Raul Bressan Profile “Life Science Success”
How can a scientist progress with a career in research in the modern working world, make it work for them both personally and professionally, and ensure their own future success? For many, navigating a career in the life sciences can be a challenging journey with hard work and determination running through the core of the individuals that pursue careers in this sector being key.
At the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW, we like to share our success stories to the early career researchers and students in the life science sector. One such story of note that might inspire is the journey of Raul Bressan.
Originally from Brazil, Raul began his journey in his home country, where he completed a Bachelor's in Life Sciences before moving to Scotland to undertake a PhD in Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. After successful completion of his PhD, in 2019 Raul joined Professor Kim Jensen's group, which moved to reNEW Copenhagen node in 2021. There he pursued a postdoc focussing on intestinal epithelial biology.
“During my PhD, I worked on paediatric neuro-oncology, so kind of an overlap between stem cell biology and cancer biology. Then, with Kim, I kind of changed the big topic. We worked on intestinal epithelial biology, both in the context of development but also in terms of regeneration, where we were looking for ways of improving treatment for conditions like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. It was stem cell biology focused but mostly in the context of tissue repair,” said Raul.
Enjoying the opportunity to travel and see the world with his work, Raul will soon move to the National Cancer Research Centre in Madrid, Spain, where he will lead a team within Dr. Manuel Valiente's group, developing a new research line on paediatric neuro-oncology where he will focus his research on high-grade gliomas in children and young adults. This exciting new position will involve grant writing, collaborating with global clinicians, and supervising students as well as work in the lab itself, which Raul states is one of the most enjoyable parts of his work.
“I am looking forward to getting started on this project with the help of a master’s student and potentially a technician. Hopefully, we will soon attract more funds, which will allow us to expand and hire more people,” said Raul.
Brain cancer is typically a disease that affects older people with the average age of diagnosis in the over 60s. In rare cases, aggressive brain cancer may also occur in children and adolescents. What has become evident in recent years is that, although some childhood brain tumours may look a lot like the disease in adults, traditional treatments for adult brain cancer do not work in paediatric patients, and, therefore, the two patient groups must be approached differently.
“I’ll be focussing on a specific type of paediatric brain tumour known as high grade-gliomas. They are the most aggressive type of brain tumours in children, for which there is currently no treatment, and survival time is approximately 12 months after diagnosis,” said Raul.
These tumours appear in very specific areas of the brain and are highly intermingled with healthy brain cells. What Raul wants to understand is why specific regions of the brain are susceptible to these tumours, and how the tumour cells can spread through the brain and interact with healthy cells. In order to do this, Raul must build relationships with other labs across the world to establish key collaborations with clinicians and fellow experts in the field of paediatric neuro-oncology. The hope is that this research will allow a better understanding of how these tumours are initiated and potentially help the development of treatments that can effectively halt tumour growth in paediatric patients.
As well as emphasising the importance of working within Raul’s scientific interests, when interviewed he also expressed the importance of personal happiness, and we at reNEW Copenhagen node are proud to have supported Raul’s work and wish him every success in his new role and future career.