Laura Eckardt Antunes, 21, a fifth-year medical student at the Technical University of Munich (UTM), is interning with the team at the Cancer Genetics Laboratory (LAGECA) of the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), one of the spaces where CEPID CancerThera’s research is developed. The experience in Brazil is part of a cooperation agreement between the two universities, which aims to foster the exchange of knowledge and cultural experiences, as well as promote advances in scientific research.
Antunes’ presence at Unicamp is an example of the positive impact that cultural and scientific exchange programs can generate. By promoting contact with different realities, these programs open doors for international collaborations that boost scientific and technological development in various sectors – such as Oncology, Nuclear Medicine, Chemistry, and Radiopharmacy, areas in which CEPID CancerThera has been developing its studies.
This integration between universities from different countries strengthens not only the academic training of students but also contributes to the advancement of research that can benefit patients around the world. “Foreign students and researchers bring ‘a fresh look’ to research, the result of experiences acquired in their countries of origin and their respective cultures. In addition, they enable contacts with researchers from their institutions, facilitating the development of cooperative projects,” says Dr. Carmen Silvia Passos Lima, oncologist and hematologist, professor at the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FCM) of Unicamp and principal investigator at CEPID CancerThera. Lima, who is the leader of LAGECA, is one of Antunes’ host researchers at the university.
Why Brazil?
Antunes, the daughter of a German mother and a Portuguese father, decided to expand her academic horizons by seeking an experience outside Europe. The choice of Brazil, where she had never set foot before, was not by chance: in addition to the partnership between UTM and Unicamp, the student also has maternal relatives living in Campinas (SP), the city where the largest campus of the university that is hosting her is located. Although she does not live with these relatives, she emphasizes that knowing they live in the city made her arrival in a territory completely different from hers easier.
The intern also states that her curiosity about the Brazilian public health system was one of the main motivators for her choice. She knew there are challenges in terms of financial resources, but she wanted to understand how a country with such a large population deals with access to health, from diagnoses to treatments, and still have a functioning system capable of serving the majority of this population – the Unified Health System (SUS) is responsible for serving more than 190 million Brazilians, 80% of whom are exclusively dependent on it as beneficiaries of medical care.
Routine as a researcher
Since her arrival in September, the student has actively participated in various activities at the university. Initially, she did a four-week internship at the Oncology outpatient clinic of the Hospital de Clínicas (HC) of Unicamp, and she will continue to have other internship experiences until December, when she will return to her home country. However, it was her interest in basic scientific research that led her to LAGECA, led by Lima. “In Germany, I never had regular experience with research, and it was an area that interested me a lot, but I didn’t know anything about it yet. So, when I met Professor Carmen, I asked if I could visit her lab. She invited me, and I came here,” she reports.
Since then, in parallel with the internships, at Lima’s suggestion, she has been involved in a study conducted by the pharmacist Gilberto Carlos Franchi Jr., an associate researcher at CEPID CancerThera, who also works on the LAGECA team. Under his supervision, Antunes has been testing compounds produced at the Institute of Chemistry of Unicamp in different types of tumor cells.
Her performance as a researcher has been praised. Lima points out outstanding aspects of the student’s commitment to the ongoing investigations: “her interest in the research project and her dedication to the activities inherent to its development, such as literature review of the topic, learning the necessary laboratory techniques in a short period, and the ability to execute them.” Experiencing basic research has been a transformative experience for Antunes, who has already contributed to the LAGECA team in processes such as DNA and RNA extraction and the cultivation and replication of tumor cells in vitro.
“I’m very excited, very curious, very grateful for the opportunity. When I asked Professor Carmen to come here, I thought I was going to see things working in the lab, see just a little bit, and now I’m already involved in the project. I want to learn as much as possible in the time I’m here,” she says enthusiastically. She also describes the welcoming she received from the lab team, especially in the teachings and clarification of doubts about basic research techniques. “Everyone is very nice. I always felt welcome. The support is immense,” she assesses.
In the suitcase back to Germany
For the student, the experience at LAGECA has the potential to influence her next steps in her career. In addition to her initial interest in Oncology, Antunes considers also following the path of scientific research when she returns to Germany, which will include a journey to, perhaps, a doctoral research. Besides that, working directly with patients is another area of work she desires. “In Germany, I work in a pediatric office. I really like the interaction with patients. So, I don’t imagine I’ll be a full-time researcher. I can well imagine that some combination of research and clinic would be an option,” she points out.
Lima adds that Antunes has shown interest in participating in other academic activities with the Oncology doctors, such as the Brazilian Congress of the Brazilian Society of Clinical Oncology, to be held in Rio de Janeiro (RJ) between November 7 and 9 of this year, and the European Society of Medical Oncology Congress, to be held in Berlin (Germany), between October 17 and 21, 2025, with the LAGECA researchers – and presenting, if possible, the results of the research project she has been conducting here.
At the end of her visit to Brazil, the intern will take with her not only new learnings but also the experience of experiencing Medicine and scientific research from different perspectives.
Text and photos: Romulo Santana Osthues
