Frontiers in brain tumor research and empowering women in STEM
In this interview we speak with Karen Noble from Brain Tumour Research (UK) about her career in cancer research, with a particular focus on the ground-breaking research taking place in neuro-oncology, pushing forward our understanding of conditions such as glioblastoma.
What motivated you to pursue a career in oncology and how have you overcome challenges along the way?
After completing my PhD in immunology in the late 90s, I undertook a couple of postdoctoral positions in London before making the decision to transfer my skills and knowledge to a research management role at Wellcome Trust (London, UK). There I led the Immunology and Infectious Disease team managing the portfolio of funded research. Looking for a more strategic role, I moved to Cancer Research UK to head up the Research Careers and Cancers of Unmet Need functions. This was my first exposure to oncology research and the community of talented scientists and clinicians who work within it. It inspired me so much that I have stayed in cancer, with a short spell with the NHS England Cancer Programme leading the Innovation team and now with Brain Tumour Research as Director of Research, Policy and Innovation.
I have been motivated to stay and develop a career in oncology because of the terrible impact cancer has on patients and their loved ones. For example, brain tumors kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer. Just 12% of those diagnosed with a brain tumor survive beyond 5 years and for some tumours, such as glioblastoma, the prognosis is as little as 12 months. Yet, despite these shocking statistics, only 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002. The work the charity does is to fund research and campaign for greater national investment, bringing much-needed hope to patients and their families, as well as getting us closer to a cure, and that’s incredibly motivating.
In addition, the opportunities for transformation and the application of innovative technologies and tools to make a difference for patients with cancer are huge, which makes it a very exciting and dynamic field to be working in.
Challenges that have emerged along the way I have tackled with the support of my network, which I built up during my career. Having others to turn to for support and advice has been invaluable. They have been a very useful resource in supporting me professionally and practically.
Are there specific areas within brain tumour research that you see opportunities for more women to make significant contributions?
Brain tumour research offers clinicians and researchers a great opportunity to build a career irrespective of gender. It is truly multidisciplinary encompassing for example medical and clinical oncologists, neurosurgeons, pathologists and radiologists as well as discovery, clinical and translational researchers. All of this expertise, and more, is crucial to unlocking the complex puzzle brain tumors pose.
Despite the promise of new targeted approaches in cancer treatment, and whilst huge strides have been made for cancers such as breast and leukemia, brain tumor patients have been left behind with no new treatments for two decades. There is much to still research and understand in order for new discoveries to be translated into better, more effective treatments, and ultimately a cure for all types of brain tumors.
For women wanting to develop a career in oncology, I would encourage them to consider brain tumor research. The research community in the UK, whilst increasing in size, is small compared to those working on the more common cancers, which means that there is huge scope to carve out a position for yourself, really make a difference and have impact. In addition, funders have identified investment into brain tumors as a strategic priority which means there will be calls for funding with the ambition to support more people and spend more. You have to be in it to win it!
How important has mentorship been in your career? Have you had any notable mentors or role models who influenced your journey?
I have been so lucky to work with amazing role models along my career path, including some exceptional bosses who gave me the support and training I needed to build my confidence and expertise. They also sponsored me, putting me forward for new opportunities and exposure so that I felt that I was on a continuous learning curve. Along the way, I have also experienced less impressive managers and I learnt a lot from them too, noting what not to do when I started to build my own teams.
I have also been fortunate to be offered coaching and this was useful in helping me to develop my skills and abilities. Learning from this, and becoming a mentor myself, helped me to broaden my experience and understanding of leadership.
What’s more, during my career I’ve learnt how important it is to have a network and build relationships to both further career goals and find new opportunities.
Are there specific policies or initiatives that you believe could enhance the work of women in STEM careers?
Understanding the challenges faced by women in STEM should not be guesswork nor should it be based on anecdotal feedback. Any policies and initiatives implemented should be informed by the challenges identified so that they address the issues at hand. Approaches to gathering intelligence on real-world barriers should include focus groups and surveys with the constituents to truly ensure that new approaches are fit for purpose and will ultimately deliver on more women remaining in STEM careers.
I have been fortunate in my various roles to lead on and introduce new initiatives to support women in STEM. These included mentoring schemes which matched female researchers with others in the same field and speciality, to gain skills and share experiences, with the goal of supporting those women to become future leaders and role models for those following.
Initiatives providing support from women in other sectors to those in STEM have also been well received. To succeed in a career, the skills and competencies required are applicable irrespective of the profession – hearing how women in legal, marketing or entrepreneur roles have succeeded can be very beneficial and help women to grow in their own roles. I have witnessed true friendships being established, with the learning flowing between mentor and mentee.
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There will be times when women need to take maternity leave, this can’t be denied. These breaks tend to happen at the height of professional training and when women are building their careers. When devising funding schemes, or training for those working in STEM, it is important to ensure that women are not disadvantaged by the rules and frameworks. For example, doctors undertaking a cancer research PhD during their specialist training have traditionally been 50% female. However, there is huge attrition as these women progress through an oncology academic clinical career with many leaving research and not reaching the more senior levels. As such, offering the flexibility to train for a PhD at the time that best suits the individual rather than the system should be supported.
In addition, early career applicants should be able to apply for support when is best for them rather than being forced into premature submissions because of artificial cut-offs. Assessment should be made on research achievements and potential, independence demonstrated and the skills gained. This will ensure that the most talented, committed and those with the best research ideas are funded.
Could you tell us about the latest developments in brain tumour research and what projects the charity is currently focusing on?
The vision of Brain Tumour Research is to find a cure for all types of brain tumours. Our mission is to increase the UK investment in research to £35 million a year while fundraising to create a sustainable network of seven Brain Tumour Research Centres of Excellence across the UK. Currently, we are funding research at four Centres of Excellence, at Imperial College London, University of Plymouth, Queen Mary University of London and the Institute of Cancer Research, London (all UK).
Our Centres focus on a number of different types and aspects of brain tumors in order to give us the best chance of finding effective treatments and lifesaving surgical tools which will improve both longevity and quality of life. At Imperial College London the team is delivering projects which will transform neurosurgery and imaging to improve patient outcomes whilst the laboratory team is studying brain tumor metabolism. Just recently, our Imperial Centre supported a clinical study which has shown that a simple blood test could be used to help diagnose high-grade glioma tumors, meaning that patients could be spared high-risk, invasive surgery.
The Plymouth team has a world-leading track record in researching low-grade brain tumors, which can present life-long challenges for the patient. By identifying and understanding the mechanism that makes a cell become cancerous, the team is exploring ways to halt or reverse this. Recent news from this Centre has included the development of a new technique to grow meningioma tumour cells in the laboratory, providing an improved platform for drug discovery and testing which may increase the success of future clinical trials.
At Queen Mary University of London, the team is using glioblastoma (GBM) stem cells obtained from people who have undergone surgery and comparing them with neural stem cells that have been generated in the laboratory from healthy brain cells of the same patient. Comparing healthy stem cells with cancerous stem cells from the same person has provided vital information about which genes are likely to play a role in the development and maintenance of GBM.
And finally, our Centre at the Institute of Cancer Research is focused on looking to robustly test and validate treatments for pediatric-type diffuse high-grade gliomas, a collection of childhood brain tumors with extremely poor clinical outcomes. The Centre was launched in Autumn 2023, so the team is currently being recruited with PhD students due to start their training later this year. Once at capacity, we are excited to see the outputs as the team strives to identify new treatments that will benefit children and young adults with high-grade glioma.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Oncology Central or Taylor & Francis Group.
