I feel at home in the world of science
When Yuyang Song came to Australia from China on his own as a 15-year-old to complete high school, it was a major cultural shock and there were considerable language barriers to contend with.
But studying nearby at Wesley College, and with a love for chemistry and physics, he had soon earmarked the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute nearby as the place to fulfil his career aspirations.
He did a Master’s degree but he didn’t know if he would be good enough to do a PhD. He wasn’t a top student at university, he says, but he knew that he had the passion and the curiosity for science.
He also found an industry that truly embraces multiculturism and where good science is built on diversity. He had finally found his home.
He applied to undertake his PhD at the Baker Institute looking at the prevention of thrombosis. He was motivated to contribute to the development of non-invasive treatments without the common bleeding complications — a big challenge in this area of cardiovascular medicine. It was, he says, his way of making a difference to the lives of people indirectly through the creation of new treatments.
Since then, there have been scholarships and prizes and equally importantly, friendship and good fun. Yuyang says support from his supervisors has been critical in shaping his scientific career to date, and ensuring he has a well-rounded set of skills to take him further.
He is now helping to develop next-generation mRNA for personalised medicine as part of the Institute’s Centre for Cardiometabolic mRNA Therapy.
“It’s a really exciting area to work in, particularly as there are few teams globally looking at mRNA in the CVD space. My lab, led by Professor Xiaowei Wang, was already looking at this before Covid and the focus during the pandemic has really helped to accelerate this work.”
After dreaming of this as a teenager, Yuyang says he is now living his dream.
