Cambridge Festival Speaker Spotlight

Dr Mireia Crispin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Oncology at the University of Cambridge and leads a research group focusing on the development of multi-omic data integration models to understand how tumours evolve and respond to treatment. 

She co-leads the Ovarian Cancer Programme at the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Cambridge Centre, and the Mark Foundation Institute for Integrated Cancer Medicine. She is also the Chief Digital Officer of 52 North Health, an award-winning biotech start-up developing affordable at-home tests for cancer patients. 

Dr Crispin will be in conversation with Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald at the Cambridge Union Society on Thursday 3 April at 6pm where they will explore new technologies for finding cancer early. 

Tell us about your research and the impact it is already having 

I am interested in how applying artificial intelligence methods on medical imaging can help us understand cancer in a lot more detail. Some imaging modalities, like radiological CT scans, or pathology tissue slides, are extremely common, which means that we can reach a very large number of patients. Our recent research has shown us, for example, that it is possible to automatically detect renal cancer in the types of CT scans that are used to screen for lung cancer, which could help us significantly improve outcomes. 

We have also shown that CT scans are also uniquely useful for advanced disease: for high-grade serous ovarian cancer, which is typically already metastatic at diagnosis, quantifying the disease using machine learning methods (a so-called ‘radiomic’ technique) can help us predict which patients will benefit from receiving a particular treatment, and therefore personalize their journey. 

What is the most rewarding part of your job? 

I am very lucky to work in environments where working with patients is considered essential. For example, at the Ovarian Cancer Programme we work with an amazing and incredibly generous group of 45 women who are involved in everything we do research wise, from reviewing projects to presenting at conferences. Working with them is an inspiration and constant reminder of why we do what we do.  

I also love working with my research team at the Early Cancer Institute – a fabulous group of students and postdocs who are a privilege to work with! 

What inspired you to pursue a career in cancer research? 

I am a particle physicist by training, and I was always intrigued by how computational methods used in basic science could be used in very applied settings, like medicine. For my first cancer research job, straight after my PhD, I was very lucky to work at one of the largest cancer centres in the US, where research was intimately linked with clinical practice. That really inspired to take my research as close to the clinic as possible.   

Your work must be stressful and highly pressured, what do you do to relax? 

I have a three-year-old daughter who becomes my main activity the moment I leave the lab! I love spending time with my family, especially outdoors.   

What is your one wish for the future of cancer treatments? 

Some cancers, particularly women’s cancers, are understudied and a huge unmet need. Diseases like ovarian cancer are typically diagnosed late, and have limited treatment options. I would like to live to see a future in which women’s cancers are understood so well that we can identify at-risk individuals early and take action to prevent any further development of the disease.   

What’s the one takeaway you would like people to take from your talk? 

AI is at a very exciting stage of development, and we can all contribute to its development – as researchers, patients, public – so that it can reach its full potential and change the way we study and treat cancer.