Ľudmila Kvašňovská is a 4th year student at the English Bilingual Grammar School in Čadca. In 2022, she went through the ICRC Academy weekend seminar, which started her journey into science. In this interview, she reveals how she made her way from her hometown of Staškov in northern Slovakia, through the ICRC Academy and an internship in one of our research teams, to the forefront of the Slovak Secondary School Vocational Activity (SOČ) competition.

How did you find out about the ICRC Academy?

A friend recommended the ICRC Academy seminar to me, which she herself had previously attended.

How do you rate your participation? What did it give you?

What I appreciated the most was the opportunity to intern at a top research center while still in high school. I gained a lot of experience from planning experiments to analyzing and interpreting results. Moreover, I worked in a great team and had an amazing mentor, Ing. Petru Lázničkovou, Ph.D. I would definitely recommend an internship at the ICRC to anyone with a passion for science and research.

What did you do in your research?

I was investigating potential biomarkers, i.e. measurable indicators, of chronic inflammation associated with aging. These included inflammatory cytokines, soluble CD163 protein and free mitochondrial DNA in human plasma. I was able to find that the soluble protein sCD163 could be used for early diagnosis of chronic inflammation in the elderly and thus prevent the development of various chronic diseases. This protein is present in blood plasma and is produced by immune cells when inflammation occurs in the body.

Why did you choose this particular area of research, what made you decide to do it?

I was already interested in the field of immunoregulation, which is the study of the properties and regulation of the immune system. I liked it so much that I was happy to accept the offer to join Dr. Frič’s Cellular and Molecular Immunoregulation team at the ICRC.

Was the internship time consuming?

The internship lasted 4 months from August to December 2022. In total, I spent more than 70 hours in the labs.

What are your future plans? Are you considering a scientific career?

It was through the ICRC Academy that I realised where I want to take my career. I will be applying to study medicine next year and I would very much like to pursue a scientific career alongside my studies and work. I have also participated in the Slovak SOČ with my research project that I carried out within the ICRC.

Please tell us more about the SOČ.

It is a competition in which high school students can create a professional paper on a chosen topic. They have a supervisor with whom they consult their results. They then have to defend their work publicly in the various rounds of the competition. I see this as a great opportunity to develop a project with an interesting topic that is really similar to the level of a bachelor’s or master’s thesis. I have always wanted to try working in a research centre and share my results further, and the ICRC Academy and the SOČ have made this possible.

How did you do in the SOČ?

My project made it to the national final, which took place on 26-28 April 2023. I competed for the Healthcare and Pharmacology category, where 16 projects from all over Slovakia advanced from the regional rounds, and the competition was really high. In addition to the presentation, there was also a debate with the expert evaluation committee, which I had no problem with thanks to the ICRC Academy, and I ended up winning. Unfortunately, my category will not continue from the national round, but I plan to compete with my project at the AMAVET Science and Technology Festival in the autumn, so my competition is definitely not over yet.

How do you spend your free time?  

Apart from science, I am actively involved in The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award (DofE for short). The aim of the programme is to promote the holistic development of young people’s abilities through long-term and regular activities in several areas: e.g. developing new skills, exercise or volunteering. Participants can receive an internationally recognised certificate – Bronze (minimum 6 months of performance), Silver (minimum 12 months of performance) and Gold (minimum 18 months of performance). My focus at the gold level is primarily on German language study. In the sports category, I am involved in gymnastics and acrobatics, and as part of my volunteer work I run gymnastics classes for children at a local dance club. I also like to exercise and I really enjoy studying languages and art.

Thank you for the interview and I wish you continued success in science and other activities!

Author: Marta Vrlová, M.A., MPH, Senior PR Specialist ICRC, marta.vrlova@fnusa.cz.

Media contact: Ing. Jiří Erlebach, Head of PR and Marketing Dpt, FNUSA Spokesperson, +420 543 182 006. jiri.erlebach@fnusa.cz.

He is 43 years old and holds 4 ERC grants. Since January, he has been working at the International Clinical Research Center (ICRC) of the St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno and the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University, where he is currently building his research team. In our interview we talked not only about what brought him to the ICRC, but also about the importance of scientific mobility or writing ERC projects.

You studied electrical engineering, but now you’re a neuroscientist. Was that the plan from the beginning, or did it just happen?

At the beginning of my career, I never thought that I would one day be a full-time neuroscientist. But I certainly couldn’t do what I do today if I didn’t have the education I have. I have a degree in theoretical electrical engineering. I progressed from being an engineer through many interesting research topics to neuroscience and focused on applying new technology to clinical research.

