Why the lysosome is the #1 organelle

Last March, as the pandemic was picking up steam, I had the pleasure to interview a friend and colleague Dr. Rushika Perera, a rising star and Assistant Professor at UCSF. Before our conversation, I had heard about the lysosome but just had some vague notion that it is similar to recycling, an essential service for sure but not one I want to think about everyday. By the end of our interview, I was almost ready to scrap the microbiome and devote my life to becoming a lysosome-ologist. She’s just that convincing and passionate, having clearly found an ideal niche with broad relevance for cancer and other diseases. But that’s not all! Stay tuned for the end where Rushika gives her pro tips for making the successful shift from a bench scientist to leading your own lab.