Submitted by Catherine Atkins on Tue, 20/08/2024 - 15:45
This summer we have been delighted to host two research interns in the Early Cancer Institute. Veronia Nasralla, a third-year pharmacy undergraduate at the University of Utrecht, Netherlands, joined the Muñoz Espín Group while Suraksha Jayakumar, a second-year biomedical science student at the University of Warwick, was hosted by the Blundell lab.
We caught up with both interns to reflect on their experience with us. They both agreed that their current university courses are not greatly focused on laboratory research, although Veronia had chosen a lab-based research elective as part of her course. This resulted in her producing specific nanobodies aimed at targeting an emerging immune checkpoint on medulloblastoma cell lines. Having enjoyed this lab experience she decided to challenge herself further by applying for an internship abroad.
Suraksha agreed that her main motivation was to experience what it might be like to pursue an academic career in a lab-based research environment.
Both interns came to us through different routes – Veronia applied to the Amgen Scholars’ Programme, recommended to her by one of the Utrecht University lecturers, and Suraksha secured her internship through the Experience Postgrad Life Sciences Programme. In addition to the day-to-day lab experience, both programmes gave participants the opportunity to attend courses on diverse topics such as demystifying scientific papers, bioinformatics and scientific presentation.
Since they both had an interest in cancer research, the Early Cancer Institute seemed like a natural fit and they submitted applications to the respective labs through the Programmes’ application process.
During her time here Veronia, overseen by mentor Dr Diana Campos-Iglesias, has worked on the role of senescent cells in the tumour micro-environment of lung cancer in both young and old mice. Chronic senescence, often associated with ageing, may contribute to tumourigenesis and Veronia focused on lung cancer, where she validated a chemically induced lung cancer model. This enabled her to further investigate the impact of ageing on lung tumourigenesis and the role of senescent cells in the tumour microenvironment of this model.
She remarked that the biggest challenge for her was moving abroad. “Originally from the Netherlands, travelling alone to a new country was a big step. You suddenly find yourself in a new environment, starting out without knowing anyone. Reflecting on it now, I consider this summer to have been one of my best. I have met some amazing people and had the opportunity to grow in an intellectually stimulating environment surrounded by some of the best scientists in the field!”
Of her time in the ECI she says: “The overall experience has been incredibly rewarding. Being in Cambridge, surrounded by exceptional scientists, learning new research techniques, and exploring this historic city brings me immense joy every day. I believe that my time here is contributing significantly to my growth both professionally and personally.”
In the Blundell group, Suraksha has been concentrating on epigenetic dynamics in early cancer, specifically AML. She used the UKCTOCS control sample data to investigate baseline methylation patterns in DNA and how these progress with age. She has also had hands-on experience of library preparation of samples.
For Suraksha, one of the most challenging aspects of the summer internships has been that she had no previous experience of the coding language Python. She had to rapidly learn the basics of this language, but with the help of her supervisor Dr Adriana Fonseca she now feels confident.
She commented: “Having the opportunity to talk to people in the field of your interest is an invaluable experience. It also gave me the opportunity to consider different career paths that I was not aware of.
Her advice for potential future interns is: “Don’t be afraid to apply somewhere because it feels unachievable. Make sure you are interested in what you’re applying. It’s okay to not be sure about an area or topic but ensure that you are willing to learn.”
We look forward to welcoming more keen interns in future.