Cancer remains one of the leading causes of premature death across Europe and around the world. And it’s not just a health issue, it also carries a strong emotional weight. For many people, the word “cancer” is linked to fear and uncertainty. Cancer can affect anyone, and although treatments continue to improve, they are often still aggressive and can have serious side effects. Even so, we are making real progress.
For the first episode of the second season of the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) English podcast, ‘Science With A View’, we hear from two early-career researchers working on different aspects of cancer biology. Heleen Jungen has just started her PhD at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL Barcelona), while Julia Urgel has just finished her PhD at the Center for Genomics Regulation (CRG) and the Department of Medicine and Life Sciences at the Pompeu Fabra (MELIS-UPF).
In the episode, they share their current work on metabolism in non-small cell lung cancer and the progression of pulmonary neuroendocrine lung cancer while also looking ahead to how personalized medicine could shape future treatments. Beyond the science, we explore their different paths into research, the realities of finding a PhD, and what life in academia feels like when you’re just starting out.
During the episode we’ll dive in their work and discuss why is cancer so hard to treat. Understanding that we’re treating cancer as a one disease when each cancer should be considered one disease itself, and the fact that not all cells in a tumor are the same can make some of them not to respond to a specific treatment in the same way.
As two researchers at the start of their careers, Helen and Júlia also talk about what it’s like navigating academia, the process of choosing and doing a PhD, and what the future might hold for them. In the final section, ‘Voice of the PRBB’, our residents will answer a broader question: do they see themselves staying in academia, or do they imagine a different path that motivates them most?
Listen now to this episode of ‘Science With A View’ and let us know in the comments: do you see yourself staying in academia or do you think your path might take you somewhere else?
