Researcher Spotlight: Anouchka Laurent, PhD

The Trustees of Columbia
University in the City of New York

Dr. Laurent is an assistant research scientist in the Institute for Cancer Genetics at Columbia University in New York. She completed her doctoral research at the Gustave Roussy Institute and the Paris Diderot University, Paris VII, in France before moving to Columbia University for her postdoctoral research. During this time, she was awarded the Postdoctoral Fellowship Award from the Foundation for
her work on ID2, a key driver of lymphoma cell survival and proliferation. Her current research builds on this initial work to understand how ID2 interacts with other proteins (such as ARID1A) to alter gene expression programs in cells to
promote lymphoma development. “We are also investigating how these pathways help cancer cells adapt and survive under stressful conditions,” she explains. “By understanding the molecular mechanisms that lymphoma cells depend on, we hope to identify new vulnerabilities that can ultimately be targeted therapeutically.”

“The long-term goal of this work is to contribute to the development of more effective and less toxic treatments for patients with T-cell lymphoma,” explains Dr. Laurent. “Finding new ways to specifically target lymphoma cells while sparing normal cells is particularly important for these aggressive diseases, where treatment options remain limited.”

Dr. Laurent emphasizes that her hope is that her work will be built on strong interactions with both laboratory researchers and clinicians to ensure that the results of this research (and beyond) will translate to meaningful results for patients. “I believe there is still a need to better connect mechanistic research and clinical practice,” she says. “I would like to contribute to building an international and collaborative lymphoma research community where scientists and clinicians work closely together to accelerate discoveries and improve patient care.”