Our Travel Grant Winners at ‘Immune Responses & DNA Repair: Cancer Fields Converging’

PhD Student, University of Mysore, India

Research: Tumour microenvironment plays a crucial role in regulating the three main hallmarks of cancer: tumour angiogenesis, tumour metastasis and tumour resistance to anticancer medications. Traditionally, the 2D-culture system was extensively used for assessment of the activities of many anticancer medications, but many anticancer medications have been shown to be active in pre-clinical evaluation based on the in vitro 2D-culture models that were clinically ineffective, therefore new pre-clinical platforms for drug screening and cancer mechanism studies are urgently needed. My Ph. thesis entitled “Multicellular 3D Spheroids for Bioengineering Tumour Models to Study Angiogenesis and Metastasis” concentrated on studies of tumour cells’ interactions either with matrix or other cells in the tumour microenvironment with particular emphases on endothelial cells and mesenchymal stem cells to study tumour angiogenesis and metastasis.

What was a personal highlight of the conference for you?

It was an excellent experience attending this conference in which top scientists from all over the world delivered their scientific research findings and expertise. I am really thankful to the EACR, AACR and SIC for awarding me a Travel Grant to support my participation in this memorable conference. The most highlighted aspects are the organisation of the conference, timely delivered talks by the speakers and question-answer sessions with top scientists.

How was this conference different from others you have attended?

This conference highlighted the most recent research in the field from all over the world. It differs from all previous conferences I have attended in the enrichment of the knowledge on the recent findings and future directions of DNA and genetic instability in tumour diagnosis and treatment. This conference has motivated me with critical thinking and new ideas for tumour research focusing on both tumour metabolism and genetic instability.

How has the conference inspired you in your research?

This conference has inspired me to do research with more thinking and a hard-working plan. The research findings discussed with many speakers and poster presenters opened a new horizon for my research career and connected the research ideas together gathering the advancement in tumour treatment and control.

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Principal Investigator, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico

Research: I diagnose and study bone marrow failure syndromes, which are genetic diseases in which the bone marrow does not produce enough blood, having negative consequences for the general well-being of the patients suffering them. These patients have a predisposition to leukaemia and solid tumours, especially head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. I study biopsies from these tumours using spatial proteomics using fluorescent markers to identify cancer cells, DNA damage and immune cells infiltration. I use high-capacity computational biology for analysing these samples. My aim is to explore therapeutic options for these patients.

What was a personal highlight of the conference for you?

I got particularly intrigued by the fact that pathogens co-existing in the tumours can impinge the immune landscape of the tumours. Before I thought that in the tumour’s context only malignant cells with high levels of genomic instability will produce antigens. Now I know that resident bacteria, fungi, and viruses can be “transformed” into tumours antigens. Therefore, it is very important to learn about the tumours’ microbiota and understand the part of the antigenic repertoire that comes from tumours and from pathogens.

Were there any social or networking highlights you want to tell us about?

I met my old friends, my current international collaborators and got in contact again with my postdoctoral mentor: Dr. Alan D’Andrea. Dr. D’Andrea introduced me to several colleagues, that I know are big shots, but I have not had previously the opportunity to talk to them. Also, I met some important Mexican scientists that are working abroad and now we’re in touch.

How was this conference different from others you have attended?

I usually go to DNA damage-only conferences, and I am currently very interested in the interface between DNA damage and the immune response, therefore this meeting was very instructive about the type of pathways and cell types that I can explore in the new avenues that my research is taking.

How has the conference inspired you in your research?

I learned a lot about the antigenic hallmarks of cancer. I was not aware that tumours can have an immunopeptidome that is shaped by clonal selection, and that its presence is intimately linked to clonality, therefore we should be able to detect clonal neoantigens and recurrent neoantigens. Now I am trying to integrate this knowledge into my own research.

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PhD Student, Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer, Tata Memorial, Navi Mumbai, India

Research: Efficient repair of DNA is a major cause of resistance to radiation therapy in Gliblastoma (GBM), a high-grade brain tumour. Thus, there is an unmet need to identify the novel mechanisms employed by these intelligent cancer cells. My PhD work focuses on trying to elucidate a non-canonical DNA Repair function of GCN5, a protein which helps in opening of DNA from bound histones. Understanding how GCN5 acts will help in devising strategies to inhibit DNA Double Strand Break Repair and facilitate selective killing of GBM cells.

