Research Supervisor Connect
This project aims to investigate the role of extracellular vesicles as key players in cell-cell communications and tumour microenvironment (TME).
Camperdown - School of Medical Sciences
Masters/PHD
Mesothelioma is a rare and very aggressive type of cancer with the highest latency of any oncological condition, and very limited treatment options. It has been reported that the diagnosis of mesothelioma will increase ~5-10% annually with Australia having one of the highest rates in the world. The treatment of malignant mesothelioma is quite elusive and relies mostly on palliative treatment by standard first line chemotherapy and supportive care. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have dramatically improved the prognosis of various solid tumours including melanoma and lung cancer. TME plays a critical role in cancer development and progression. Even though there are some studies on the malignant mesothelioma TME, there is little known about the role of EV as mediator of information in malignant mesothelioma TME and specially in tumour immune microenvironment. Therefore, the primary emphasis of this project, is to understand the effect of different types of cells- and patients derived EV on different key players in TME. Results of this study provide insight into the role of EV in modulating the interaction of malignant mesothelioma cells and its TME. This will shed light on the ability of EV in creating a tumour microenvironment that enhances the invasive properties of malignant mesothelioma, for the first time
The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is 2925