The Lyon Cancer Research Center (CRCL) is a leading oncology institute established in 2011 in Lyon, France, created to foster the application of fundamental research. The center is organized into five main interconnected categories. Sabreena Khan, a 26-year-old Pakistani, works at this well-known institute in the immunology department, developing treatments that harness the immune system.
She is currently sitting in her lab, wearing a white coat, in Lyon, France. She is one of the only Pakistanis working at a leading cancer institute whose aim is to support the development of translational cancer research to rapidly bring scientific advances to patients. To understand his career, we have to go back several years to a simple question that he was often asked: “What is your favorite subject?” His answer was always: “Biology.”
Born and raised in Pakistan, Sabreena left home at the age of 19 to pursue her studies in South Korea in bioengineering. While continuing her studies, she was particularly attracted to the applications of bioengineering in oncology, which ultimately led her to undertake a master’s degree in cancer bioengineering in France. For her, understanding how the immune system interacts with cancer cells was both intellectually challenging and profoundly impactful.
Sabreena decided to settle in France because of its strong research infrastructure and focus on scientific innovation. “Getting here wasn’t easy,” she recalls. “I knew I wanted to contribute to something meaningful, and that led me to explore opportunities abroad,” says Sabreena Khan. Her internal compass guided her along a path where she navigated complex applications, funding, and adapting to a completely different academic and cultural environment, each step strengthening her motivations. “Today, as a master’s student working on my thesis, I am exactly where I am supposed to be,” says Sabreena. She was beyond grateful and happy to receive a scholarship and go to France.
However, even with such a sense of belonging, success does not come easily to him. Research is demanding, the hours are long, and sometimes things don’t work out under the constant pressure to be perfect and achieve meaningful results. In addition, the language barrier limits administrative and social interactions, which made her feel isolated at first. At any social event, dinner or lunch, most conversations are primarily in French and so she stays alone, looking at people’s faces rather than socializing with anyone. Therefore, she gradually began to learn French, one sentence at a time. When asked what really motivates her despite these challenges, her answer is simple but meaningful: “The purpose of my work.” Cancer affects millions of lives and she believes her small contributions can play a pivotal role in a person’s treatment.
Cancer vaccines represent an exciting frontier in oncology. “Cancer vaccines enhance the immune system’s ability to fight cancer.” His work particularly focuses on immunotherapy and cancer vaccine approaches that harness the immune system to fight cancer more effectively. “The idea that we can reprogram the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells is incredibly powerful,” she says enthusiastically. This is important because through this we can completely eradicate cancer. Cancer kills 10 million people every year, and this research is crucial to eradicating it completely. “Whether studying cellular behavior, immune responses, or the tumor environment, each piece of data adds to a larger puzzle.”
Additionally, his journey was also shaped by society’s expectations. As a Pakistani, it was not easy for her to get to this point. A close relative once joked to him, “Oh, so you’re going to fix machines in a hospital.” » This comment stung, reflecting common misconceptions about biomedical engineering. In Pakistan, women are often told to pursue traditional careers like teaching or medicine, while fields like biomedical research are not widely encouraged, let alone the idea of moving to France for cancer research. But even after all these comments, her family pushed her through and were her main driving force. For young Pakistani girls who aspire to follow a similar path, she emphasizes preparation for challenges, seeing them not as obstacles but as part of the journey. “Every experience, whether good or bad, makes you a stronger scientist and individual,” she says confidently.
Additionally, maintaining its Pakistani identity and representing it on a global forum with meaningful contributions. “I wear my identity with pride. Being a Pakistani woman in a global research environment allows me to bring new perspectives.”
Additionally, from east to west, people’s social interactions are completely different. Even though she has lived abroad, she still faces problems and it was a big step for her to move from the east to the west. France and Pakistan have different social structures. “It forced me to adapt to a more individualistic culture and relearn everything from how my colleagues interacted to how professors gave feedback.” These unfamiliar social norms initially made Sabreena feel alienated. During the interview, she mentions that in France, people are much more direct than she is used to. “At first I found the transition very intimidating,” she recalls. As a result, she had to navigate the process of maintaining her own cultural values while integrating into a new society. She had to find her own balance: not choosing one culture over another, but balancing both. “I had to stay true to myself while being open to change.”
“Now I have learned to be more resilient above all else. » Looking at the bigger picture, for her, not everything is going as planned. From failed experiments, to completely forgetting to record experimental results, to destroying an entire batch of human cells, she faced several moments of doubt. However, each setback taught him something valuable, giving him the strength to overcome trials and challenges.
Her advice is simple: “Don’t let fear hold you back. The process may seem overwhelming, but it is entirely possible. Be persistent, seek advice, and believe.”
As Sabreena beautifully says: “Trying is everything, because the moment you try, you create the possibility of change. Without that, nothing moves, nothing grows, nothing becomes.”
His journey does not end there; she plans to continue her studies and research in immunology. After completing my master’s degree, “I hope to continue my academic journey through a doctorate in cancer research and eventually bring the knowledge, experience and research skills I have acquired to Pakistan.” Its main objective is to contribute to the strengthening of cancer research. “I want to be able to make advanced scientific approaches more accessible in my country,” she says with determination.
