Dr. Carly Whyte at the University of South Australia

Drs Harshita Pant, Carly Whyte and Damon Tumes at the University of South Australia

Trustee and Board Chair Dr. Michael Jay recently visited 2022 Junior Fellowship Awardee Dr. Carly Whyte at the University of South Australia.

Carly’s project is focused on eosinophils, a type of immune cell that can be present in head and neck cancer. The role they play in a tumour still isn’t clear, but there is evidence to suggest they may be beneficial for patients. Carly aims to determine the function of these cells and test strategies for altering tumour eosinophils in cancer models.

During the visit, Dr. Michael Jay was able to see the project’s progress and methodology in action at the Centre for Cancer Biology, a Medical Research Institute which carries out a world-class program of innovative research, making breakthrough discoveries in the fundamental causes of cancer, and translating these discoveries into new ways to prevent and treat this group of diseases. Michael also met with Dr. Damon Tumes and Dr. Harshita Pant, who are supervising Carly’s project.

The project will provide much-needed preclinical evidence for whether targeting eosinophils in head and neck cancer could be a useful strategy to improve patient survival.