
Chapter 05: The Right Time in the Biochemistry to Move into Cancer Studies
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Description
Dr. Hung explains that he was attending a symposium and he heard about a job at MD Anderson form some junior faculty members. He talks about the reasons he wanted to leave Boston. Dr. Garth Nicholson recruited him in 1986. He notes that he knew very little about cancer at the time, nevertheless, in the aftermath of genetic and molecular studies made in 1982, he knew that this was the right time for someone with his specialty to take on the challenge of cancer.
At the end of the session, Dr. Hung comments on the importance of collecting the stories of key researchers and others who have contributed to MD Anderson.
Identifier
HumgMC_01_20140220_C05
Publication Date
2-20-2014
City
Houston, Texas
Interview Session
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD, Oral History Interview, February 20, 2014
Topics Covered
The Interview Subject's Story - Joining MD Anderson/Coming to Texas; Professional Path; Joining MD Anderson; The Researcher; Overview; Definitions, Explanations, Translations; The Value of the Oral History Project
Transcript
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
Yeah. So you know after I cloned the gene, and then for Post Doc two and a half year --- two year and eight months, I was starting to look for a job. Then I was --- went to a symposium called --- at that time called Ooncogene in Frederick. It was the first annual oncogene --- at that time it was very popular and --- and it no longer exists now. And I met two person in MD Anderson. Gary Gelick. Y, you know Gary? Okay. And the other one Peter Stieck, who passed away. Peter Steick used to be in the --- Arthur Young’s department. He’s the one responsible for cloning the p10 gene. Both of them are junior faculty, and I was Post Doc, and they were instructors or something. They called a meeting --and I gave a talk there and then I was looking for a job. And they said, H hey MD Anderson has a position. So I start to --- and also at that time I --- after Post Doc --- after cloning a gene you know I was ready. S so I was looking for a job. I got some offers. Then at that time I end up at MD Anderson. There are many, many reasons. I do have some offer from Boston, but I was a student there. I was Post Doc there. You know what I’m saying? And here cancer center and I want to do cancer. [Whispering] And I don’t know cancer. I don’t know cancer. I’m a molecular biologist. I went to school for molecular biology. I went to Weinberg’s lab doing the mouse tumor and cloned the oncogene. Doesn’t mean I know cancer. I don’t know anything about cancer. A and I really want to do cancer. Also my department chair, Garth Nicholson_______ (1:42:52.9) --- that was before TomasovekTomasovic in this department. Garth Nicholson_______ (1:42:58.8) created this department called Department of Tumor Biology and he recruited Steve TomasovekTomasovic from California and so he recruit me here. I said --- Yeah in 1986. ________ and remember 1986, the business crashed down. From 85 to 87 a half million people per year in Houston left. Were you here at that time?
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
No. No. No I’m a recent.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
So when I came here, everybody looked at me like those people from Mars or something. So when I came here everybody left but it was a medical center.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Now, what did working on cancer represent to you? You know I mean obviously intellectual challenges but were there --- was there anything else?
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
You mean why I choose cancer?
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Yeah.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
As I told you that when I was in Master’s --- when I choose a Master’s I really want to do life science related to cancer. I thought about cancer at that time, but at that time cancer is not on the molecular level. It’s cCancer is very vague. Cancer is cancer, but you don’t know what cancer. That’s when I went to -- you know bbecause of geographical issues I went to snake venom protein study. That kept me in molecular structure detail training. And then in 1982, when the first human oncogene was cloned and single point mut --- mutation was discovered, I feel this is the right time for a chemist or biochemist, because you know the structure. Well, cancer is important disease, there’s no question about it. But, if that is not ready for this field to go in I --- I don’t know why I go in there. I just feel, well gene is there. Molecule is there and that single point mutation and which one cause cancer. This one doesn’t cause cancer. Hey, wait a minute. And that’s a _______ molecule then it’s time to come in. And then again, I don’t know cancer. I’m a molecular biologist. So for faculty position, MD Anderson --MD Anderson at that time was popular because it was the #2 cancer center. Molecular biology, we don’t have too much study yet. O and our research is not as strong as we have --- we have now. But still, there are a lot of cancer staff here, and also I want to be out of Boston. I was student there and Post Doc there. So I’m from Taiwan. I never see snow. And hot year snow season and when it snowed we had to shovel.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
I bet you’re glad you’re not there this year.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
And then --- Especially this year. And then --- And then every time I was a student and a Post Doc I don’t have a brand new car. And my used car --and I always have the snow tire in my trunk. I also had to bring all the salt in the trunk because when it snow I get stuck.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
And a shovel.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
Oh yeah. Right?
