When she was little, Cristina dreamed of becoming an archaeologist. She wanted to feel the thrill of discovering ancient treasures and unraveling the enigmas of civilizations buried beneath the veil of time. Despite this, her path took an unexpected turn. She chose to study biotechnology, a choice that, paradoxically, allowed her to cultivate those same qualities that she so admired about archeology: tireless search for answers and the meticulous reconstruction of complex systems from fragments of evidence. Today, he focuses his research on the discovery of new drugs to stop cancer. His short career has been recognized with multiple awards and recognitions. The last one, the Farmaindustria Young Researchers 60th Anniversary Awardhas highlighted “its impeccable academic and scientific development, its translational approach and the disruptiveness of its research in the search for new treatments for different types of cancer.”
What motivated you to focus your research on finding new treatments for different types of cancer?
I began to feel concerns in high school when they began to talk to us about cells and their molecular mechanisms, but I have also had a family member who has been diagnosed with cancer. Both questions caused my path to drift towards the search for answers and tangible beneficial options for cancer patients.
What are the main types of cancer on which you have focused your research?
We have focused a lot on pancreatic cancer. Unfortunately, he is one of those who still need effective therapies. Traditional drugs, let’s say what they try to do is inhibit the function of proteins that are deregulated and contribute to the formation of tumors. With this type of traditional drugs you can only attack, so to speak, a number of these malignant proteins. So, we are experts in a type of drugs that, instead of inhibiting, destroy these proteins that tumors need to grow.
How do you get these drugs to destroy malignant proteins?
What we do is attract a kind of “shredder” of proteins that are important for a tumor. Translating it, it is like tricking the evolutionary mechanisms that we all have in our cells to attack those proteins that were previously considered impossible to attack with current drugs. These types of degrading drugs are, right now, one of the most revolutionary techniques. Right now there are more than 30 clinical trials with these drugs. It is something to which both academic groups like ours and pharmaceutical companies are dedicating a lot of effort and attention.
Could this approach be transferred to other types of tumors such as pediatric ones?
Clear. As researchers, we just need to know what the “evil” protein is, the protein that is modified and causes a tumor to grow; and, then, we try to attack it regardless of the type of tumor. In fact, a few weeks ago, they gave us the great news that we were awarded an international project focused on pediatric cancer. I think it is a very interesting niche to help because there is a very pressing need to develop treatments. This initiative, called the Cancer Grand Challenge, has put 25 million into two international teams of scientists to try to develop drugs that can help these children.
The jury of the 60th Anniversary Farmaindustria Young Researchers Award has highlighted the transnational and disruptive approach of your research. What do you consider to be the most disruptive?
On the one hand, with degrading drugs we are opening the range of therapeutic targets. Imagine that these bad proteins are a bicycle. Traditional inhibitor drugs act by putting a spanner in the wheel of the bicycle, so that the bicycle cannot run as fast, it cannot function as well. However, what degrading drugs would do is destroy that bicycle. So, on the one hand, the range of attackable malignant proteins is increased and, on the other hand, they have a greater effect. If 10 years ago it was unthinkable to attack certain proteins to kill a tumor because they were considered untouchable, now it is possible. This type of pharmacology does allow you to attack them.
Are there already degrading drugs that are being used in clinical practice and inspire you to move forward in this direction?
Yes, there is a type of degrader that is already in the clinic, but curiously it was approved without knowing that it was a degrader. It is used with patients who have multiple myeloma. That drug is our incentive, that beacon that tells us that it is possible. We thought: “if we manage to do this thing, which was done almost by chance, in a rational, targeted manner, we will be able to save the lives of patients with other types of cancer.”
How do you see the current panorama of cancer research worldwide? What are the biggest obstacles facing cancer research today?
I am very optimistic in this sense. I was born in 1989, in the decade in which we really began to know what caused cancer. It was not known if the cancer was caused by a virus, caused by a bacteria, or what it was. Thanks, among others, to the Spaniard Mariano Barbacid, it was discovered that cancer was due to mutations in our genes. Look how much we’ve come since then. Now there are more technologies and there is much more knowledge. The more you know about cancer, the more ideas you will have on how to end it. Spectacular discoveries have been developed such as immunotherapy or degrading drugs. If we continue this pace of technological and intellectual advancement, perhaps in a few years we will cure what now seems incurable. Hopefully!
What do you consider to be the biggest scientific challenge you have faced so far?
In research there are days that are very hard. For example, it happens that an experiment you have been working with does not work or does not achieve the objective we wanted. But even learning from these setbacks or challenges is part of the research journey. And to be a researcher you have to be very clear that there will be paths that do not take you to your destination. In those cases, we must remember that what is important here is our scientific curiosity and helping patients.
What message would you like to send to society about the importance of research in oncology?
We must be clear that research into oncological drugs is a long-term career. Everything invested in this will revert to improving the health of society as a whole. That is, it is an investment with a return that works.
What are your future aspirations in the field of biomedical research?
My future aspirations are to try to do my best on two issues. One, to contribute to training the next generation of scientists, and to help them be happy along the way and also find their vocation. I believe that there comes a time when we must give what we receive. I am trying to do the best possible with the people I have in my laboratory, with my team, with the doctoral and postdoctoral students. On the other hand, my aspiration would be that some of the technologies or research that we are doing in the laboratory have a result that benefits patients. I would love that when I am 70 years old I can look back and know that all of this was worth it.