Email:听marina.fukano [at] mail.mcgill.ca
Research Area: Breast Cancer Metabolism
Department:听Biochemistry
Faculty supervisor:听Dr. Morag Park
Tell us a bit about yourself:听I am a听Ph.D. student originally from Japan and also lived in Poland when I was younger. I came to Canada six years ago to study Biomedical Science at the University of Ottawa. My supervisor is Dr. Morag Park and I also have a supervisor from the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Dr. Genevi猫ve Deblois.
1. Why did you choose the GCRC?听I realized early on in my undergraduate studies that I had a passion for cancer research. For my Ph.D. project, I really wanted to study cancer听by collaborating with clinicians. While working on my undergraduate research project at the University of Ottawa, I met a professor who happened to be a previous trainee at the Goodman Cancer Research Centre (GCRC) and who recommended me to come here. I then got to know about Dr. Morag Park鈥檚 research听and I thought it was the perfect fit for what I was looking for. What I like about this place is that all the lab teams work closely together. It鈥檚 a whole community aiming for the same goal to find better treatments for cancer. I was looking for that kind of collaborative environment and I found it here.
2. Tell me about your research in three sentences or less?听My project studies a subtype of breast cancer that still needs more effective targeted therapy. We look at how different cancer cell populations, found within tumours, use different nutrients and communicate with each other. By听understanding the biology of this tumour, we are one听step closer to finding new treatments for patients.
3. What excites you most about doing research?听What I love about my research project is that the models we鈥檙e studying are representative of cancer patients. We鈥檙e also using novel technology that allows us to study tumours very precisely, at single-cell level. I听believe that听findings, whether big or small,听in each research project will听eventually improve the outcome of cancer patients.
4. What is your favorite thing to do outside of the lab?听Dancing 鈥� it鈥檚 my biggest hobby. I鈥檝e done it my whole life. I did ballet when I was younger and in high school, I danced competitively in a team where we choreographed our own pieces. Now in Montr茅al, I鈥檓 doing jazz and taking dance classes in听Les Studios听where many of the instructors are current or former dancers from听Les Grands Ballets. I also love running 鈥� I did a half a marathon a few years ago in Magog!
5. What are your plans after leaving the GCRC?听After graduating, I鈥檇 like to pursue my career in research. My ultimate goal is to become a physician-scientist because I really want to work directly with patients and听conduct research听to contribute to听clinical advancements. That will involve many more听years of school and training, so I still have some way to go!
6. What will you miss the most about听the GCRC?听Definitely the Park lab and the people at the GCRC! Also, as Vice-President of the Goodman Cancer Student Society (and soon becoming co-president!), I鈥檒l definitely miss organizing all the student activities including all the fundraising events and interacting with people at the GCRC through these initiatives! I鈥檝e been fundraising for the听D茅fi Canderel听recently so people should definitely check out our page if they want听to support cancer research at our centre! Here it is:听
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*6 Questions With听is a new GCRC initiative focusing on the students behind the lab coats. Our trainees are the heart and soul of the centre and we want to put a face to the names by learning what they are up to both inside and outside the labs.