EU TalentOn: Young LUMC researchers on a mission to beat cancer
Bots and Enciso-Martinez, PhD-student and postdoc researcher at the LUMC Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, were amongst the 104 successful candidates to participate in the pilot version of EU TalentOn this September. The initiative, co-created by the European Commission and Leiden 2022 European City of Science, provided an environment for academics between the ages of 21 and 35 to team up and bring forward solutions for pressing issues linked to Horizon Europe’s 5 EU missions, such as ‘Beating Cancer’. Both LUMCers briefly share their ideas and overall experience during the event.
Team ONCO/nnect – Connecting researchers to patients
“The opportunity to work with young researchers from other academic fields in the fight against cancer was my primary motivation to join the challenge. After all, cancer is large subject that will only be solved through a multifaceted approach. I’m thrilled to have been part of a comprehensive group of talented individuals which demonstrated that we can make a true impact if we come together”, notes Enciso-Martinez.
Drawing inspiration from Oncode Institute’s Patient Engagement Programme, Enciso-Martinez and his team had the idea of developing ONCO/nnect - a mobile app that employs AI to match the profiles of researchers directly to that of patients from all over the EU. And why is such an app important? Within the premisses of cancer research, the work of the researchers themselves is accomplished somewhat ‘behind the scenes’: “Because it’s often conducted in a laboratory setting, we don’t get to speak much to patients. However, doing so can be very insightful! Not only are we aware that they like to be involved in the research process, but we also learn many things about our own work that might escape us had we just attended expert meetings, conferences or symposiums”.
The app would thus facilitate patient feedback to be incorporated into all type of oncology studies, including at the fundamental-level. “It’s a win-win situation, as it prompts both sides: PhD students, postdocs and doctors to continue pursuing ways to beat cancer, and patients to trust in science”, says Enciso-Martinez. Team ONCO/nnect expects to pitch their idea to Oncode Institute in the near future.
Team OncoSmart – Knowledge exchange between industry and academia
Bots describes EU TalentOn as a demanding, but nevertheless inspiring event: “I was surprised at how much I learnt in three days: from dealing with the pressure of having to structure and present an idea in such a short time frame; to working with different nationalities and strong personalities; to exploring the topic of entrepreneurship and thinking of how to start my own business one day”.
The PhD student and her team, OncoSmart, proposed establishing an exchange programme to promote greater knowledge exchange between academia and industry. “A designated website would be created, where companies facing a technical issue within their R&D project could ask for input. PhD students and postdocs would then send their research proposals on how to tackle the problem. Those with the best proposals would be temporarily hired to work on the project. As a result, junior researchers would return to academia with industry experience and businesses would gain access to valuable academic expertise”. Bots is keen on concretising her team’s idea eventually at EU-level, and believes Leiden’s Bio Science Park – the largest Life Sciences & Health cluster in the Netherlands – offers the ideal setting to have OncoSmart launched.