The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research provides essential support to IARC through a postdoctoral fellowship focusing on breast cancer etiology in low- and middle-income countries

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), through support from The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research (USA), is hosting Dr Hedda Michelle Guevara-Nieto as a postdoctoral scientist to investigate breast cancer etiology in understudied populations.

In April 2026, Dr Guevara-Nieto joined the Genomic Epidemiology Branch at IARC, where she will conduct integrative genomic profiling of young patients and comprehensive genomic analysis. Her research will integrate demographic data, anthropometric measurements, and histopathological information to clarify the biological effects of obesity on breast cancer development, particularly its association with increased DNA damage and impaired DNA repair mechanisms. The project focuses on patients with breast cancer living in low- and middle-income countries, and the findings will have particular relevance for preventive interventions in these regions.

Dr Guevara-Nieto is a biologist and microbiologist specializing in cancer genomics and health disparities. She earned her PhD in Oncology from the National University of Colombia and her MSc from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Dr Guevara-Nieto has been the recipient of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Global Scholar-in-Training Award and the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR) Researcher Development Grant. She currently serves on the AACR Associate Member Council, supporting the development of early-career cancer researchers.

The training of early-career scientists plays an important role in strengthening the capacity of countries in the fight against cancer and is an integral part of IARC’s mission. Financial support from donors such as The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research is vital to increase the number of postdoctoral scientists who can benefit from the IARC Fellowship Programme, and ultimately to boost the impact on research capacity in countries worldwide.

The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research accelerates research into the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer by supporting individual investigators, multidisciplinary teams, and early-stage companies around the world.

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