Inaugural CureCell Phd top up scholarship

We are very proud to announce CureCell’s inaugural PhD “top up” scholarship – awarded to Izac Findlay, a PhD student in A/Prof Matt Dun’s lab at the University of Newcastle.

Izac’s PhD aims to develop a wholistic, evidence-based analysis platform to characterise the genome and proteome of high-grade paediatric brain tumours, specifically DMG (diffuse midline glioma) and GBM (glioblastoma) – both highly aggressive and almost 100% fatal for those children diagnosed.

Despite being rare, these cancers are responsible for 40% of paediatric cancer deaths in Australia. Tragically, treatment options have seen no significant improvements over the last 15 years … less than 50% of DMG children live 1 year following diagnosis and less than 50% GBM patients survive longer than 15 months.

Izac is undertaking his PhD in the lab of A/Prof Matt Dun, a NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow (2020-2024) and a Defeat DIPG Chadtough New Investigator (2020-2021) with a speciality in proteogenomics (integration of genomes and proteomics data).

Initially focused on blood cancers, Matt’s research faced an unexpected shift in focus in 2018, when his then 2-year-old daughter Josephine was diagnosed with Grade IV diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) also known as diffuse midline glioma (DMG).

Struck by the lack of scientific knowledge regarding the pathophysiology of the disease and the absence of treatments for DIPG patients, Matt created his own program of DIPG research, which has led to the establishment of two clinical trials for DMG patients.

A highly talented and committed student, Izac completed his Honours in Matt’s lab in 2021 and published a first author manuscript in Nature’s Oncogene journal – a very impressive achievement for a researcher at such an early stage of his career.

Izac’s PhD will continue his Honours work and will be central to moving forward the understanding of this devastating disease.

Scientists are yet to fully understand how genetic mutations and the resultant dysregulated proteins function in these cancers. As proteins are often the target of candidate drug therapy, this is a significant knowledge gap that needs to be addressed in order to bring about better survival for patients.

Izac’s project seeks to understand which protein-targeting therapies including sophisticated cell-based therapies may be most effective for a tumour with a particular genetic signature – with the ultimate goal of providing individualised, targeted treatment options for patients and their families.

CureCell is very happy to support the vital and groundbreaking work of Izac and the Dun Lab at UON.