Beyond the Lab: A conversation with Michael Martino

The TL1 team recently sat down with TL1 trainee Michael Martino, a fourth-year M.D., Ph.D. student in his second year of graduate training. Martino is pursuing his doctoral research in the laboratory of neuroscientist James Otis, Ph.D., who studies motivational reward-related behaviors, including substance use. The Otis lab recently published an article in the high-impact journal Neuron (see related news story), of which Martino was a co-author. The TL1 team wanted to learn more about Martino’s translational ambitions, his contribution to the recent publication and his perspective on the recently reported findings.

What interested you in becoming a translational researcher in the field of neuroscience?

I’m interested in eventually becoming a psychiatrist who also does basic neuroscience research. I hope to be a physician-scientist, who sees patients but also tries to move the field forward and improve our understanding of how the brain works.

What was the main finding reported in the recent Neuron paper?

This study presents evidence that heroin use fundamentally changes the way the brain processes information. I was especially excited that the study identified a new region of the brain that could potentially be targeted for the treatment of opioid use disorder to prevent relapse. Relapse is one of the major causes of death associated with opioid use.

How did you contribute to the project?

This project was ongoing when I first joined the lab. After being trained on the techniques and behavior paradigm used by the lab for this study, I was able to generate animals for the experiments and assist with behavior assessment. I was also encouraged to ask questions, contribute intellectually to discussions about data interpretation and help with manuscript preparation.

How did your TL1 training enhance your ability to contribute to this research?

With the dedicated TL1 funding, I was able to focus on contributing to this project and think about how experiments that I was performing and the skills I was developing would be relevant for my own project. I gained the skills needed to collect the preliminary data necessary for my TL1 project and ultimately for the NIH funding that will enable me to pursue my project in earnest and begin my career as a physician-scientist.