Eduarda Martins is a postdoctoral researcher at the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, University of Minho, Portugal who received an EACR Travel Fellowship to visit and work at Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands on two separate visits, the first between 02 July and 10 August, and the second between 05 September and 19 October.
The EACR, with support from Worldwide Cancer Research, provides Travel Fellowships of up to €3,500 to enable early-career cancer researchers to gain new skills through a short-term visit to a lab or research group in another country.
You can read about other Travel Fellows and their experiences here.
Name: Eduarda Martins
Job title: Postdoctoral researcher
Home institute: Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, University of Minho, Portugal
Host institute: Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands
Dates of visit: 02/07/2025 – 10/08/2025 and 05/09/2024 – 19/10/2024
Research: Glioblastoma is a very aggressive form of brain cancer that is difficult to treat. In our research, we focus on two molecules that seem to influence how these tumours grow and how the body’s immune system reacts to them. By understanding this interaction, we hope to contribute to develop treatments that combine drugs that directly attack the cancer with immunotherapies, giving patients more effective options in the future.
Why did you decide to apply for an EACR Travel Fellowship?
I decided to apply for an EACR Travel Fellowship to visit Dr. de Miranda’s laboratory and gain experience in cutting-edge technologies, including TCR sequencing and spatial transcriptomics analyses. This visit to an expert research group represents an important step forward in the project I am currently involved in. Moreover, as I did not have the opportunity to work abroad during my PhD, I considered this fellowship an excellent opportunity to gain international research experience and acquire new technical skills. Additionally, the prestige associated with being awarded an EACR Fellowship further motivated my application.
Why how did you choose the host lab?
I chose Dr. Noel de Miranda’s laboratory at the LUMC in the Netherlands for several reasons. Dr. de Miranda was already a collaborator on an ongoing project at my home institute and is an established expert in the field of immuno-oncology. His laboratory is recognized for its excellence and extensive expertise in advanced technologies, including TCR-sequencing and spatial transcriptomics. This training opportunity was therefore a natural choice, as it allowed me to acquire skills in these areas while also strengthening the existing collaboration and promoting long-term knowledge exchange between our research groups.
“This experience not only strengthened my research capabilities but also marked my first international training opportunity”
Can you summarise the research you did or what you learned on your visit?
During my visit to LUMC, I had the opportunity to become familiar with the laboratory’s day-to-day research activities, including the processing of freshly collected tumour samples obtained during surgery. This involved observing and learning protocols for T cell isolation and organoid establishment from tumour tissues. I also became acquainted with the procedures for TCR-sequencing from paraffin-embedded tumour samples and the subsequent data analysis. A significant part of my visit was dedicated to learning how to analyse spatial transcriptomics data generated using the Visium platform from 10X Genomics. Overall, this experience provided valuable training in advanced immuno-oncology methodologies and data analysis approaches, which will greatly contribute to the progress of my ongoing research.
Did you take part in any interesting local activities?
Yes, I did. During my stay, I had the opportunity to explore Leiden and several other Dutch cities, including The Hague, Utrecht, and Gouda. I visited museums and important cultural landmarks in each of these cities and also had the chance to experience Dutch gastronomy and local traditions.
Have you brought back any specific knowledge or technique that has benefited your home lab?
Yes, I am currently applying the knowledge and techniques I acquired during the visit to our ongoing project. We have begun by exploring spatial transcriptomics data of publicly available datasets to obtain preliminary results before proceeding with the analysis of samples from our own cohort.
How has this visit been beneficial to your research and your career?
I truly believe that this visit was highly beneficial for my professional development. It allowed me to acquire new skills that I am now applying to my own research. This experience not only strengthened my research capabilities but also marked my first international training opportunity, which was invaluable for expanding my professional network and fostering future collaborations. Thus, I consider that this experience was helpful in enhancing my professional competitiveness and might be critical in future opportunities.
Want to find out more?
If you are interested in applying for the Travel Fellowship scheme, please click here for more information: EACR Travel Fellowships
