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Author: Siobhan Bates

Picture this: you're an early career researcher trying to make a name for yourself in a specialized scientific field. It's a tough road, filled with the quest for recognition and the drive to make a real impact. In this blog, we explore Dr. Federico Virga's experiences and insights as he navigates the world of immunometabolism research. He reveals how publishing his work in a ¹ú²úÂÒÂ× Collection not only enhanced the visibility of his research but also propelled his career to new heights. 

As an early career researcher Dr. Federico Virga of the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC) in Madrid, is building his reputation in the immunometabolism community. Researchers who study immunometabolism investigate the connection between metabolism and the immune system. Advances in this small but growing field have therapeutic potential for many diseases, including cancer, and cardiovascular and inflammatory conditions.

Published less than 6 months ago, Dr. Virga¡¯s review of acidity in the tumour microenvironment,  is already making an impact in academia and industry. We speak with Dr. Virga to find out how publishing his work to the collection for helped him show leadership in immunometabolism.

Can you tell us about your review?

Tumours are generally very acidic and, historically, researchers studied the impact of this acidity on the cancer cell. Now, attention is also focused on how the immune system can be influenced by high concentrations of acidity or lactate. In our review, we first give an overview of how the tumour¡¯s acidity impacts the immune system¡ªmainly by reducing its anti-tumour response¡ªthen we describe the therapeutic potential of tackling tumour acidity.

This is very important because one of the most promising treatments for cancer is immunotherapy. Several articles have shown that tumour acidity can impact the host immune response, and we discuss these in our review. We then suggest that altering the acidity of the tumour can help to increase the response to immunotherapy. We also published a research article, , where we show that, by targeting a bicarbonate transporter, we can alter the pH of the tumour and therefore improve the response to immunotherapy too.

Why did you choose to publish your research in a collection?

The collection is a nice way to make more connections with people in your field because it¡¯s related to a specific topic. I also chose to publish in the collection to get more visibility; it helps me to become more visible to other researchers and to explain my ideas.

What has the response been to your review?

Publishing to the collection really was a great opportunity for me; I was extremely surprised and happy about the visibility I could get in a short time.

I¡¯ve already had two citations. I was also contacted by a student from outside Europe who asked me if I have a PhD position, and some companies have also been in touch to suggest we might collaborate. I can¡¯t go into details yet, but some want feedback or to see if I can help them to develop specific tools related to my field.

How did publishing in the collection help you achieve your career goals?

Publishing in the collection helped me display my leadership skills and show that I have the capability, for example, to do a nice overview of the current literature.

I¡¯m trying to become an independent researcher within the field of immunometabolism. The community is growing and getting more attention, but it¡¯s still relatively small compared to other scientific communities.

Although my review considers how immunometabolism relates to cancer, I don¡¯t just work on that disease but have also studied immune response in different contexts. There are many diseases in which the immune system is super important, such as inflammatory diseases and cardiovascular diseases, and these are getting more attention within immunometabolism too.

Do you have any tips for other early career researchers considering publishing to a collection?

Publishing to a ¹ú²úÂÒÂ× Collection is a great opportunity. You need to select the collection where you think you can have the most visibility, and the one that is most specific to your scientific background and research. It¡¯s also important to involve other people and listen to their feedback. Discuss it with your team, your peers, your colleagues, both those who are directly involved and those who aren¡¯t as they can still give you feedback.

Many people have been involved in my scientific growth and have helped me in my career. It¡¯s a long journey and a journey that you don¡¯t make alone; that¡¯s also very important to remember.

Author profile

Dr. Federico Virga developed his research in Italy (University of Turin), Belgium (VIB-KU Leuven) and Spain (CNIO and CNIC) investigating the mechanisms underlying gene regulation and cell-cell interactions, with an emphasis on immune cells, metabolism and non-coding RNAs in cancer and infections. Visit Federico¡¯s to view all his published works.

¹ú²úÂÒÂ× Collections are curated groups of articles that support researchers by providing highly focused explorations of specific themes and trending topics. Collections cover all areas and aim to enhance the visibility and impact of research. Explore our collections at: