Meet the Investigators

What does being part of the ICRN or affiliated with CCF mean to you?

I feel incredibly happy and proud to be part of this family, surrounded by friends and outstanding scientists and clinicians dedicated to improving the lives of patients with cholangiocarcinoma. Together, we are stronger!

What advice would you give early-career professionals?

Be passionate, positive, collaborative, friendly, tenacious, and open. Always remember that the focus should be on the person—the patient and their families.

What message of hope would you share with CCA patients about your work?

The field of cholangiocarcinoma research and care has improved significantly over the past decade, providing crucial insights into the disease, and its similarities and differences among patients. This progress leads to better therapeutic opportunities and enhanced care, providing a clear message of hope to patients, their families and the whole community.

As the slogan of Liverpool soccer fans goes, “You will never walk alone.” The ICRN community will always be there to support them in improving their lives.

What’s the last movie, book, or concert you enjoyed?

Movie: “Mufasa: The Lion King,” with my kids; and “The Count of Monte Cristo” with my wife. Both were pretty nice movies.

Book: “The Boy Who Got Angry with Death” (in Spanish, “El niño que se enfadó con la Muerte”). It was written by a clinical oncologist who dedicated many years to treating patients with cancer and chose to spend his last professional years in the “Best Supportive Care Unit.” He shares his experiences about this vital aspect of life, highlighting the importance of the physical, mental, and spiritual support needed for this new journey. Highly recommended!

Concert: I recently attended a concert by “Fito y los Fitipaldis,” a Spanish band. A famous rock and roll band in Spain.

What does being part of the ICRN or affiliated with CCF mean to you?

I trained and work at the Mayo Clinic, where the mantra and driving principle is: “The needs of the patient come first.” The ICRN and CCF research community feels like a second home because it’s built on the same core value. Patients are our priority. Patients and families are the core of CCF, and it’s both humbling and motivating to have that accountability. I think that’s why this research community is uniquely collaborative and collegial. I’m inspired and grateful to be part of our shared mission to advance science and improve the lives of people with cholangiocarcinoma. 

As a junior investigator, how has getting involved with CCF helped your career?

CCF has been a wonderful source of community, career mentorship, and research collaboration. I’ve attended the annual conference for the last two years (post-COVID) and always find new connections, resources, and research ideas. The CCF has also supported my research with fellowship funding, which has been essential for launching my independent lab-based research program.   

What message of hope would you share with CCA patients about your work?

I have a tremendous amount of hope for the progress we are making in treating biliary tract cancers. Looking back even five years ago, there was no standard second-line chemotherapy, no FDA-approved targeted therapies or immunotherapy. Now we have more options, but I firmly believe that by the end of my career we will look back on the present and marvel how much further we’ve come.

My own work focuses on discovering the therapeutic vulnerabilities of CCA with chromatin remodeler mutations (ARID1A/B, ARID2, PBRM1, etc). These genes are commonly mutated in CCA and many other cancers, but they’ve only been recognized and studied in earnest in the last decade. Understanding the biology and developing treatments takes time, but we are moving forward.

What’s the last movie, book, or concert you enjoyed?

I somehow skipped the entire cultural phenomenon of Harry Potter and never read the books or saw the movies when they were coming out. Now that my kiddos are getting old enough (10, 8, and 4), we’re reading the 1st book aloud. It’s fun to discover with them, and I now understand pop-culture references from 20 years ago.