Meeting Nobel Laureates: The Inspiration and Importance of Becoming a Mobile Scientist

Khalid El Bairi participated in the 72^nd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting 2023 and reflects how the interaction with Nobel Laureates has shaped his way.

During my career as a clinician researcher in the field of oncology, I encountered a myriad of obstacles in shaping my research initiatives. Limited academic freedom, discrimination, resistance to change, barriers to collaboration, are illustrative examples of challenges young scientists face in resource-limited environments. In the French-speaking regions of Africa, the importance is often placed on academic diplomas rather than practical skills. In addition, the milieu within medical academia, specifically in university hospitals and medical schools frequently lacked the essential collaborative synergy between basic scientists and clinical practitioners. This deficiency posed substantial difficulties to the success and progression of my projects.

Despite the considerable achievements with my previous affiliations, I consciously embarked on a journey as a mobile scientist. Motivated by the pursuit of novel opportunities and the aspiration to contribute significantly to the field, I sought a new institution characterized by a visionary approach rooted in multidisciplinary science and translations of discoveries into medical practice. This intentional shift was aimed at fostering an environment beneficial to catalyze changes in cancer research.

The Pleasure of Meeting Nobel Laureates

In Lindau, Nobel Laureates having made significant contributions to the fields of science generously share their advice from their real-world experience with the participating Young Scientists during various activities such as lectures, panel discussions, workshops, and science walks. I had the pleasure of meeting inspiring Laureates as Emmanuelle Charpentier on the occasion of the 72^nd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in summer 2023. Indeed, my meeting with Emmanuelle Charpentier was transformative, and it profoundly affected my aspiration. Her insights and expertise have positively impacted my vision to explore different research settings.

She is considered as a mobile scientist with an illustrative career in building resilience to find the optimal place to grow and implement research visions. Born in France in 1968, Emmanuelle began her academic journey in Paris, at “Institut Pasteur” and the University Pierre and Marie Curie to study biology and get her PhD. After several positions in the USA and European institutions, she landed at the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens in Berlin as the scientific director and head of the Department of Regulation in Infection Biology where she built her research team and won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020 jointly with Jennifer A. Doudna “for the development of a method for genome editing”. This journey highlighted the fact that building a research career can be lengthy and challenging, even in countries with abundant resources and generous funding.

My Own Tale: Building The Path Less Traveled in Morocco

After making the decision to join a new institution as a clinical research fellow to develop projects on ovarian cancer and research integrity, I am proud to embrace the responsibility of making independent decisions, driving myself towards achieving my goals with focus and determination. The mobility inherent in this role brings with it fresh perspectives as well as challenges, which I believe every scientist should be prepared to confront. Our collective endeavor is directed against cancer to improve outcomes of patients with cancer. Our focus should be on this fight, not on internal conflicts or the dynamics of our academic environment.

Inspired by the journey of Emmanuelle, I embarked on a permanent research fellow position. However, the term ‘permanent’ in my career lexicon is not a static concept; it’s a fluid one, symbolizing stability yet not restricting my scientific exploration. This position is a significant milestone in my career, but it does not secure me indefinitely to one location. In this ever-changing scientific landscape, flexibility and adaptability are paramount, enabling us to thrive and contribute meaningfully to the advancement of science. Cross-disciplinary engagement of clinicians with basic scientists is a fundamental aspect in tackling the challenges of modern medicine. The vision of our Faculty of Medical Sciences of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (FMS/UM6P) in Morocco to “collect brains” for this goal fills me with pride, and I am excited to contribute to this dynamic environment.

Advancing oncology research in resource-limited settings is challenging, particularly due to the shortage of qualified and trained medical doctors, insufficient funding, and a lack of interest in research by academic hospitals. However, several success stories from LMICs, such as the case of some African countries, demonstrated that the global cancer control and research may be achieved despite systemic barriers. The essence in my own career as a clinician researcher today started several years ago during my undergraduate medical studies where I was heavily interested and involved in research. I always considered it as part of daily practice. Indeed, I created my own vision and roadmap and achievable milestones with a focus on ovarian cancer research that does not necessarily need important funding.

This career, less traveled by my other colleagues in Morocco, focused in its beginning on five guiding values.

• Mapping Science: An initial step to identify research gaps and prioritize under-researched areas, such as ovarian cancer in Morocco, which has significantly guided impactful research initiatives like the OVANORDEST project.
• Good Training: Acquiring training in evidence synthesis, meta-research, and methodology is crucial. This has had an invaluable impact on developing necessary skills and achieving my goals.
• Creating a Path: The importance of resilience and self-reliance. Self-funding initial projects to improve international visibility and secure future opportunities.
• Network Building: Expanding networks through international societies like ASCO and ESMO, and participating in mentorship programs, has profoundly impacted providing guidance and opportunities for collaboration.
• Perseverance: Handling rejection by having contingency plans and continuously improving curriculum vitae is essential.

This intentional planning in advancing cancer research in resource-limited settings provided me with the rationale to overcome obstacles and contribute significantly to global oncology. Early-career oncology investigators in resource-limited settings should be confident that a comprehensive mapping of cancer research in their region can provide a global perspective and identify research gaps specific to areas facing similar challenges. This can uncover neglected research areas and cancer settings with minimal attention. Subsequently, young investigators can initiate short-term visions by focusing on meta-research, such as systematic reviews, to establish the foundation of their medium- and long-term projects. This crucial step always allows early-career researchers to familiarize themselves with the writing and publishing process and also enhance their global visibility and strengthens their CV. Following this, they can design research appropriate to their settings and feasible with what they have in their hands as funding. Importantly, starting with a retrospective real-world cohort study can be advantageous as it requires minimal resources. During this step, they can also enhance their skills by training opportunities on research methods. This is highly important to understand the details and limitations of their research as well for practicing evidence-based medicine in their daily practice.  

During this stage, early-career scientists may be lost due to the challenges of developing a vision for their long-term achievements. Therefore, seeking out a mentor is key. Indeed, the lack of mentorship programs, in the global south for example, is a known factor that limits capacity building in these regions. Connecting with mentors is highly valued and may offer young cancer researchers the needed guidance and expertise. Several programs of cancer societies, such as those of the ASCO can help young investigators have a mentor from a well-established research institution to address unmet needs for career development. Network building has been a high priority throughout my career, and it significantly impacted my vision and led me to have not just one mentor, but three.

Resilience is also key. Indeed, as early-career scientists with limited knowledge in the field of academia, we may face several challenges to start a research career. Lots of rejections and bad news! But the good news is that it is a temporary state. Due to the high competition worldwide for securing funding and getting our manuscripts accepted in reputed journals, disappointments may weaken our optimism initially. However, it is important to remember that such experiences are crucial for developing resilience and overcoming future obstacles. For me, this has had significant implications, leading me to develop more effective strategies. In the end, using my own money for research purposes has been remarkably helpful. I have used, and continue to use, my salary to cover the costs of my international travels for science and training. In addition, a scientist should not forget that these sacrifices have a meaningful impact on improving our CVs. They remarkably enhance our achievements, which can support us in applying for international grants, awards, and funding. Again, this is a necessary but temporary stage to attain perseverance.