What was a personal highlight of the conference for you?

Getting the opportunity to present my work personally in front of stalwarts in the field of DNA Repair, Replication Stress and Immunology, gaining their insights and some valuable suggestions for my project. Furthermore, getting appreciated for the research done so far, at this stage of PhD, indeed, boosted my confidence.

How was this conference different from others you have attended?

Generally, the schedule of international conferences hosted on such a large scale are so tightly packed that students do not get enough time to personally interact with the speakers to satiate their inquisitive minds. This conference was truly an exception, got enough time to solve the queries post scientific sessions, even in the coffee breaks. Nonetheless, the speakers were kind enough to patiently listen and answer.

Did you take part in any interesting local or cultural activities in your free time outside of the conference?

I was truly mesmerised with the beauty of Florence. I explored various highlights of the city like the Duomo, Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, Ponte Vecchio wherein I got the opportunity to experience live music. Last, but not the least, I tried lip-smacking local Italian cuisines and a plethora of gelatos.

How has the conference inspired you in your research?

Most speakers, in addition to discussing science during their talks, shared their personal experiences pertaining to scientific career, starting from their bold decision of changing field of study after PhD to the necessity of work-life balance. Also, I developed more interest in the field of Replication stress after listening to the talks in the conference, thus making me more curious about the topic.

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Postdoctoral Researcher, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel

Research: Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) frequency increases with age. Despite decades of research, treatments are limited, and patients with relapsed disease face a poor prognosis. Targeting the underlying molecular pathways in AML to establish new treatment modalities is therefore in need. Our current research utilizes a new treatment by a novel peptide inhibitor (uPEP2) of a protein kinase called PKCη (Jayaram DR, et al. PNAS (2021). Our preliminary studies found that uPEP2 is most potent against breast cancer and leukemia cells. We aim to utilise uPEP2 as a lead molecule to develop a new treatment against leukemia. Novel targeting of an essential common pathway will help many AML patients.

What was a personal highlight of the conference for you?

The best part of the conference was indeed the talks and the Q&A sessions after each talk. They were highly informative and engaging for an early career researcher like me.

Were there any social or networking highlights you want to tell us about?

I was honoured and excited to meet Dr. Alan D’Andrea, one of the keynote speakers from Harvard Med School. I have an upcoming interview for a postdoctoral fellowship at MHG CCR & Harvard Med School in May, and I was looking forward to this meeting.

How was this conference different from others you have attended?

This was my first conference outside of Israel and a well-planned meeting. We had ample time to discuss science and make valuable new connections.

How has the conference inspired you in your research?

Most of the talks showed current DNA Repair and Cancer Immunology research trends. Many discussed advanced techniques and analysis methods I could adopt for my current research, and this is my takeaway from this exceptional meeting.

When you got home, was there anything from the conference that you immediately wanted to tell your colleagues about?

Since I attended all the lectures and took notes on the most exciting aspects of each talk, I was able to share them with our team at BGU. Apart from discussing how intellectually engaging the meeting was, the vibrant community, and the breathtaking venue, I was happy to share how attending this meeting was stimulating and encouraging for an early career researcher like me.

Have you brought back any specific knowledge that has benefited your research?

Since my current research is focused on peptide kinase inhibitor drugs for treating AML, Dr. Uri Tabori’s talk on Genomic and transcriptomic profiles of DNA damage genes in AML was very informative regarding the signaling mechanism involved in cancer cell death. Moreover, targeting immune cold tumours and reading cancer genomes using DNA graffiti were exciting new topics from the conference.

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PhD Student, Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer-TMC, Mumbai, India

Research: Glioblastoma is one of the most challenging tumours of the brain to treat. Relapse of the disease occurs in 80% patients with a poor survival rate. While trying to understand how we can prevent this relapse, we have observed that when these glioblastoma cells in culture are irradiated, they undergo a process called senescence. But instead of eventually dying, they somehow reverse from the state and start growing again. My PhD work is focused on finding how these glioblastoma cells are reversing from senescence and how we can stop that, prevent relapse and improve survival.

What was a personal highlight of the conference for you?

The conference was an amazing opportunity to listen to distinguished speakers and interact with them. A personal highlight for me would be meeting a leading scientist in the field of senescence. I was delighted to have the chance to discuss his work, present my poster and ideas and gain insights from him.

