For many, discovering life’s calling can take a long time. For Christopher Alvarez-Breckenridge, it only took a moment.

Senior Alvarez-Breckenridge is a part of a human cancer genetics research team at the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital, despite being in only his second year of college.

In the eighth grade, Alvarez-Breckenridge said he realized he wanted to be a physician during a visit to Lourdes, France. Many people suffering from ailments make pilgrimages to the “sacred spring” in Lourdes, which many believe to have healing powers.

“When I saw all these sick people visiting the spring, I realized that I could do something with my life to enhance these people’s situations,” Alvarez-Breckenridge said. “I felt a calling to be a doctor at that point.”

He started working with Dr. Charis Eng, a human cancer geneticist at the James, as a sophomore in high school. Since then, Eng has served as his mentor, teaching him about cancer research.

“A great trainee comes one in 10 years. He’s exceptional and has a wonderful mind,” Eng said.

Because of his work, Alvarez-Breckenridge was accepted into Ohio State’s Early Admissions Pathway program, which guarantees admission into the College of Medicine after three years of undergraduate study.

Alvarez-Breckenridge spends 10 to 12 hours a week working with the cancer genetics research team to determine how a gene called “PTEN” prevents a cell from becoming cancerous.

“This particular research hasn’t really been looked at in-depth in cancer models,” said Kristin Waite, a human cancer geneticist for the project. “It has mainly been looked at in inflammatory models, like arthritis.”

Eng said the team is also researching how the PTEN gene affects the signaling of breast cancer.

“When PTEN is altered, it can cause breast cancer,” he said.

“PTEN prevents cancer. If PTEN is mutated, that is one step towards developing cancer,” Alvarez-Breckenridge said. “By looking at that, hopefully we’ll get a better biochemical view of the basis of cancer.”

Alvarez-Breckenridge — who plans to purse his M.D./Ph.D in oncology, the study of cancer — said working with the research team has been his best experience at OSU.

“To be able to spend time with these individuals, learn from them and draw from their collective knowledge has been a great benefit to me,” he said. “They’re probably one of the foremost research teams in the United States.”

In addition to his research work, the 20-year-old student in biology and classics serves as president of Mirrors Honor Society for sophomores and is a member of Alpha Epsilon Delta, a premedical honor society.

Once finished with college, Alvarex-Breckenridge said he knows what he wants to do — return to Lourdes and help the sick patients.

“There’s a hospital there,” he said. “If I become a doctor, I want to go and reach out to those people.”