It is one of the biggest challenges of this time, says Manon van Engeland, director of research institute GROW: predicting which treatment is suitable for which patient. “We know which anti-cancer medicines work on a group level, but not on which individual.”
Alberto Bardelli (1967), professor at the University of Turin, is trying to determine this by using genetic changes that he sees in tumours. He specialises in cancer genetics.
The TEFAF chair is made possible by the art fair, Cancer Research Fund Limburg and GROW, which actually houses the chair. The institute approached Bardelli because of the great importance of his research field and possible collaboration with his group in Turin.
The Italian researcher has more than won his spurs. He is the former chairman of the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR), and generally publishes in top journals such as Nature, Science and Cell, Van Engeland says. “I had a couple of zoom sessions with him, in which he was honoured that he had been chosen.”
As is customary, Bardelli will hold an inaugural lecture. These usually take place during the art fair, but whether that will be the case this year, is still uncertain. If only for the fact that TEFAF – pushed forward to June or July – doesn’t have an exact date yet.
Van Engeland: “We didn’t appoint a TEFAF professor last year. But we didn’t want to skip another year.”
In addition to the inaugural speech, Bardelli will organise a workshop, together with a few editors of journals. That meeting – most likely online – will be about ‘the art of academic publishing’. Van Engeland: “This is meant for young researchers, to give them an impression of how editors think. What do they find important? What kind of articles do they want?”