Were there any social or networking highlights you’d like to tell us about?

The conference, especially the dinner at Palazzo Borghese, was one of the most interactive atmospheres for peers and scientists. I had the chance to converse with students from around the world who had attended the conference, industry personnel and researchers. The dinner provided an informal platform to interact and get to know more about not only science but also the culture of Italy. It definitely helped build a better network.

Did you take part in any interesting local or cultural activities in your free time outside of the conference?

My colleague and I had travelled to the conference from India together. We spent most of our free time walking around the city. We visited places like Il Duomo, Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, Ponte Vecchio, shopped at local shops and enjoyed Italian food.

How has the conference inspired you in your research?

It was not only the speakers but also the attendees and participants that inspired me. I was extremely enthused to start working on my project as soon as I got back. All the sessions were very stimulating. How a question is approached differently and how an observation can be interpreted in different perspectives are some of the things I learnt.

Is there anything from the conference that you immediately wanted to tell your colleagues about?

This was my first trip and interaction outside of my country and I found out that the passion to do science is similar all over! So the immediate few things I wished to share with my colleagues were some of the lectures, my interactions with speakers, networking and the wonderful experience of visiting Italy.

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Master’s Degree Student, Eskisehir Technical University, Turkey

Research: Since I started my master’s degree, I am working on breast cancer treatment in vitro, by targeting intracellular sphingolipid metabolism especially acid ceramidases and their inhibitors as potent candidates for anti-cancer drugs.

How was your experience of the conference?

It is difficult for us to improve ourselves by participating in events such as congresses and conferences in Turkey. I would never have been able to go out of the country myself without this Travel Grant. This event helped me to both regain my self-confidence and gain a lot of knowledge.

The treatments being developed for the treatment of colorectal cancer caught my attention at the conference. When I watched and listened to the poster presentations, I added a lot of information to myself. I was fascinated and inspired by scientists.

It was my first flight experience and my first overseas experience. I am very happy to have gained this experience. I visited Florence, got to know its culture and tasted its food. It was very enjoyable, and I fell in love with Florence. When I returned to Turkey, I shared the information I learned at the conference with my professors and presented them with many ideas that we should work with. My family was proud of me and very excited. Thank you so much for everything.

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Master’s Degree Student, Eskisehir Technical University, Turkey

Research: I am a cancer researcher, who works on cancer cells, especially drug-resistant. Cancer cells can be very quickly adaptate to chemicals, that cause drug resistance on patients. My aim with my studies is to use chemotherapeutic G to induce apoptosis on different cancer cell lines. There are many pathways to do it currently, mine is ents sphingolipid pathway. Apoptosis means programmed cell death, but cancer cells can run away from it. Applying different agents helps to stimulate different pathways to induce apoptosis.

How was this conference different to others you have attended?

I had attended conferences in my country couple of times but this conference was my first international conference as an attendee and a poster presenter. Compared to the previous conferences I attended, this was an informative conference with better organisation and a busy schedule. While listening to the presentations, it was meaningful for me to be able to listen to scientists from different countries working on similar topics. Also, I was very happy to have the opportunity to talk with other presenters and read their work during the poster presentation.

Did you take part in any interesting local or cultural activities?

During my free time after the conference, I had the opportunity to visit Florence and view its stunning architecture. Santa Maria Novella, Piazza del Duomo and Ponte Vecchio were all magnificent structures. It felt so good to see the city so alive after the conference sessions and to be there for a meaningful purpose among the tourists.

How has the conference inspired you in your research?

I can say that I was very interested by the study described in one of the sessions held on the last day, and that I scanned the literature for more detailed information after I returned to my country. The subject was a different pathway in the delivery system of chemotherapeutic agents, which is my field of study. I did not have the opportunity to talk with the speakers, yet I learned a lot while listening and take notes.

Were there any social or networking highlights you’d like to tell us about?

During my poster presentation, we had the opportunity to meet another scientist who came to explain my work while I was giving a presentation. When I apologised to her for getting a little too excited while explaining, she congratulated me for my presentation and added that it was very normal. She also shared a few useful experiences with me, saying that she is still getting excited as a PhD researcher. We followed each other on LinkedIn and we are still in contact.