Research Trainee Spotlight: Manon Watzky, PhD
Growing up in a small village in Eastern France, Manon Watzky, PhD, remembers being captivated by the tiny details of leaves that she would view under a toy microscope. But it wasn’t until she began studying cancer cells in college that she found her true calling in science.
“Understanding how cancer cells ignore the body’s normal signals to grow and spread felt like solving a puzzle,” Dr. Watzky says. “I knew I wanted to be a researcher in this field, and that interest has evolved into my passion.”
After completing her PhD in oncogenesis at Paris Cité University, she joined CHLA as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab of James Amatruda, MD, PhD. Here, she is studying Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer that typically occurs in children and teens.
Although many patients with Ewing sarcoma are cured, about 25% have tumors that spread throughout the body—resulting in poor survival.
In the lab, Dr. Watzky is trying to understand what factors drive Ewing sarcoma cells to grow and spread. To do this, she is investigating the cells in spheroid models—a type of 3D cell culture that mimics tissues and tumors. She also plans to study them in zebrafish. “Zebrafish are transparent, and that provides a unique opportunity to monitor how these cells behave within an organism,” she explains.
After hours, Dr. Watzky enjoys hanging out with her husband (and their 10-year-old cat, which journeyed with them from France). She also loves fitness activities, especially hiking, yoga and aqua cycling.
