Searching for Cancer Cures in the Sea

In an effort to find new cancer treatments, Kirstie Tandberg Francis turns to the sea, where she studies natural marine products to uncover potential breakthroughs.

This intersection of human health and marine science recently earned her a Science Policy Fellowship through the Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Francis, a doctoral candidate in integrative biology at FAU's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, is focusing her doctoral research on identifying novel marine natural products which reduce levels of a protein target called survivin in cancer cells. She said her goal is to use research as a platform for ocean awareness and conservation.

As a GRP fellow, Francis will join seven other individuals throughout the year working in the Gulf states, directly serving state legislatures; state environmental, natural resource, oil and gas, or public health agencies; or regional offices of federal agencies.

"The Science Policy Fellowship is a win-win for fellows and their host organizations who come to this program with a big, structural challenge to solve," said Karena Mary Mothershed, program head and senior program manager for the GRP's Board on Gulf Education and Engagement. "These talented fellows gain valuable experience in the craft and process of policymaking. In turn, policy decision-makers gain access to excellent researchers, who help advance evidence-based policy for the benefit of communities in the Gulf."

Each fellow is paired with a mentor, who will work with them to develop their goals and a professional plan for the fellowship term. Francis will be working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) at the Stennis Space Center. Throughout the fellowship year, she will have professional development opportunities to network, strengthen technical skills, discuss relevant issues, and learn best practices.

"I am so thankful for the National Academies of Science Gulf Research Program for funding me as a science policy fellow, and I am honored to work with and learn from some of the amazing scientists at NOAA NCEI," Francis said.

Francis said that after taking a dual-enrollment marine biology course at her local state college during high school, she decided to pursue a degree combining medical research and marine science. She earned a bachelor's degree in marine science, microbiology and immunology from the University of Miami, where she completed an undergraduate honors thesis with her research on a marine model organism for neurofibromatosis, a condition that causes tumors to form on nerve tissue.

As an undergraduate, she also completed a summer internship with Science Under Sail Institute for Exploration where she conducted research on an invasive coral symbiont species and helped establish a citizen science-based reef restoration monitoring program. She graduated a year early, to sail across the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea as a crew member for Atraxia, a 50-foot long live-aboard sailboat.

She then earned a master's degree in biological science from FAU and stayed to continue her doctorate work. She said she enjoys communicating her research to a variety of audiences and hopes to help expand communication between scientists and the public.

"I am excited to bring what I have learned from my research background into the world of science policy," she said.