Patrick Bergsma was in Australia on a research fellowship. The aspiring ear, nose, and throat specialist has swapped his white coat for a lab coat during his two-year stint abroad. Now back at the Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen, he draws on the valuable experience gained to enrich his practice in many ways.
Despite his young age, Patrick Bergsma gives the impression that he knows exactly what he’s talking about. Perhaps this is because he openly acknowledges difficult realities, such as the limitations of his specialty. As an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist at the Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen, he treats patients with oral cavity cancer. “Due to a lack of alternatives, we still often rely on cisplatin,” says Bergsma. “It’s a chemotherapy drug that has been in use for decades and can have potentially toxic effects on the inner ear and kidneys.” This is why it is important to identify new treatment methods for this type of cancer.
Because he wants to contribute to this search, Bergsma applied for a fellowship from the Swiss Cancer Research foundation in early 2022: “Through my research commitment, I aim to improve the prognosis of young patients with oral cavity cancer,” he stated in his application. When his application was approved, Bergsma moved to Sydney, Australia, in September 2022. There, he joined the research group led by Marina Pajic at the prestigious Garvan Institute of Medical Research.
“The team around Pajic has built an excellent reputation for developing and studying tumor models of pancreatic cancer,” Bergsma explains. Now the team aims to use this knowledge to cultivate new models for oral cavity cancer. It was at precisely this point that Bergsma joined the team as an ENT specialist. “At first, I still had to find my role,” he says. He describes it as a kind of translation role, bringing in the clinical perspective—for example, by discussing with laboratory specialists how their findings relate to specific symptoms of the disease.
Within Pajic’s team, Bergsma also serves as a link to the city’s major cancer center, the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. There, he collaborates with colleagues from head and neck surgery as well as pathology. He participates in surgeries on patients with oral cavity cancer. From the removed tumors, Bergsma extracts cells that can then be cultured and multiplied. In the lab, he learns the necessary methods and techniques. He finds it “extremely exciting to focus on the molecular mechanisms and observe the cells under the microscope.”
During his two-year stay in Sydney, Bergsma and his colleagues succeeded in generating dozens of models from the tumors. When they tested these models with a broad range of drugs, one particular agent showed especially promising results. This agent does not target the cancer cells themselves but the connective tissue cells in their immediate surroundings.
“We noticed that hardening of the connective tissue is associated with a poorer prognosis,” says Bergsma. The tested agent was able to reduce the activity of the connective tissue cells. In mouse experiments, this made the tumors more sensitive to radiation therapy. “This approach is a potential new therapeutic strategy to improve treatment outcomes in patients with hardened oral cavity cancer,” Bergsma notes in the final report of his project. However, much work remains before the effectiveness of this new therapeutic strategy can be tested in humans.
Bergsma returned to Switzerland in September 2024. He now spends most of his working hours at the Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen treating and caring for patients again. He says that he now has a deeper fundamental understanding of the disease. For example, he now understands “which molecular and structural changes cause a tumor to feel firm to the touch.”
At the same time, Bergsma continues to dedicate one to two days per week to research. “I’m still actively involved in the project I began in Australia,” he explains. In addition, he is spearheading new initiatives at the Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen. Notably, he plays a key role in developing a comprehensive database that compiles medical histories of over 1,000 patients with head and neck tumors. “I firmly believe that a deeper understanding of molecular disease patterns will lead to critical improvements in treatment,” Bergsma emphasizes.
He expresses profound gratitude for the invaluable experiences he gained during his time in Australia. “Through my work on the other side of the world, something truly remarkable has been created—something that is now bearing fruit here in Switzerland,” he reflects. In the laboratory, he acquired essential skills and tools to independently lead research projects. This includes forging connections with experts in areas like bioinformatics and gaining a clearer insight into what it takes to drive advancements in patient care. For Bergsma, it is undeniable that he aspires “not only to treat today’s patients but also to pioneer the therapies of tomorrow.”
