PathWest’s Zo Ee Wong awarded prestigious FHRI grant for groundbreaking immunotherapy research

We are thrilled to announce that our very own Zo Ee Wong from the Department of Clinical Immunology FSH has been awarded a Clinician Researcher Training grant through the Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund and The Hospital Research Foundation Group for her innovative CAR T cell immunotherapy research to improve outcomes for patients with blood cancers.

 

Zo Ee is one of only eight Western Australian health professionals to receive this scholarship. The funding will support a PhD project titled: "Functional characterisation of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells in haematological malignancies and transplantation." The research project will be performed in collaboration between PathWest Immunology, Haematology RPH, The University of Western Australia, and Cell and Tissue Therapies WA (CTTWA).

 

CAR T cell therapy is a groundbreaking immunotherapy that genetically engineers a patient's own T-cells to recognize and destroy cancer cells, primarily used for blood cancers like lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma. In addition, Zo Ee's project will also investigate using these cells to prevent rejection of transplanted organs. The process involves collecting, modifying, and re-infusing these cells as a "living drug".

 

Zo Ee’s research could help make CAR T cell treatment smarter and safer. It means:

•  Better Results: Identifying the strongest cells to give patients the best chance at a full recovery.

• Fewer Side Effects: Understanding how the cells behave so doctors can prevent the body from reacting to the treatment.

• Long-term Protection: Ensuring the cells stay in the body to stop the cancer from ever coming back.

 

The scholarship provides a comprehensive support package for up to 3 and a half years, made possible through the collaboration of the FHRI Fund, WA universities, and hospital research foundations.

 

Please join us in congratulating Zo Ee on this outstanding achievement.