City of Knowledge 14• Part I. Citizens Telmo

Part I. Citizens

Name: Ana Luísa Correia GABBA Edition: 11th Edition

Telmo Catarino

Favorite Sunday activity: Going to the park with my husband and son, and picking a nice brunch Dream vacation: New Zealand

Favorite non-Portuguese cuisine: Thai Food Hobbies: Hiking, drawing and baking TV show that you binge watched recently: The Blacklist In what way did the GABBA program affect your career? GABBA gave me the chance to do my PhD in the topic I wanted, and anywhere in the world – what a golden opportunity! I chose to go to Berkeley, California, to the lab of Mina Bissell, a pioneer in the field of Cancer Microenvironment. Anything felt possible at Berkeley, and it was inspiring to be

How do you commute: walk/subway/train/walk again surrounded by so many curious, driven and

Pipet tip box usage method (in order, the ones in same area or random): Pretty much random enthusiastic individuals. Being immersed in that atmosphere really pushed me forward,

Friday night drink: Mojito and it certainly shaped the scientist I am today to a large degree.

Karaoke song: Moves Like Jagger (by Maroon 5)

Life motto: Never stop exploring What was the topic of your PhD thesis and how do you think it defined your next steps? My PhD thesis focused on how the microenvironment controls the invasion of new cells into the developing breast. Even though this is a natural developmental process, it is relevant for cancer research because it can be hijacked by tumor cells to invade locally or spread to distant organs and initiate life-threatening metastases. The notion that the microenvironment can be dominant over a malignant genotype has led me to approach the problem of metastasis from a different angle – one which could help stop cancer cells that have spread by forcing their microenvironment to constrain their growth.

In recent years you have moved to Berkeley and then to Switzerland. From all the places you lived in so far, which one is your favorite and why? Berkeley is definitely my favorite. It has a very unique character: artistic, liberal and very focused on sustainable and healthy lifestyles. There was always a new coffee place or restaurant to try out, a free concert or a manifestation in the park. And everything only a short distance away, which allowed me to enjoy riding my bike everywhere during the 365 days of sunshine and 20C per year. How can you beat that?!

As a PhD student and a postdoc in two very different countries what were the main challenges you faced? The most immediate challenge one has upon landing on a different country is to adjust to its culture. I remember my initial shock with the very fast-paced life in the US; people were always on the go, and often had not enough time for a formal, sit-down meal. The Swiss experience was completely different, sometimes even too calm, but always obsessed for having everything neat, on time and by the book. I also struggled a lot with the language... I usually say that life is too short to learn Swiss German!

What were your main self care activities during those times? I really enjoy going for a walk to free up my mind and explore new places.

Now that your postdoc work is finished, what are your future plans? I just joined the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon to lead my own research group on Cancer Dormancy & Immunity. ¤