Testimonial

Feedback of Nuno Jorge Lamas's internship, a Portuguese medical resident in LPCE Laboratory and Biobank

I am Nuno Jorge Lamas, a portuguese medical resident in Anatomic Pathology at the Anatomic Pathology Service, Pathology Department, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário do Porto, Porto, Portugal (https://www.chporto.pt/) and an Assistant Professor at School of Medicine and Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Campus, Braga (https://www.med.uminho.pt/en/Medical-Degree), in Portugal. To pursue additional training of excellence in Molecular Pathology and Ocular Pathology I was given the opportunity to perform a study visit at the Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathology (LPCE), in the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice & Université Côte ?Azur, Nice, France, which is directed by Professor Paul Hofman. During my 3-month visit (mid July 2021 until the end of October 2021) I had the opportunity to follow and actively participate in the process of reception of biological specimens for diagnostic purposes, in the process of collection of small samples for tissue biobanking and also in the usage of the samples for cutting-edge molecular diagnostic and research studies. Over the past years, the LPCE biobank has assembled a treasurable collection of pathology biospecimens from the thoracic; skin and head and neck anatomic areas, including ocular pathology specimens. During my stay in the laboratory I followed and got involved in the whole process of pathology diagnosis and I was also exposed to the innovative technologies of molecular analysis that are implemented and being developed in the laboratory. In particular, I had an intensive training in the Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) methodologies and mutation analysis. In addition, I was also given the golden opportunity to perform a research study in Uveal Melanoma, taking advantage of the precious collection of enucleation samples existent in the LPCE biobank. I had an amazing 3-month stay in the laboratory and I feel very honoured and grateful to have been exposed to this environment of excellence in Diagnostic and Molecular Pathology. I would like to wish the LPCE biobank and Professor Paul Hofman's team much success in the future. Thank you for these inspiring weeks at your laboratory in Nice