The field shift was mainly made possible by ERC grants. I was an engineer, but I got a project from the European Research Council to do experiments on mice that had our devices implemented. Today I have a clinical research grant, but I am certainly not a clinical neuroscientist who routinely works with patients. But maybe when we interview together in five years, I will be.

You’ve lived in many countries in your lifetime…

I was born in Canada, and moved with my parents to West Texas as a kid, where I did my undergraduate and graduate studies. I moved to Germany for my PhD and then to France. Subsequently, I travelled extensively between France and Sweden. And now I have settled down at the ICRC in Brno, Czech Republic. In order for scientists to do cutting-edge research, not only money is important, but also mobility, because it allows you to take advantage of the infrastructural advantages of the workplace, such as extremely expensive equipment or laboratories and other facilities.

Do you enjoy the new beginnings that come with every move?

Even though I live in Brno now, I still travel a lot, as I am involved in many scientific collaborations. I love travelling. New beginnings are interesting, I enjoy learning new languages and getting to know the culture of different countries. But I don’t see moving around Europe as a major change, because all countries have a similar culture in some sense and I know what to expect. Even if each country is different, it’s still Europe. I wonder what it’s like to make a “real move” and look at Asia, Africa or the Middle East for example. Not that I plan to, but it would certainly be a very different experience.

Do you think the ICRC will be your last destination?

It certainly has all the qualities to be one. I can say for sure that I will spend the next 5 years here. I have a big ERC Consolidator grant here and a few other smaller projects, so I really have a lot of money to do the research I want to do. The support I have at the ICRC is also phenomenal.

What were the main reasons that brought you to the ICRC?

The main reason was that the ICRC is a very friendly and welcoming host institution, with not only excellent scientists but also excellent administrative staff. They are all very supportive in giving me access to everything I need. A secondary reason is also partly personal. I spent a lot of time in Germany, so it feels familiar and reminds me of where I spent time with my children when they were young.

Do you have a specific example of a situation that surprised you by going smoothly?

When I arrived, I spent several weeks preparing documents for the ethics committee to work on my grants. We didn’t even have to wait a month for some of them to be approved. In France, we would have waited a year. It’s not because it’s easy to get permission in the Czech Republic, but the system is very efficient. The Commission was very cautious about ethics and research safety. We answered all the uncertainties, and by the next day we had a reply that our document was provisionally approved, but we had to make some additional changes. And they were still apologising for taking so long.

You’re currently looking for PhD students, postdocs and technical staff, and you’re building a new research team in Brno. Is this the first time you’re building a team from the ground up?

It’s the second time. The first ERC Starting grant I got to start a research group was in Marseilles, France. I built a new team there, but then the end of the grant and the outbreak of the pandemic came together. Moreover, at that time all my students, except one PhD student, had finished their studies. Today they are postdocs all over the world and two of them are even at prestigious universities in the USA. I am very proud of them because it is not usual for French students to get jobs in the US.

What are some of your mistakes that you will learn from in the second round of building your research team?

I made a lot of mistakes the first time, especially on the administrative level. I think I was often, and sometimes unnecessarily, arrogant and confrontational. In France, it is extremely difficult to organize any kind of research. My experience is that the work ethic there is not the highest. In addition, I had the misfortune of being there during a pandemic when everything was subdued. And even though I knew what the French work habits were, I often pushed too hard and tried to get better conditions. Today I know that even if you’re right, you have to be more diplomatic.

Have you had to learn to deal with people who are not necessarily scientists but are in decision-making positions?

I have changed a lot in this respect over the last few years. Today, if I deal with directors, deans or heads of departments, I am very moderate. I know now that I can’t walk into a meeting wearing a sweatshirt, start acting like it’s an informal scientific meeting, and pretend to be the smartest person in the room. I’m going to put on a shirt and respect that these people know how their institutions operate on a day-to-day basis and I have to adapt to that. I may think they’re wrong, but I discuss things and look for compromises. And I try to move things forward.

You have 4 ERC grants. I don’t doubt that you have great scientific ideas, but do you think that your success is also due to the fact that you simply learned to write ERC grants well?

I think I’m very efficient in the way I write them, but anyone can be. An ERC grant application is a space where you can let your creativity run wild and describe a very complex and interesting problem and propose a solution to it, but you can afford to leave the ending open. Everything must be based on facts and strong arguments. I really like this system of ERC projects. I find writing them fulfilling and fun.

ERC grants are different from the similarly prestigious US NIH grants. My experience is that NIH grants are very dense and clearly written documents. It’s one sentence with many citations after another. And the experimental part of the project looks like a perfectly described spaghetti recipe. You describe every detail of what you’re going to do. ERC grant applications are very different in this respect.

