Name: Daniela Nachmanson
Hometown: Seattle, Washington
Hobbies: Backpacking, baking, reading
Lab: Harismendy Lab, UCSD
What do you study?
I work with a group studying the DNA of precancer. Precancer is a group of cells which is not normal, yet not quite cancer, despite some “cancer-like” characteristics. Almost every type of cancer: oral, lung, skin colon, breast, has a corresponding precancer. Interestingly, in some individuals precancer will revert back to normal cells while in others it may progress to cancer.
Why is it important?
Historically we have focused on researching and designing drugs for cancer when it has grown quite large or spread, making it more challenging to treat. In studying precancer, our goal is to identify and understand cancer at its earliest stages, by finding genetic mutations that can predict progression or identifying patterns of growth we can stop, with the ultimate goal of making cancer a preventative disease.
What piqued your interest in science?
I have always been very interested in medicine and in helping treat patients, so for a long time I wanted to be a doctor. After spending time in hospitals, I decided that while I found the work meaningful, I liked the science behind the medicine more than the actual practice. I found a love for combining computer science, biology and medicine to help research, discover and improve treatments, behind the scenes.
What do you like about being a scientist?
There is always so much to learn! I love connecting with other scientists who specialize in areas I am less familiar with and exchanging ideas and gaining new perspectives from one another. Science is also a never ending puzzle, while we are exploring space we still don’t even entirely understand how a single cell on the tip of our finger works.
What are 5 general vocabulary terms someone should know going into your field of science?
DNA, gene, mutation, algorithm, cancer,
What are 5 specific vocabulary terms someone should know about your research?
precancer, biomarker, predictive model, immune microenvironment, phylogenetic tree