedon refers to his long engagement in the ACS TOXI community, his scientific contributions, and many rewarding collaborations made within the past years. While certainly being delighted by this special recognition, he emphasizes that a scientist̀s work should never be solely aimed at receiving prizes and awards. Rather, Professor Dedon says that if you really enjoy your work, satisfaction and acknowledgments will follow. It is clear that part of his success comes from the substantial time and effort he has spent on his research questions. While others might consider him a workaholic, he simply enjoys his time spent doing research. However, he says that he was careful not to allow work to overshadow other important aspects of life such as caring for his family. Even though Dedon supervises two laboratories, one in the United States and the other in Singapore, and has founded two companies, he strives to maintain a work–life balance. His daily routine starts at 5:00 in the morning, a habit he acquired in order to get some work done before his young children vied for his attention. While his children are grown now, allowing him greater flexibility, he still spends a lot of time with his family. Another important factor for successful research recognized by Dedon is serendipity. In 2007, while Dedoǹs laboratory was still mainly focused on genetic toxicology, Lianrong Wang applied for a postdoctoral position wishing to work on phosphorothioates. Although long-known as synthetic nucleic acid modifications, Dedon and Wang’s subsequent work eventually led to the exciting discovery of endogenous phosphorothioate groups in bacterial DNA. He declares this one of the most important and influential findings in his career, since it led his laboratory into the field of epigenetics. Finally, Professor Dedon feels that his research path has been continuously enriched by many valuable collaborations. For example, working with Tom Begley, a Professor of Biology at the State University of New York in Albany, sparked his interest in analyzing RNA modifications by mass spectrometry—a central part of his current research. Professor Dedon also emphasizes the importance of mentors in his career. Beginning with a supervisor in his undergraduate studies, he has never been without a mentor. “You never outgrow the need for one”, he says. He also highlights the importance of each researcher’s accountability for high-quality work within a group. It can be very beneficial to “rip apart” a colleague’s paper draft or presentation, while not forgetting to buy the other person a good beer afterward—to keep up the good spirit. In Dedon’s opinion, a large number of nucleic acid modifications remain to be discovered. The distinctions between DNA damage and epigenetic marks is a particularly intriguing aspect shaping his future research concerns. Specifically, certain modified bases represent either a premutagenic lesion or an important regulator in gene expression. In such cases, the mechanisms of how a cell distinguishes between DNA damage and epigenetic marks is currently a mystery, on which Dedon’s group would like to shed some light. In general, Professor Dedon feels that academic research provides a never-ending path of discovery—you have an exciting idea, produce a grant from it, receive new findings while developing innovative methods, and open up new collaborations to eventually reveal a variety of new questions waiting to be answered. Staying flexible and reflecting on the path already taken will help Dedon to stay on track toward exciting discoveries and certainly—lots more fun. This article has not yet been cited by other publications.

中文翻译：

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专访美国化学学会化学毒理学分会 2020 年创始人奖获得者 Pete Dedon 教授

对于今年 ACS 化学毒理学部 (TOXI) 创始人奖获得者 Pete Dedon 教授来说，他对核酸研究的喜悦是他的动力。他说：“当它不再有趣时，我就不再做它了”。自从他在罗彻斯特大学攻读铂金-DNA 交联的本科课程以来，他从未离开过核酸化学和生物学这个广阔而令人兴奋的领域。1991 年加入麻省理工学院后，他最初专注于与有害 DNA 损伤相关的遗传毒理学。他最近的工作已扩展到与表观遗传学相关的功能性 DNA 修饰和对 RNA 的新关注，涉及定义 RNA 修饰如何调节转录和基因表达的研究。当被问及为什么他被选中获得创始人奖时，Dedon 提到了他在 ACS TOXI 社区的长期参与、他的科学贡献以及过去几年中进行的许多有益的合作。虽然对这种特殊的认可当然感到高兴，但他强调，科学家的工作不应该仅仅为了获得奖品和奖励。相反，Dedon 教授说，如果你真的喜欢你的工作，满意和认可就会随之而来。很明显，他的成功部分来自他在研究问题上花费的大量时间和精力。虽然其他人可能认为他是一个工作狂，但他只是喜欢花时间做研究。然而，他说他很小心，不让工作掩盖生活的其他重要方面，比如照顾家人。尽管 Dedon 监管着两个实验室，一个在美国，另一个在新加坡，并创立了两家公司，但他仍努力保持工作与生活的平衡。他的日常工作从早上 5:00 开始，这是他养成的习惯，以便在年幼的孩子争夺他的注意力之前完成一些工作。虽然他的孩子们现在都长大了，这让他有了更大的灵活性，但他仍然有很多时间陪伴家人。Dedon 认为成功研究的另一个重要因素是偶然性。2007年，Dedoǹ的实验室仍以遗传毒理学为主，王连荣申请了博士后职位，希望从事硫代磷酸酯的研究。虽然长期以来被称为合成核酸修饰，Dedon 和 Wang 随后的工作最终导致在细菌 DNA 中令人兴奋地发现内源性硫代磷酸酯基团。他宣称这是他职业生涯中最重要和最有影响力的发现之一，因为它带领他的实验室进入了表观遗传学领域。最后，Dedon 教授认为，他的研究道路因许多有价值的合作而不断丰富。例如，与奥尔巴尼纽约州立大学生物学教授 Tom Begley 的合作激发了他对通过质谱分析 RNA 修饰的兴趣——这是他目前研究的核心部分。Dedon 教授还强调了导师在他的职业生涯中的重要性。从本科期间的导师开始，他从未没有过导师。“你永远不会忘记对一个的需求”，他说。他还强调了每个研究人员对小组内高质量工作负责的重要性。“撕掉”同事的论文草稿或演示文稿，同时不要忘记给对方买一杯好啤酒——保持良好的精神状态，这是非常有益的。在 Dedon 看来，还有大量的核酸修饰有待发现。DNA 损伤和表观遗传标记之间的区别是影响他未来研究的一个特别有趣的方面。具体而言，某些修饰的碱基代表突变前病变或基因表达的重要调节剂。在这种情况下，细胞如何区分 DNA 损伤和表观遗传标记的机制目前是一个谜，Dedon 的团队希望对此有所了解。一般来说，Dedon 教授认为，学术研究提供了一条永无止境的发现之路——你有一个令人兴奋的想法，从中产生一笔资助，在开发创新方法的同时获得新发现，并开启新的合作，最终揭示各种等待解决的新问题得到答复。保持灵活性并反思已经走过的道路将有助于 Dedon 继续朝着令人兴奋的发现前进，当然——还有更多乐趣。 这篇文章还没有被其他出版物引用。