Junior Research Fellow, Dr Lina Hacker has had a highly successful first year at Oriel College, University of Oxford. Dr Hacker is researching new ways to detect and investigate low oxygen levels (hypoxia) in breast cancer, a major source of treatment resistance and aggressiveness. Tumours often have low oxygen levels because they grow rapidly, outpacing the blood supply needed to deliver oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the tissue.
One of the techniques Dr Hacker is researching is called photoacoustic imaging, which uses light to create tiny vibrations in tissue that are picked up as sound waves. This method helps doctors and researchers “see” changes in the tissue, including areas with low oxygen, providing valuable insights for early cancer diagnosis and treatment.
In January, Dr Hacker was invited by the US Food and Drug Administration in San Francisco to discuss ways to bring novel early detection like photoacoustic imaging into clinical practice.
Dr Hacker also received a 2024 Award for Excellence from the Oxford University Oncology Department as well as the Cancer Research UK Bridge to Academic Leadership Fellowship for selected early researchers to support their transition to independent group leaders in cancer research. Additionally, Lina was selected as Fellow by the German newspaper “Die Zeit” for their “Zia – Visible Women in Science Program”.
Dr Hacker also presented her research at nine conferences and had eleven peer-reviewed papers published in scientific journals.
In addition to her research, Dr. Hacker values the importance of advocating for diversity and supporting broader scientific communities. Her efforts to support gender equality in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects were recognized with participation at the United Nations conference on the Commission on the Status of Women (New York, March 2024) as a representative of UN Women UK.
Lina has become a great advocate of the charity too, finding the time in July to present her work to supporters at our first ABC Research Conference. In September she once again volunteered her time as a marshal, looking after our supporters as they took part in the Breast Walk Ever.