How a Pakistani woman is redefining cancer research in Pakistan

Cancer Research Centre of Lyon (CRCL) is a premier oncology institute established in 2011 in Lyon, France, created to foster the translation of basic research. The centre is organised into five primary interconnected categories. Sabreena Khan, a 26-year-old Pakistani woman, is working at this well-known institute in their Immunology Department, developing treatments that leverage the immune system.

She currently sits in her lab, wearing a white coat, in Lyon, France. She is one of the only Pakistanis working at a leading cancer institute focused on supporting the development of translational cancer research to quickly bring scientific breakthroughs to patients. To understand her journey, one has to go back several years to a simple question she was often asked: “What is your favourite subject?” Her answer was always, “Biology.”

Born and raised in Pakistan, Sabreena left home at the age of 19 to pursue her bachelor's from South Korea in Bioengineering. While pursuing her degree, she was particularly drawn towards bioengineering applications in oncology, which eventually led her to further undertake a Master’s in Cancer Bioengineering in France. For her, understanding how the immune system interacts with cancer cells felt both intellectually challenging and deeply impactful.

Sabreena decided to move to France because of it’+979s strong research infrastructure and focus on scientific innovation. “Getting here wasn’t easy,” she reminisces. “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 was navigating through complex applications, funding, and adjusting to a completely different academic and cultural environment, with each step reinforcing her motivations. “Today, as a master’s student doing my thesis, I am exactly where I’m meant to be,” Sabreena states. She was beyond grateful and happy to receive a scholarship and go to France.

However, even with such a strong sense of belonging, success doesn’t come easily to her. Research is demanding, the hours are long, and sometimes, things don’t work out with the constant pressure of perfection and bringing in meaningful results. Moreover, the language barrier limits administrative and social interactions, which initially made her feel isolated. At any social events, dinners or lunches, most of the conversations are mainly in French, and so she would stand alone, looking at people’s faces rather than actually socialising with anyone. Consequently, she gradually started to learn French, one phrase at a time. When asked what truly motivates her despite such challenges, her answer is simple yet meaningful: “The purpose behind my work.” Cancer affects millions of lives, and she believes that her small contributions can play a pivotal role in someone’s treatment.

Cancer vaccines are an exciting frontier in oncology. “Cancer vaccines strengthen the immune system’s ability to fight cancer.” Notably, her work 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 recognise and destroy cancer cells is incredibly powerful,” she says enthusiastically. This is important because with this, we can eradicate cancer completely. Cancer kills 10 million people each year, and this research is crucial to eradicating it completely. “Whether it’s studying cell behaviour, immune responses, or tumour environment, each piece of data adds to a larger puzzle.”

In addition, her journey has quietly been shaped by societal expectations as well. As a Pakistani, it was not easy for her to reach this point. A close relative once jokingly said to her, “Oh, so you will fix machines at a hospital.” The comment stung, reflecting common misconceptions about biomedical engineering. In Pakistan, women are often told to pursue traditional career paths like teaching or medicine, while fields like biomedical research aren’t widely encouraged, let alone the idea of one moving to France for cancer research. Even after all those comments, however, her family pushed her through and was her main driving force. For young girls in Pakistan aspiring to pursue a similar path, she emphasises the preparedness for challenges, viewing them not as barriers but as a part of the journey. “Every experience, whether good or bad, shapes you into a stronger scientist and individual,” she states with confidence.

Furthermore, maintaining her Pakistani identity and representing that on a global forum with meaningful contributions. “I carry my identity with pride. Being a Pakistani woman in a global research environment allows me to bring in new perspectives.”

Moreover, moving from east to west, the social interactions of people are completely different. Although she had experience of living abroad, she still faces issues, and it was a big move for her moving from the east to the west. France and Pakistan have differing social structures. “It required me to adjust to a more individualistic culture, and relearning everything—from how colleagues interacted to how professors gave feedback.” These unfamiliar social norms made Sabreena feel alienated at first. During the interview, she mentions that in France, people are far more direct than she was used to. “I initially 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 needed to find her own equilibrium—not choosing one culture over another but balancing them both. “I had to remain true to myself while also being open to change.”

“Now, I have learned to be more resilient above all else.” Looking at the bigger picture, for her, not everything goes as planned. From failed experiments to completely forgetting to record experimental results, to ruining an entire batch of human cells, she faced several moments of doubt. However, each setback has taught her something valuable, giving her the strength to push through trials and challenges.

Her advice is straightforward: “Don’t let fear hold you back. The process can seem overwhelming, but it’s absolutely possible. Be persistent, seek guidance, and believe.”

As Sabreena beautifully puts it, “Trying is everything, because the moment you try, you create the possibility for change. Without it, nothing moves, nothing grows, nothing becomes.”

Her journey doesn’t just end here; she plans to continue her education and research on immunology. After getting her master’s degree, “I hope to continue my academic journey through a PhD in cancer research and eventually bring the knowledge, experience and research skills I gain to Pakistan.” Her main goal is to contribute to strengthening cancer research. “I want to be able to make advanced scientific approaches more accessible in my country,” she says with determination.