LUMEN Summer 2019 - Flipbook - Page 37
“Each of my boys is a milestone for me.
I had my eldest son when I was doing my
PhD and my paper was dedicated to him.
I was on maternity leave with my second
boy when I was studying for my medical
qualification in Australia. For my third son,
I was doing my pathologist training.”
LEFT
Dr Sui Yu
Dr Yu was raised by her grandmother
and was discriminated against as the
daughter of an anti-revolutionist. To
support her grandmother, younger
sister and herself, Dr Yu worked in
a tobacco factory, a candy factory
where she hand-wrapped the lollies,
and on construction sites.
While working in physically demanding
jobs, she found solace in books and
studies. After the Cultural Revolution,
Dr Yu was lucky enough to pass the
first national matriculation exam and
was offered a place at Huangyang
University to study medicine.
Dr Yu migrated to Australia in 1988.
In 1989, she enrolled as a PhD
candidate, under the supervision
of Professor Grant Sutherland,
at the University of Adelaide to
work on the molecular basis of
the Fragile X syndrome. Fragile
X syndrome is a genetic condition
caused by genetic mutation of the
FMR1 gene that causes intellectual
disability, behavioural and cognitive
impairment in subjects affected by it.
The DNA change that causes the
Fragile X syndrome was a scientific
mystery and there was strong
international competition to discover
the molecular basis of Fragile X.
For the Adelaide team working on the
discovery, one of the bottle necks was
generating a map around the Fragile
X region.
“I was working on this map before
and after my maternity leave. I’d
draw a line on the paper and try to
place the restriction enzyme sites on
it to generate a map but it did not
make sense.
“After a few months working on it
without any progress, one night I had
a dream about this line I drew, it was
dancing and the ends joined together.
And I remember thinking to myself,
‘this is a dream but if it’s a circle, not
a straight line, it might just work.’
So, I got up immediately and started
working on the map. When I mapped
all restriction enzyme sites in a circle,
it worked perfectly.”
“The Adelaide team was then able
to narrow down the Fragile X region
to a stretch of DNA which is greatly
elongated in patients with Fragile
X syndrome. We submitted our
discovery to Science, the top journal
for reporting significant scientific
discoveries, only 13 days ahead of the
MEDICINE
competing French research group.
“It was a great feeling to win the
race and discover something no one
else knew. This was the prime of my
research career and I am proud of my
contribution to science,” said Dr Yu.
For Dr Yu, it was then a natural
progression to a career as a genetic
pathologist. But first, she had to
qualify as a medical doctor in
Australia. After having her second
child, maternity leave gave her
an opportunity to prepare for the
notoriously difficult clinical exam
set by the Medical Board of Australia
to prove foreign doctors meet
national standards.
“Each of my boys is a milestone in my
career. I had my eldest son when I was
doing my PhD and my paper was
dedicated to him. I was on maternity
leave with my second boy when I was
studying for my medical qualification
in Australia. For my third son, I was
doing my pathologist training.”
It’s been more than 30 years since Dr
Yu migrated to Australia, and she has
left behind the memories from her
traumatic youth in China.
“My boys have all heard the stories
of my youth so they don’t take things
for granted and understand that not
everyone is as lucky as we are in
Australia. Being able to study, build
my career and raise my children in
Australia is a true blessing.”
ALUMNI MAGAZINE - SUMMER 2019
35