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
I’m from that part of the world too so …
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
Yeah. It’s time. So anyway, the first year when I came here, it was funny. My brother told my mother and my mother said where he’d go and he said Boston. ________ it’s just like from Taipei to _____ . Okay Taiwan is very small. Taipei is the most popular and the Pinto is a very _____ Why he is in Boston? Everybody know. Why Boston? Go to Texas. You know John Wayne. Y you know western. And so that year in 1986, around Thanksgiving time, my mother and my elder brother visit me and I show them Houston is not John Wayne. Houston is a real city, so they was, Oh, okay. Keep in mind they were from Taiwan. What they know about Texas? Texas, Texas.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Well you know even --- even today people have a lot of assumptions about Houston because it’s in Texas, so yeah.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
I still remember ’86 at Thanksgiving time they came. I came in August and they came after and then after they said, Ooh city. I said, Yeah it’s a big city. It’s a real city. It’s not like uh what you think you know everybody is riding horse. It’s not. It’s different. They all drive the car.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Well it’s almost 5 o’clock. Do you want to stop for today and then next time we can continue with MD Anderson?
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
Sure. Oh, by the way I do appreciate you talk to me about this because all these are history. Some of them I have --- there are a lot stories behind that and that remind me of old days and special memories when my mentor passed away and everything.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Yeah. I’m sorry. I mean he --- he obviously was very, very important and great model for how to do even collaborative science and setting up a lab.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
Yeah. Yeah. It’s okay and you get --- we’re all very busy and we don’t think about this. Only when you chat with --- and dig out old stories and you know it’s been 28 years.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Well it’s a pleasure and I’m looking forward to talking to you again.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
Sure. Yeah, I really enjoy it because yeah it’s myself. I didn’t expect this. I originally thought you wanted to talk about MD Anderson or something something. I didn’t realize. This is more like writing a biography.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Yeah. That’s --- yeah. That’s an oral history interview. Yeah.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
So thank you. Thank you. I enjoy and then --- and this brings a lot of stuff back to the old days and some of them to --- touch my heart. Some of them remind me something which I may not say here but you know that’s …
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Yep. And there’ll be another opportunity so, you know I don’t know what I don’t know, and if I’m not asking a question that I should be asking you know feel free to say, H hey wait a minute, we’re missing something and I’d like to --- so feel free to bring up topics or stories that I may have --- may have missed.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
And they --- I know what this is now so I can more well prepare next time.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Well I don’t expect you to do any homework. That’s my job, but you know thinking about things that might be appropriate.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
And --- And --- And --- And --- And those stor --- those stories I told you you know I told Josh Filder,Vitelo okay, and Josh say Mien-Chie you’re just like me, okay? One time I reported him. He said you know why you’re smart? I said first, I’m not smart. No way, he said , you are smart. I know you’re smart. You know why you’re smart? Because you kept up your kosher food. First I refused and he said you’re smart. I said no, no, I’m not smart. I just work hard. He says no, no, you’re smart. You know why you’re smart? Because you kept yourself kosher.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
That was a really funny story. I mean sad because I can imagine what it would be like to go through that but a really funny story in retrospect.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
Yeah, you see and that drinking water. I mean geesh. Holy smoke.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Yeah. All of those things.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
Holy smoke. Because am I yellow or what? No a black lady has water then how come not me? WoahWhoa. American is American. I reckon they can recognize everybody individually. So I don’t pay taxes there’s no water.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Well I really look forward to our next conversation, Dr. Hung.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
Sure and thanks for coming.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Sure. So I’m turning off the recorder at 5 o’clock.
Recommended Citation
Hung, Mien-Chie PhD and Rosolowski, Tacey A. PhD, "Chapter 05: The Right Time in the Biochemistry to Move into Cancer Studies" (2014). Interview Chapters. 1157.
https://openworks.mdanderson.org/mchv_interviewchapters/1157
Conditions Governing Access
Open
