Researchers Unplugged: Meet the Researcher Tracking Prostate Cancer’s Escape Routes
Mass General Brigham is home to a research community of thousands of individuals working to understand disease and develop solutions to medicine’s most pressing challenges.
But who are they? And what do they do when they’re not conducting research? Learn more about them in the Researchers Unplugged series!
From clinical research coordinators to postdoctoral fellows, research technicians, graduate students and principal investigators—they are all part of research at Mass General Brigham.
Our next guest in the series is Buse Cevatemre Yildirim, PhD!
1. What lab do you work in and what is your role?
I am a postdoctoral research fellow in the Miyamoto Lab within the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute.
Before joining the Miyamoto Lab, I studied the molecular mechanisms of treatment resistance in cancer, particularly advanced prostate cancer.
Buse Cevatembre, PhD
Today, I study tumor cells found in patients' blood to understand why some advanced prostate cancers stop responding to treatment and how we can develop better ways to treat them.
Beginning in 2027, thanks to the prior efforts of members of the Miyamoto Lab, I will build on this work through a European Commission-funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Global Fellowship, investigating why a subset of patients with advanced prostate cancer responds differently to a specific treatment.
2. Can you explain your research in layperson's terms?
Cancer treatments can work well at first, but some cancer cells find ways to survive and continue growing. I study tiny numbers of cancer cells that escape into the bloodstream and use them like clues in a detective story.
By following those clues and testing them in the lab, I try to discover the tricks cancer cells use to resist treatment and find ways to stop them.
3. When and why did you get interested in this work?
My interest in treatment resistance began during my PhD, when I studied its molecular mechanisms in lung cancer. During my postdoctoral training, I led and contributed to research across several cancer types and realized that resistance to treatment is a recurring challenge, though it can look very different depending on the disease and the stage.
What especially drew me to advanced prostate cancer was its remarkable tendency to spread to bone.
The consistency of that pattern fascinated me and highlighted how many important questions remain unanswered about metastatic disease and treatment response.
My current project combines these interests. By studying circulating tumor cells from patients, I aim to identify biomarkers of treatment response and better understand the mechanisms that support resistance in advanced prostate cancer.
I hope my work can contribute, even in a small way, to improving outcomes for patients living with metastatic disease.
4. What do you do outside of the lab?
When I'm not in the lab, you'll most likely find me spending time with my husband, family, and cat, working out, or exploring new places. I'm also a devoted follower of the Turkish women's volleyball leagues and national team.
I enjoy trying new recipes, making crafts, watching thriller movies and television series, and finding creative ways to communicate science through scientific visualization.
5. What is your favorite TV show, podcast, book or movie?
For a Turkish film, I would recommend Ivy (Sarmaşık), an award-winning movie that offers a fascinating and tense exploration of human nature. It also happens to feature my husband, so I may be slightly biased.
Internationally, I love The Fall for its visual storytelling. I'm also a fan of House M.D. because of its sharp dialogue and medical mysteries, and Six Feet Under for its honest portrayal of life, death, and family.
For a book, I would recommend Nutuk by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, a powerful reflection on real leadership, patience and perseverance.
6. What's a fun fact about yourself?
I once won the People's Choice Award in BioRender's global graphical abstract . Knowing that people connected with both the science and the visual story I created was incredibly rewarding. I even used the prize money to buy my wedding dress!
7. What do you like most about conducting research at Mass General Brigham?
One of my favorite things about research at MGB is how seamlessly questions that emerge from patient samples can be explored mechanistically in the laboratory and then interpreted within a real clinical context.
The research environment is also exceptionally collaborative. Sometimes the person with exactly the expertise you need simply walks past your bench, and a quick conversation can spark a new idea or completely shift the direction of an experiment. I find that amazing.
8. If you had to compare your Principal Investigator to a fictional character, who would it be?
I would compare my PI, David Miyamoto, MD, PhD, to Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek. He leads with intelligence, integrity, and calm confidence, creating an environment where people feel comfortable taking ownership of their ideas.
He's collaborative, thoughtful, and knows when to offer guidance and when to let someone run with a good idea. I think he brings out the best in those around him.
9. If you could only eat one dish for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Turkish cuisine is far too rich for me to have only one answer, but if I had to choose, it would probably be oven-baked köfte, Turkish-style meatballs with plenty of parsley, served alongside a fresh Aegean salad.
10. What's your favorite way to spend a weekend?
My ideal weekend starts early, usually around 6 or 7 a.m., with coffee and a leisurely breakfast. If I'm feeling energetic, I'll fit in a workout and perhaps even a quick visit to the lab.
And if there's water nearby, that's where you'll find me, listening to music, planning and catching up on the world.
It's Your Turn to Shine!
Do you work in research at Mass General Brigham? Are you willing to provide short written answers to 10-ish fun questions about you and your science? Then you (yes, you) could be the next star of Researchers Unplugged.