Lena Jansen completed her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences in 2022 at Utrecht University, The Netherlands. Her thesis focused on detection of MGMT promoter hypermethylation in glioblastoma, and the topic sparked Lena's fascination with cancer biology and the molecular mechanisms underlying development and pathogenesis. Driven by this interest, Lena pursued a Master’s program in Cancer, Stem Cells, and Developmental Biology at Utrecht University. For her first internship, she joined the Tytgat Group at the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, where she validated preliminary data from a multi-omics study aimed at identifying novel metabolic targets for therapeutic and diagnostic applications in high-risk neuroblastoma. Her curiosity for the tumor microenvironment and its influence on cancer progression led Lena to complete a writing assignment focused on B7-H3 in the tumor microenvironment and its implications for CAR T cell therapy in pediatric solid tumors.

To further expand her research experience, Lena joined the Correia Lab in January 2025 for an 8-month internship. Under close supervision of Andreia Gonçalves, she investigates the role of tissue innervation in metastatic breast cancer dormancy, aiming to contribute to a deeper understanding of how neuronal interactions within the tumor microenvironment affect cancer progression.

In September 2025, Lena completed her internship and beautifully defended her thesis. She left the lab to return to the Netherlands, where she will soon continue her career as a PhD student. Farewell Lena!