Tríona Ní Chonghaile. Image: Lafayette Photography
As our population ages, the already heavy burden of cancer continues to increase. We hear from a cancer researcher on how her work tackles this issue.
From her earliest days, Dr Tríona Ní Chonghaile has been interested in how living things work, inspired in no small part by her mother who worked as a biology teacher. She has turned that young passion into a successful career as a cancer researcher, working to improve our understanding and treatment of leukaemia.
Ní Chonghaile is an associate professor in the Physiology and Medical Physics Department at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, where she runs the Targeted Therapeutics in Cancer Lab. She completed a PhD in biochemistry at the University of Galway before undertaking postdoctoral research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School. In 2014, she moved back to Ireland to join the Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science where she worked on identifying novel therapeutics for triple-negative breast cancer.
Here, Ní Chonghaile tells us more about her current research and why it’s important.
Tell us about your current research.
The Targeted Therapeutics in Cancer Lab started in 2015 with one PhD student and one postdoctoral researcher. Currently, there are three postdocs and four PhDs working in the lab.
A certain type of leukaemia called multiple myeloma is currently incurable. While the patient often responds well to the treatment initially, eventually, the tumour returns and becomes more difficult to treat.
We are now growing multiple myeloma patient samples in the lab, trying to understand the cell death signalling in the cells and identify potentially new vulnerabilities that can be targeted for treatment.
We have looked for new types of small molecules that can kill cancer cells that have become resistant to cell death. Currently, we are trying to improve the structure of the small molecules to make them more drug-like.
We work closely with haematologist Prof Siobhan Glavey at Beaumont Hospital/Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre.
In your opinion, why is your research important?
Our research is important because in an aging population, cancer is becoming an ever-increasing burden and a global challenge for society. Globally, one in six deaths are caused by cancer and this burden is predicted to increase significantly in coming years.
Our goal is to identify treatments with fewer or limited side effects to improve the treatment for elderly patients.
Multiple myeloma is the second most common form of blood cancer with 384 patients being diagnosed each year in Ireland and the average age of patients is around 68. Our goal is to identify treatments for when the cancer returns and is more difficult to treat and with fewer side effects.
What inspired you to become a researcher?
This is an easy one for me to answer! My mum was my biology teacher, and she did a fantastic job at showing us every experiment in the science book. I loved the experimental side of science, testing what happened when you covered a leaf with tin foil so it couldn’t get any sun.
I also have memories of watching a French cartoon called ‘Once Upon a Time … Life’. I loved the format – it would show a kid running and cutting their knee and then inside the body how platelets come together to stop the bleeding and close the wound. I think that also played a part in my interest in biology.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face as a researcher in your field?
One of the biggest challenges as a researcher is maintaining the funding to continue to do research. My lab has been fortunate to be funded by Breakthrough Cancer Research, the Irish Cancer Society, Science Foundation Ireland and the Irish Research Council.
Funding science and cancer research ensures that we are prepared to tackle future health crises and that we train the next generation of scientists that can push boundaries and respond to future health challenges.
Do you think public engagement with science and data has changed in recent years?
I think during Covid-19 everyone was a scientist and gained a new understanding of how vaccines work. I also think that sometimes people turn to non-reputable locations for their knowledge. It is so hard as there is so much data and information online that knowing what is trustworthy and believable is difficult.
How do you encourage engagement with your own work?
Our research was funded by Breakthrough Cancer Research and last year our lab was involved with a documentary describing the importance of cancer research ‘Biseach ón Ailse’. This provided us with a chance to meet three cancer survivors Evelyn O’Rourke, Catríona Greene and Ann Marie O’Sullivan and to learn of their journey through diagnosis and treatment. It was such a privilege to be involved in this documentary through Irish (albeit mine was a bit rusty). Patient involvement in research is so important to ensure that our research is focused on what is important for the patient.
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