UM Graduate Student Dr. Emma Martell Wins Distinguished Dissertation Award for Brain Cancer Research
The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies congratulations Dr. Emma Martell, a doctoral graduate in Human Anatomy and Cell Science, who has been chosen as a 2025 Distinguished Dissertation Award winner for her groundbreaking research on brain cancer. Her research explores and examines how metabolism influences tumour growth and therapy resistance and offers new insights that could shape future treatments for glioblastoma (GBM) medulloblastoma (MB).
As Brain Cancer Awareness Day approaches on October 24, Martell’s research is a timely reminder of the urgent need for safer, more effective therapies.
We asked Emma about her research, her inspiration to choose this line of research and her future plans.
Can you briefly describe your dissertation research in plain language for readers who may not be experts in your field?
My dissertation, “Identifying Targetable Metabolic Vulnerabilities for Treating Brain Cancers”, focused on finding new treatment strategies for two highly aggressive types of brain tumours, glioblastoma in adults and medulloblastoma in children. Standard treatments like chemotherapy and radiation harm healthy cells along with tumour cells, causing severe side effects, especially in children. I studied how brain tumour cells rewire their energy production to fuel growth and survival, and then tested drugs that block these altered pathways. In medulloblastoma, I found that disrupting mitochondrial metabolism caused the cancer-driving protein MYC to break down, slowing tumour growth without affecting healthy brain cells. In glioblastoma, I discovered that cells surviving standard therapy undergo a metabolic “rewiring” that drives relapse, and that blocking this shift prevented tumour regrowth in preclinical models. This work shows that targeting tumour metabolism could lead to more precise, less toxic therapies.
What inspired you to focus on this particular research topic?
I have long been fascinated by how cancer cells hijack normal cellular processes to grow uncontrollably. Unlike infectious diseases, where foreign pathogens can be targeted, cancer arises from our own cells, making each case unique and difficult to treat. Brain cancers like glioblastoma and medulloblastoma are especially devastating, with poor outcomes and treatments that have hardly changed in decades. Most patients still receive toxic radiation and chemotherapy that cause lasting damage, especially in children. I wanted to contribute to research that moves beyond this “one-size-fits-all” approach toward therapies that target vulnerabilities unique to tumour cells, with the goal of improving both survival and quality of life.
What was the most challenging aspect of your research?
The biggest challenge was narrowing down my research focus in such a broad and complex field. When I began my PhD, there were countless potential directions, and it was tempting to chase every new lead. With invaluable support and guidance from my supervisor, Dr. Tanveer Sharif, I learned to define clear goals and focus on the most impactful questions. This shift from “doing more” to “doing what matters most” was critical for completing cohesive studies and publishing strong findings. This balance between exploration and focus was one of the most important lessons I carried forward from my PhD.
Did you encounter any unexpected discoveries or surprises along the way?
Yes, in fact, some of my most exciting findings came from unexpected results. For example, when I blocked mitochondrial metabolism in medulloblastoma cells, I expected the MYC gene itself to be turned off, but it wasn’t. Yet, the protein disappeared despite ongoing gene activity. This led me to uncover a new chemical modification of the MYC protein that tagged it for destruction, revealing a new way to target this cancer driver. In glioblastoma, I found that after standard therapy, tumour cells increased their mitochondrial activity but paradoxically shut down key mitochondrial enzymes. I discovered that they were using an alternative metabolic pathway, which in turn reshaped gene regulation. Following these surprising results instead of dismissing them opened up entirely new insights into how brain tumours adapt and survive, highlighting the importance of following the data even when results don’t match expectations.
Why is your research important, and how could it impact your field or society at large?
Although brain tumors account for only about 2% of all cancer cases, they are among the most difficult to treat and account for the fourth-highest number of years of life lost to cancer. Unlike many other cancers, where survival rates have steadily improved, deaths from brain cancers have remained relatively unchanged over the past two decades. My research focuses on targeting the distinct energy demands of brain tumour cells, with the goal of developing therapies that are both more effective and less toxic. This could ultimately improve survival while also preserving the quality of life for brain cancer patients. More broadly, my findings add to a growing body of evidence that exploiting the unique metabolic vulnerabilities of tumours represents a promising therapeutic strategy across the cancer spectrum.
What are your next steps—do you plan to continue this research, move into a related area, or apply it in an industry setting?
I am continuing my research in brain cancer with a Postdoctoral Fellowship grant from the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada. In this next phase, I am expanding beyond tumour metabolism to study how brain cancer cells interact with the healthy cells around them in the tumour microenvironment. These interactions help tumours grow, spread, and resist therapy. By uncovering the communication signals that drive these behaviors, I aim to identify new strategies to block them and weaken the tumour. In the long term, I hope to help translate these discoveries into more effective treatments for patients.
Dr. Kelley Main, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies congratulated Dr. Martell on the honour of being selected for this award: “Her research exemplifies the impact of graduate research at the University of Manitoba—advancing knowledge while addressing pressing health challenges. Dr. Martell’s work increases our understanding of brain cancer and also offers hope for new approaches to treatment that could change lives.”