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An enthusiastic cancer biologist |
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Natko Nuber |
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Natko Nuber, a young scientist from Croatia, has joined the Life Science Zurich Graduate School one and a half years ago. His work at the Clinic for Oncology, University Hospital Zurich, is focused on melanoma.
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When Natko Nuber was accepted into the Cancer Biology PhD program and received the position in the group of Prof. Dr. Knuth about a year and a half ago, he was very pleased, although it was quite difficult to leave his home country of Croatia. Surprisingly, his start in Switzerland was more demanding than expected. Even though at the beginning of his studies in Zagreb he didn’t know anyone either, it was even more difficult being in a foreign country, especially not knowing the language. Also getting enrolled at the University of Zurich was quite a challenge, but he received much help from administrators and other PhD students of the Cancer Biology program especially during the informal pizza-meetings. Also his first days at work were challenging. As he was new to the area of cancer immunology, he had to learn a completely new field in very little time.
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The goal of his research is to identify and characterize immune response against melanoma with the possible aim of designing an anti-tumor vaccine. In a cancer patient, there is a certain degree of crosstalk between immune system and cancer cells. This process takes place in three phases: First, the foreign cells are eliminated as far as possible. This is followed by a delicate balance, in which cancer growth is kept in check by the immune system. This phase is called equilibrium. At some point in time, an individual cancer cell may 'escape' and proliferate. Each phase can be of different length. Only if this natural reaction is better understood, will it be possible to develop an efficient vaccine, which accelerates and boosts the natural process. Therefore, the young researcher examines the blood of melanoma patients for the activity of their immune response. He is especially interested in the CD4 and CD8 T cells which recognize foreign proteins. T cells are immunomagnetically purified from patient’s blood and used in various immunological assays in order to determine their frequency and the exact part of the corresponding protein they are specific for.
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The vaccine would not be administered as a preventive measure, but in the early stages of a cancer and in an ideal setting patients would be under constant surveillance. Whether such a vaccine is effective or not, has been discussed for a long time. "Our area of research has gone through a lot of ups and downs!" the young cancer scientist states. Today it is clear, however, that a vaccine can retard cancer growth. The best proof are patients, who no longer believed it possible to survive and today, 20 years later, are still alive. In these patients it was possible to prolong the equilibrium-phase, in which the immune system controls cancer growth.
Having such a clear goal in mind is a great motivation, says Natko. Of course, basic research is important too, but he appreciates the direct reference to life and is glad to be able to solve a very specific problem. He enjoys his work, so he doesn't mind the long hours every now and then or the fact that occasionally he has to go to the laboratory at the weekend, to make sure the tissue cultures do not die off. To counterbalance the concentration at the bench, he likes to go rowing or cycling. He is also glad that as a PhD student, he can still enjoy student life. "Of course one has to work hard, but it’s not quite a full job yet". He could imagine doing a postdoc after his PhD – somewhere, most likely neither in Switzerland nor in Croatia. But this is still far away and ’then I will probably have to start all over again’.
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Natko Nuber is a PhD student in the Clinic for Oncology at the University Hospital of Zurich and is a member of the PhD program for cancer biology
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Author: Dr. Petra Bättig-Frey |
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Life Science Zurich Graduate School |
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How can a student apply for a position, how is he or she accepted and what does the graduate school offer, besides a job in an outstanding research group? Find out everything about the Life Science Zurich Graduate School in the following overview.
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Our research might help people in Africa |
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Martin Stupak works in the Institute of Plant Science at the ETH Zurich. For him it is important to work in applied research and he hopes that one day, people in Africa will benefit from the results of his research. Read the interview with Martin and find out what exactly he is trying to achieve and why he is doing his PhD in Zurich.
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A day in the life of a brain researcher |
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Accompany Irin Maier, a PhD student in the Brain Research Institute, during one day and watch her taking care of her rats and training them or preparing tissue sections. At the end of the day after a discussion, the group meeting and a sportive break Irin looks forward to a refreshing beer!
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