Congratulations to Pavitha Parathan from the Mucosal Immunity Lab for being awarded the 2024 Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI) Student Prize.
Pavitha, who recently submitted her PhD, was the deserving recipient of the 2024 Student Prize as a recognition of her significant achievements over the past couple of years.
Every year, ONJCRI awards a Student Prize to a postgraduate student making a significant contribution to their field who is close to, or soon after, submission of their PhD.
In 2024, Pavitha was awarded the Harold Mitchell Fellowship. The fellowship allowed Pavitha to travel to the United States to present at the Gastrointestinal Tract XXI: Life, Death, and Disease conference, and visit Professor Isaac Chiu, at Harvard Medical School. This experience reinforced her passion for cancer research and her drive to find more effective, tolerable and accessible cures for cancer.
What led you to choose a career in cancer research?
My passion for cancer research stemmed during secondary school when I attended work experience at a chemotherapy ward at Monash Hospital. It was a life-changing experience for me as hearing patient stories firsthand about their personal battles with cancer really ignited many questions for me about the destructive nature of cancer. It also was a stark reminder that we still have a very long way to go towards better cancer cure rates.
This, and my interest in gastrointestinal neurophysiology, were the main reasons I was driven to pursue cancer research.
Tell us about your PhD journey at ONJCRI.
I started my PhD in April 2021 and recently submitted my thesis in November 2024. My PhD journey truly has been an incredible journey full of milestones and challenges and I honestly would not change a thing. I have met some incredible people, travelled to some amazing conferences and learnt so much.
I would like to also really acknowledge my incredible supervisors Dr Lisa Mielke and Dr Michael Buchert for their support and mentorship.
What has been a research highlight for you since starting your PhD?
My research investigates the role of the gut’s own nervous system (commonly referred to as the “second brain”) during gastrointestinal cancers. Nerve fibres are highly present in the tumour microenvironment and studies into other cancers have shown they can significantly promote cancer growth. My project specifically focuses on the role of sensory nerve fibre receptors and if they can be targeted to reduce tumour growth.
A huge highlight for me was travelling to Harvard University to present our data to one of our collaborators, Professor Isaac Chiu, who is a world leader in neuro-immunology. It was an experience that I will never forget!
What are you hoping to achieve in your research in the near future?
I think it would be amazing to raise more awareness of the impact and role of nerve fibres in the tumour microenvironment which could lead to more targeted cancer treatments leading to better patient survival rates.
Pavitha’s research journey continues its upward trajectory, as she prepares her first manuscript for a journal with her supervisor Dr Lisa Mielke. We are looking forward to seeing where Pavitha takes her research next.