Immunology Cancer RESEARCH

Stimulating ‘tissue-resident’ cells to beat tumours

Dr Simone Park

Simone’s grant is co-funded with Cure Cancer, Cancer Australia and 50% funded by our principal supporter, the Can Too Foundation.

Simone is based at the Doherty Institute.

“I’ve always loved biology and finding out how the human body works,” says Dr Simone Park, a researcher at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity at The University of Melbourne. “I find the immune system fascinating because it’s comprised of so many cells that work together in a beautifully coordinated manner.”

Having originally studied to become a journalist before starting a career in science, Simone completed her PhD in 2019 at the University of Melbourne. She has already seen some of her discoveries published. In 2018, for example, she published a paper showing that tissue-resident immune cells can proliferate following restimulation. She hopes these and other findings will inform efforts to generate better vaccines against cancer and infections.

“In 2019 our team published a paper showing that tissue-resident immune cells can prevent melanoma growth by making tumours dormant. These findings unlocked a new understanding of the ways in which immune cells protect against solid cancers.”

her Research

Simone seeks to uncover the secrets of this natural symmetry, and boost the activity of immune cells known as white blood cells to make them more effective at fighting cancers. In particular, her research focuses on a type of immune cell that resides permanently in tissues of the body like the skin, lung or gut – without circulating through the bloodstream.

In earlier research, Simone has shown that these “tissue-resident” cells are efficient at preventing the development and spread of solid tumours like melanoma. She aims to understand how they develop and function, with the ultimate goal of developing better immunotherapies to fight solid cancer, possibly leading to a cure.

Simone has received several high-profile awards, including the VCCC Picchi Award for Excellence in Cancer Research, the Centenary Institute Medical Innovation Award and the inaugural Morgan Mansell Young Victorian Melanoma Researcher of the Year Award.

Simone’s Inspiration

Many of her family members and friends have been affected by cancer, including her grandmother who died from ovarian cancer. Fortunately, she says, some friends and relatives have also benefited from next-generation treatments including immunotherapies – treating disease by activating the immune system.

“Watching people who are battling cancer benefit from the new treatments being developed and tested in Australia helps motivate me to put my passion for science and immunology to good use,” she says. “My message to cancer patients is that we’re working as hard as we can to find new treatments and improve lives.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF FUNDING

“I feel so fortunate to have received a Cure Cancer grant,” she says. “Getting funding is one of the biggest if not the biggest hurdle for researchers at any career stage. This is the first external research grant I’ve ever been awarded and it feels amazing to have my ideas recognised and valued . . . I hope it’ll help me begin to establish myself as an independent researcher and leader in my field.”

Having lived in Melbourne her entire life, she loves her city, though enjoys travelling abroad. “Science and medical research are my true passion and I can’t imagine myself doing any other job. You must be ready to persevere even when your hypotheses are wrong, or your experiments aren’t working as expected.”