What will you be doing in your latest ERC project?

Very briefly, we will be looking at techniques that allow deep brain structures to be stimulated from surface electrodes, which can contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of certain diseases such as epilepsy, tremor or cognitive impairment. Non-invasive stimulation of the vagus nerve from electrodes placed on the patient’s neck can help treat epilepsy or Crohn’s disease, while stimulation of the sublingual nerve can improve symptoms of sleep apnoea.

So you have a clear research direction for the next 5 years.

Anyone who gets an ERC project has to use the money to meet the objectives set out in the project. My goals seem meaningful to me now, but the path to them may be very varied. When I did my first ERC project, I was working on very different research at the end of it than at the beginning, because I realised halfway through that I hadn’t seen the translational potential of the technology towards patients at the beginning. We created a second independent line of research, explained everything in the project documentation and pursued a new direction because it seemed to me the most sensible use of the money. I will take the same approach now. If in a few years it turns out that what I wrote in the grant application when I submitted it doesn’t make sense in the context of current knowledge, I’ll change my research direction.

 

Author: Vědavýzkum.cz (TM)

Photo: ICRC

Article adapted for the ICRC website with permission of the author.

 

Adam Williamson

Adam Williamson is a new addition to the International Clinical Research Center (ICRC) of FNUSA and LF MU in the field of neuroscience. The Canadian, who studied theoretical electrical engineering in Texas, received his PhD from the University of Ilmenau in Germany. He has worked in Sweden at the prestigious Karolinska Institutet and other universities. His last workplace before coming to Brno was the Inserm Institute in France.

From an engineer he gradually became a neuroscientist with the ability to apply new technologies to clinical research. His research has received significant support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the EU Horizon Europe programme. He is the recipient of a total of four ERC grants (ERC Starting Grant in 2016, ERC Proof-of-Concept in 2020, ERC Proof-of-Concept in 2022 and ERC Consolidator in 2023). He is now transferring the latter two to the ICRC for implementation, the second of which is entitled Epilepsy Treatment Using Neuromodulation by Non-Invasive Temporal Interference Stimulation (EMUNITI). The grant promises five years of research support for a team called “Neuromodulation Technology” that Adam Williamson is building at the ICRC.

Since 2016, the Outpatient Clinic for Oncology Follow-up Care under the direction of Tomáš Kepák, M.D., Ph.D., has been operating in the premises of St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno (FNUSA). It offers care to patients who have undergone oncological treatment in childhood. It responds to the development of knowledge about the long-term effects of treatment on the later state of immunity, cell aging, or the premature development of chronic diseases. In line with the current European trends, the follow-up care services are now moving into the psychosocial field alongside purely medical care. Mgr. Lucie Štrublová is in charge of nutritional counselling. Being a childhood cancer survivor herself, she shared her experience and insights with us in an interview.

Please tell us your story.

Dr. Kepak calls me a woman of several roles (laughs). I was treated for a neuroendocrine tumour from the age of 10 to 15. My illness then led me to choose my profession. I graduated as a nutritionist at the Medical Faculty of Masaryk University (LF MU), where I am also currently finishing my PhD. In 2015, together with two other healed friends, I founded the association Společně k úsměvu, z.s. (Together to Smile). As a patient organization, we collect the experiences of other people affected by childhood treatment to form a rich nationwide network. We feel there is a need to share our experiences with each other in an effort to support children, teens, young adults and their families during and after the challenging cancer treatment. We seek to do this through a number of projects.

But my greatest achievement in life is my daughter Anita.

How long have you been working in the Outpatient Clinic for Oncology Follow-up Care at FNUSA?

I have been at the outpatient clinic since January 1, 2023 as a nutritional therapist, but we have been working together since 2018 when I came as a researcher as part of my dissertation. I study the role of adipokines as predictors for the development of cardiometabolic risk in young adults after childhood and adolescent cancer. Adipokines are proteins in our body that are produced by our adipose tissue cells and also influence various metabolic and hormonal functions in our body. With our research team, led by Professor Julia Dobrovolna from the Faculty of Medicine, we are trying to find out what the production of selected adipokines in adipose tissue looks like in patients just after treatment.

What specifically is your task in your new role as a nutritional therapist?

I provide targeted nutritional counselling for patients who have a referral from their physician. We discuss proper lifestyle choices together and I assess their nutritional status. Based on my findings, I then provide patients with individualized plan to establish appropriate eating habits.

What is the waiting time for your services?

So far 1-2 weeks.

What difficulties do patients most often come with?

