The American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024 will mark the 10th anniversary of the AACR’s NextGen Stars Program by welcoming in a class of 10 outstanding early-career scientists. Since 2014, the program has supported the professional advancement of graduate students, postdocs, and assistant professors by providing highly visible opportunities to present scientific findings at the Annual Meeting.

Hear from one of the newest NextGen Stars in their own words, below, and click here to read Q&As with other members of the NextGen Stars Class of 2024.

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Ignacio Vazquez-Garcia, PhD

AACR NextGen Stars Class of 2024
Postdoctoral Fellow
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York

Abstract Presentation:
NG10 – Evolutionary dynamics of whole-genome doubling in ovarian cancer

Session Details:
AT04 – Mutational Processes in Cancer: From Replication Stress to Complex Genomic Rearrangements
Tuesday, April 9, 12:15 – 2 p.m. PT
Room 29, Upper Level, Convention Center

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What is the subject of your research?
Together with colleagues at Memorial Sloan Kettering, I am investigating the genomic complexity arising from cell division errors in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), an archetypal tumor of genome instability. We currently lack critical knowledge of the impact that genome instability has on cellular fitness and cancer progression. Manifestations of genome instability range from whole-genome doubling (WGD) to chromosome gains or losses. My research aims to quantify the rates of these mutational processes, their impact on tumor evolvability and on the microenvironment directly from patient biopsies. Using single-cell whole genome sequencing, we have uncovered the pervasive nature of WGD events, which initiate a cascade of cell-specific changes resulting from chromosome missegregation. Furthermore, we have established a link between these mutational processes and mechanisms of immune evasion using single-cell transcriptomics. Our findings show that WGD drives increased tumor evolutionary capacity, karyotypic diversification, and immune suppression in genomically unstable tumors.

What sparked your interest in this area of research, and why is it important?
I became interested in this question after participating in the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium during my PhD. In a study that reconstructed the evolutionary timing of genomic events across cancer types, ovarian cancer stood out as a disease with very long latency, preceding diagnosis by years if not decades and allowing for broad periods of genome instability.

What (or who) inspired you to apply for the NextGen Stars program? What are you looking forward to as a member of the NextGen Stars?
Presenting alongside leading experts in a major annual meeting is an incredible honor. The AACR NextGen Stars program provides a unique opportunity as an early-career investigator to gain exposure for our work and to forge connections with the broader research community.