Lena works at the Laboratory for Intravital Imaging and Dynamics of Tumor Progression. Intravital microscopy allows us to follow single cells or tumors over time within living tissues, and it’s the only method to study the behavior of individual tumor cells in their natural microenvironment. “We can read about how tumors begin to develop, but we rarely get to directly observe these processes as they happen. With intravital imaging, we can observe how tumor cells arrive in the tissue, how they interact with their neighboring cells, and we can study their phenotypic behavior and plasticity. In a way, we’re seeing previously invisible processes, and it’s really cool,” says Lena with excitement. 

Lena is the first scientist in her family. Influenced by an early personal experience, she recalls being curious about disease and the human body as a kid. “My grandmother passed away from cancer at a young age. Although I never met her, my mom told us a lot about her. Her story has always stayed with me and definitely influenced my interests in school. I always wanted to learn more about human biology and science.” In university, Lena decided to study biomedical sciences at KU Leuven, which marked the beginning of her research career. 

A few years later, Lena started her PhD in the Laboratory of Hepatology at KU Leuven, where she briefly collaborated with CCB group leader Colinda Scheele in 2021. “It was a really great collaboration and my first exposure to microscopy. Towards the end of my PhD, my PI at the time and Colinda arranged for me to split my time between both labs. I combined finishing my first-author publication with supporting one of the PhD students at CCB. We worked like that for about a year. During that time, we also started to define my project in Colinda’s lab, and we explored whether there could be a long-term opportunity for me.” Lena officially joined CCB as a full-time postdoc in 2025.  

In her current project, Lena focuses on tumor initiation in the context of obesity. “Obesity is known to be associated with a higher risk of cancer development, but many of the underlying mechanisms are still not yet fully understood. In my project, we focus on breast cancer development in obese mice, trying to understand which factors contribute to tumor development, particularly at the very early stages.” To address this, Lena’s work week involves a variety of tasks – from combining experimental lab work with imaging and mouse experiments, to analyzing results and reading up on literature. She also works closely with her colleagues, supports ongoing projects in the lab, and helps drive new research ideas forward.  

Now approaching a full year as a postdoc, Lena appreciates the added independence, responsibility, and novelty of her role. “This research line and environment were completely new to me at first, but that’s also what made it so exciting. Compared to my PhD, I’m now working in a fast-evolving field with more independence. During the transition period, you tend to experience a steep (and necessary) learning curve, which makes you grow tremendously as a researcher. In some ways, I’m still finding my way in this new context, but I’m very happy, and that’s really important to me too.” 

Thank you for choosing CCB to continue pursuing your research career, Lena! We are very happy to have you with us, and we’re looking forward to seeing the outcomes of your project ✨