Development and Structural Characterisation of Immuno-oncology Biotherapeutics

The discovery that our immune system can recognise and destroy cancer has transformed how we treat cancer. The interaction between our immune system and cancer is complex. Everyone’s immune system detects cancer differently, due to our inherited genetic makeup. This diversity complicates immune therapy design, as we need treatments that work across all genetic backgrounds and ethnicities.

My research aims to achieve this by designing new treatments that guide the immune system to detect and eliminate cancer more effectively. By acknowledging this diversity during new therapy design, we can unlock the power of the immune system to attack growing cancers in everyone.

I will achieve this by studying what T-cells (an important white blood cell) recognise about cancer and will look to our immune system for solutions as to how to direct T-cells to find and eliminate cancer. These “biotherapeutics” (biological drugs informed by our bodies) have already transformed outcomes for some patients. By ensuring genetic differences are considered from the outset, my research aims to make such therapies work for all people.

Working collaboratively with other experts, the goal is to move discoveries closer to treatments that give every patient with cancer a better chance of recovery.