Dr. Melissa Lechner steps into the U Magazine Spotlight
While working at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston during her residency, Melissa Lechner, MD (FEL ’20), PhD, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, observed patients who developed severe side effects from their immunotherapy treatments for cancer. “These side effects looked a lot like autoimmune disease,” Dr. Lechner recalls. As a postdoc at UCLA, she worked with Maureen Su, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist with expertise in autoimmune diseases. Today, in her own lab, Dr. Lechner focuses on understanding the balance necessary to awaken the immune system to fight cancer without triggering an overactivation that turns the therapy toxic. “Our goal,” she says, “is to understand how we can fine-tune these powerful therapies to make them more effective, but also safer for patients.”
When did you first start to think about science?
My dad is a PhD scientist, and I probably first got interested in science as a kid roaming the halls of Saint Louis University Medical School and looking through my dad’s microscope on snow days. And my mom is a hospital clinical laboratory scientist, so I kind of grew up in and around science without really noticing it.
What was your first experiment?
It was for a science fair when I was in first grade. I wanted to know if you could use soda to water plants. My very indulgent parents let me set up a number of small plants with a UV light in our basement, and I watered them with Coca-Cola, Sprite, sparkling water and plain water. Plain water, as it turns out, works best. I think my kill rate with those plants was about 90%. Even today, my children say I have a black thumb.
What has been your greatest challenge in your work?
Getting comfortable with knowing that we’re not going to be able to know everything. One needs to have flexibility in their thinking, and to accept that there’s going to be a lot of failures. But that’s OK; science is an iterative process.
Who is your science hero?
Maureen Su. She has been an incredible mentor to me. She is thoughtful and generous, and she also challenges the science to be rigorous and asks the really hard questions. It has been very nice to have someone who has a fulfilling life outside of science but is also a really rigorous and successful professor.
Where are you happiest?
With my two daughters — watching them play soccer or ride horses. That is my happy place.
What has been your biggest "AHA!" moment?
I completed residency training in Boston and came to UCLA for my fellowship in endocrinology and then the STAR Program to broaden my research training. Getting back into the research lab and returning to basic science, I found that I missed being in the lab and that I really wanted to be a scientist.
What characteristic most defines you?
Probably optimism. I think that helps keep me excited about coming back to the lab. In spite of the challenges we often face to secure funding and in other areas, at the end of the day I’m still really hopeful that we can move science forward and contribute something meaningful.
What is your motto?
In grad school, I had a lab mate who would say, “When you think you’re going to quit, just show up the next day.” And there were times when I felt like I wanted to quit, and he’d say, “OK, cool — see you tomorrow.” So, if I have a motto, it might be, take each day as a fresh day and know that whatever happened yesterday, you can move on from it. Things will get better if you just keep showing up.
Whom do you most admire?
My dad. He is a PhD scientist, very dedicated to his students, his trainees and his research, but every night he would be home making dinner for us. He really balanced having an academic career and a family.
When do you not think about science?
When I’m riding my horse. I grew up in Missouri riding horses, and I’ve always found being around horses very comfortable for me. When I got older, I took a 20-year break, but during the pandemic, I started riding again. Now my daughters ride, and a few months ago we bought a horse. It’s just a really great way to escape.
To which superhero do you most relate?
Wonder Woman. A strong female superhero is absolutely something to aspire to. And she came from a clan of female warriors, so I can get behind that.
What keeps you up at night?
Grant support. I’m still pretty junior, and I sometimes wake up at 4 a.m. in a panic about not getting enough grant funding. Thankfully, I have senior mentors at UCLA who tell me it’s okay, and it’ll all work out.
What are you most compulsive about?
I’ve always enjoyed running, and I try to do that a few times a week just to clear my head, get some exercise and get outside the lab.
How do you want to change the world?
Science is a really, really cool way that we can change our world for good, and I want to get people excited about it. All the undergrads who come through our lab, many of them will probably not become scientists, but I love that they are being exposed to real, high-quality science. And I hope that they’re excited about it and that they talk to their friends and their families about it.
What music do you listen to at work?
Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major. I first heard it in a music class in college, and I was just struck by it. Any time I’m feeling like I need a little motivation, or just to kind of calm myself, I throw it on my phone and listen to it.
What book has inspired you?
I recently listened to the audiobook of Michelle Obama’s The Light We Carry. She inspired me with talk about how we can support one another in mentorship, and that really fits in with where I’m at right now in my life. I’ve been so lucky to have had some great mentors, and now I have the opportunity to be a mentor to my trainees.
