Case studies: Research associate: Dr. Davide Danovi

Davide is a research associate at the University of Cambridge. He obtained his PhD in Molecular Oncology after studying medicine in Italy. 

I was interested in science and biology from a young age. As a kid I was always doing things like dissecting frogs. As I grew up, my older brother would give me encouragement in the subject, but I think my father wanted me to become a lawyer. I studied for my medical degree at the University of Milan, Italy. This is where I also completed my PhD at the European Institute of Oncology, one of the biggest comprehensive cancer centres in Europe.

It was here that I developed an interest in the cellular and molecular processes involved in neoplastic transformation. After my PhD, in 2004, I moved to University College London where I became a fellow for the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO), which gives support to early stage scientists.

Subsequently, I joined the laboratory of Prof. Austin Smith at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Stem Cell Research in Cambridge, UK. Here I'm taking forward the pioneering work of Dr. Steve Pollard and Dr. Peter Dirks (from the University of Toronto) on novel adherent neural stem cells from brain tumours, cell lines mirroring the elusive tumour initiating cells to which drug screens should be directed. A natural outcome of my work would be research and development in industry, which is very different but still fascinating.

To better understand these differences, I joined the London Technology Network as a consultant, a governmental organisation linking academia and industry. Either way, I always tell people that, for me, the lab is the place to be. What people find most surprising is when I tell them that, really, the hospital isn't a place for doubt. The lab - that's the place for doubt. In fact, the more you doubt something, the better your research will be, ultimately. It's the environment to ask important, searching questions. That's a key part of what we do. That's why, quoting a friend of mine, 'I think science should be as open an endeavour as possible'.

I've collaborated with and worked for some remarkable people. And I'm doing a job that's constantly stimulating. Different people respond to this job in different ways. There are drawbacks to it, but a major plus point is the discovery element: checking the results of that experiment out of 10 (or 100) which actually worked brilliantly. That part of what I do is incredibly exciting.