The most common are overweight, obesity or lipid spectrum disorders, i.e. imbalances in blood lipid levels. These problems often go hand in hand with cancer treatment. Some diagnoses are at risk of developing overweight or obesity and associated cardiometabolic problems after treatment. Examples of these diagnoses include acute lymphoblastic leukaemia or brain tumours. The development of overweight and obesity in these diagnoses is influenced by the interplay of several factors, of which the treatment itself, such as cranial radiation or hormone therapy, is a very important factor. Frequent physical limitations, which can be seen especially in patients after brain tumours, or poor education of parents or patients themselves about nutrition after treatment, also play a role. When dealing with these difficulties, I always try to take an individual approach with each patient.

How can nutrition affect the course of treatment?

Nutrition is an important part of supportive care during the treatment itself. A patient’s body that is malnourished responds less well to the treatment administered, has a higher risk of developing certain complications, and if they have had surgery, their wounds are slower to heal.

How long do you care for a particular outpatient?

So far, I am starting my activity and I am scanning the needs of the patients. I see patients who need longer-term cooperation, but also patients who I see 2-3 times.

Is there a story that sticks in your mind?

Definitely yes. I have worked with a young woman during my research, who went through a challenging cancer treatment in her teens. She was then faced with a secondary tumour again as an adult. We first met when she was very overweight, and that was very distressing. She did not feel comfortable in her own body, which was uncomfortable. When you’ve had such a challenging treatment, it leaves marks on your body. And especially treatment in adolescence doesn’t really boost self-esteem.

That’s when we started working together to change. She was very motivated and interested in nutrition, and she started moving regularly, running, exercising. Gradually her weight started to change, the amount of body fat dropped rapidly, and she started to feel good. Last week she had a consultation with me. I saw a confident woman and sitting in front of me, who had lost 10 kilos and felt like herself again.

Does your work extend beyond the walls of the practice – for example, by creating recommended practices for professional societies?

That’s my goal for the future. However, I don’t yet have the data and practical experience to create any practices.

The trend in cancer care now is to cover needs comprehensively, in collaboration with downstream disciplines such as yours. Do you think we are succeeding?

We are definitely doing better than in previous years.

How important is it for patients to support people who have gone through the same fate? 

That support is crucial. Knowing that there are people somewhere who have experienced the same thing as me and can live a good life, can give me a helping hand and understanding.

To share your experience, you founded the aforementioned association Společně k úsměvu, z.s. Could you give us more details of the individual projects you are dealing with?

Our aim is to support children who are currently undergoing treatment and to help those who have completed treatment and are struggling with some of the late effects of treatment, such as psychosocial difficulties, nutritional problems, dental problems or fertility disorders. It is through individual projects that the association provides this help. In particular, I would mention the Wise Guide project, which is set up as a mentoring programme. A team of our experts trains a cured patient to become a mentor, who then provides support to children and families in the Department of Paediatric Oncology at the University Hospital Brno.

We also have a Self-Help Group project, which is a support group for people who are struggling with some of the late effects after treatment. The group is coordinated directly by a psychotherapist. It meets once every 2 weeks.

But a big part of our work is the Astra project, which is dedicated to the late effects of treatment. We are responsible for raising awareness of the late effects of cancer treatment through webinars, workshops and the production of educational texts and publications on the subject.

Besides nutrition, what topics do you think are important to communicate in relation to childhood cancer treatment – which the general society is not aware of?

There are a number of topics: discrimination in the labour market, life insurance or accessing a mortgage. The medical history that has been with the patient throughout his or her life plays a central role in these situations. Nowadays, in some European countries, the so-called ‘right to be forgotten’ has been approved for precisely these reasons. However, the return of patients to schools and communication with teachers and pupils in the classroom about the specific needs of these individuals is also problematic. This also includes depression, anxiety or fertility disorders.

How can clients seek your help? 

In the Outpatient clinic, a physician refers patients for nutritional counselling. Within the association, you can reach us on our website or through social media.

Is there anything you would like to say to paediatric patients?

You are not alone!

And what would you say to the society in which the (cured) patients move?

The fact that at first glance you cannot see problems of a person after oncological treatment does not mean that he/she does not face them. There are many health problems and indispositions that are hidden and very difficult for us to communicate with someone who has not gone through the disease. Whether it’s chronic fatigue that prevents us from living life as we were used to before, even years after treatment, or whether it’s depression or anxiety that a large percentage of patients struggle with. Be considerate.

Thank you for the interview.

 

Author: Marta Vrlová, M.A., MPH, Senior PR Specialist ICRC, marta.vrlova@fnusa.cz.

Contact for media: Ing. Jiří Erlebach. Head of PR and Marketing, Spokesperson, FNUSA, +420 543 182 006. jiri.erlebach@fnusa.cz.