LabStories
Adrian Ho
Principal Investigator
Chronic Pharmacology Unit
What’s your job role at Chugai?
Develop assays to select the best candidate antibody Troubleshoot assays and interpret data Track and report project progress
Do you have fun working in the lab?
Yes, I enjoy lab work. I like to work with my hands. I like to listen to music (on earphones) while doing experiments.
The biggest challenge you have and how you have overcome it?
The biggest challenge to me is an ongoing one – how to deal with “bad data”. Just to explain what bad data means – it means that the experiment went well, but the data demonstrate that the hypothesis is wrong, and it is bad news for the project. Every time I have “bad data”, I find it a challenge to cope with that demoralizing feeling. Bad data affects my overall mood, even when I’m at home. Sometimes I even dream about the “bad data”.
It helps that CPR has good teamwork and the burden of “bad data” is shared with colleagues. Each time, others will readily chime in with suggestions to try to salvage the situation or suggest a different approach to solve the problem. I find this encouragement and mutual support really helpful. I know I can’t stop bad data from coming, but at least I know that I can count on the people around me to help me fix it, rather than facing it completely on my own.
What do you like to do to unwind?
Meeting friends, be with family, enjoy good coffee, more sleep, playing my favorite Sports (Badminton, running) and music (listening and playing).
What do you like most about CPR?
There are many things that I like about CPR. It is a pleasant place to work and the work itself is meaningful and engaging. I take pleasure in knowing that we are creating the next generation of drugs to help people who are suffering from life-threatening illnesses. But amongst the many good points in working here, the thing that I like the most is the people in CPR.
I had the unfortunate experience of working in a place where factions existed in the company. Although the people there were very diverse, it was not inclusive. CPR is different. The people here value mutual co-operation, both intra-unit and inter-unit. By co-operation, I do not mean that we never have disagreements. On the contrary, disagreements are healthy for creating new ideas. By co-operation, I mean that everyone has the same common goal in mind, and everyone’s views on how to attain that goal are treated every with respect. I really hope that this spirit of co-operation in CPR will continue because it is absolutely essential for our success.