CureCell’s second Phd top up recipient

We're excited to introduce PhD student Hannah Hughes-Parry as our most recent PhD top up scholarship recipient. Hannah is part of the Misty Jenkins lab within the immunology division at WEHI - The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute.

Hannah's PhD aims to generate bi-specific CAR-T cells and assess their efficacy in #braincancer

Hannah is completing her PhD in the lab of A/Prof Misty Jenkins at WEHI and aims to generate bi-specific CAR-T cells and assess their efficacy in a number of brain cancer models. Hannah’s dual-targeted CAR-T cells utilise HER2 and EGFRvIII model tumour antigens – both of which have been associated with various solid cancers, including many brain cancers such as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and paediatric diffuse midline glioma (DMG) which are a primary focus on the Jenkins lab.

CAR-T cell immunotherapy may be improved by the targeting of multiple tumour-associated antigens through dual-specific CAR-T cells, in which T cells are engineered to express CARs against multiple antigens.

 "This top up scholarship from CureCell has lifted a weight off me because it's literally just gone into my savings. It's really difficult to save money (during a PhD), like any sort of savings is almost impossible. That safety net is such a comforting thing to have. Because, you know, there's that sort of niggling feeling in the back of your head that if something goes wrong, what would you do? I don't know what I’d do."