From a molecular crush to the fight against cancer

Gabriela Novoa arrived in Pamplona from Colombia (Bogota) when she was just a child. Today, years later, she is researching in the Cima. Her path, which began almost by chance, reflects the passion of those who find in science a way to help people.

Love for the little things

At the age of eighteen, the time when one must choose degree program university degree program , Gabriela enjoyed the mathematics, physics and biology classes at Miravalles high school in Pamplona. That's why she initially decided to study medicine. "I took the entrance examination and got on the waiting list," she recalls. Her sister, María Fernanda, now a professor at the School of Communication, told her about the wonders of studying at Universidadser. "I admit I never had a plan B," she confesses. "The University of Navarra or nothing."

Finally, Gabriela chose to study Biochemistry . She still fondly remembers her first Cell Biology class with Professor María Elena Bodegas. That session dazzled her. "It was my first crush on the molecular, on the tiny things," she confesses with a smile. The seed of her research vocation came, however, later. It was in the third year of the degree program, thanks to the Research Training Program, which allows students to advance their TFG and dedicate a year and a half to research in a real laboratory . The assignment of projects was decided by grade: according to the student's position in the ranking, he/she chose the researcher he/she wanted to work with or the project he/she found most interesting. When it was Gabriela's turn to choose, second to last on the list, there were only a few options left. "You can imagine: all my favorite projects had already been chosen...".

He then spoke with the project coordinator, Ana Rouzaut, who advised him to join the group of Dr. Silve Vicent, his current thesis director . "She introduced me to the project and also to the PhD student I was going to help in his research. I also met the great work team. That was my first contact with a laboratory. I loved the experience and it motivated me to collaborate and learn more," she says. That experience finally convinced her: her future lay in research.

Nearing the end of his time as a student, he went to Dr. Vicent, who had supervised his TFG and his Master's Degree work , and told him of his interest in continuing his research: he wanted to know what steps to take next. "You will always have a place here. If you want to do your thesis with me, go ahead", he replied.

Gabriela speaks of her mentor as a patient person, someone who gives her generous time. For her, he represents, in every sense of the word, a figure who knows the subject well and who financial aid her to think. Both are resilient in the face of negative outcomes, when they occur, and look for new courses of action. 

research in targeted cancer therapies

The experimentation process implies a long and slow procedure . Of trial and error, of repeating and insisting, but not giving up. This is how Gabriela works on her thesis topic , with patience and discipline.

She explains that the current treatment of pancreatic cancer is usually palliative. Depending on the stage, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or immunotherapy is applied, although with modest results. Gabriela is researching new strategies to improve the efficacy of targeted cancer therapies. She uses a tool based on CRISPR-Cas9 technology, which allows very precise DNA editing. Using this system, she silences thousands of different genes in mouse models of pancreatic cancer in order to identify which of them make the tumors more sensitive to certain treatments.

In his work, he uses what he calls abookshop Genetics": a set of modified tumor cells, each with a different gene inactivated. CRISPR works like a molecular scalpel," he explains. If you give it a guide, it looks for the exact DNA sequence that matches it, cuts it and causes what we call a knockout, i.e., gene silencing. Thanks to this strategy, it is possible to detect which genes, when eliminated, make the cells respond better to targeted therapies, opening the door to new, more effective treatment combinations.

Flamenco and needles

Outside the laboratory, Gabriela heels. She has been attending dance classes for a year now and tells us that, little by little, she is improving her steps in sevillanas and flamenco. She has also tried dancing with a shawl and has castanets as a pending task. "Dancing is an art that takes time".

Exploring the unknown doesn't scare him. She studied Chinese until her doctorate stole all the hours of her day. Now she prefers activities more compatible with her diary: crochet, for example. "A colleague invited several of us doctoral students to knit. My grandmother taught me as a child, so I took up the hobby again." Needles and yarn put her mind at ease after the pipettes and the microscope.

He still has a long way to go, but his committee is clear: "If you have the desire, go ahead. The important thing is not to get there fast, but to get to where you really want to be. He adds: "Exploring is never a waste of time.