I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Minnesota. I work in the lab of Dr. Ingunn Stromnes, PhD. I have a B.S. in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and a M.S. in Cell & Gene Therapy from University College in London, UK.

My research focuses on genetic engineering of CD8 T cells for novel and effective treatment of pancreatic cancer. CD8 T cells are a crucial component of the immune system that fight off foreign viruses and bacteria, as well as our own cells that have become cancerous. While pancreatic cancer is very good at shutting down the T cells that have made their way into tumors, decades of research have enabled us to manipulate T cell DNA in ways that may improve their functionality and persistence in the solid tumor microenvironment (TME). I am engineering tumor-specific T cells to continuously produce different signaling molecules called cytokines and screening for improved T cell fitness, potential TME remodeling, and other beneficial effects in the Stromnes Lab’s pancreatic cancer mouse models.

Pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of all major cancers with a five-year survival rate of 10%. Its lethality is largely attributed to early metastasis, late diagnosis, and therapeutic resistance. This patient population is in dire need of effective treatment options and I hope my research efforts will facilitate their development.

I will use the generous ARCS Foundation funding for necessary research reagents and conference travel.

My long-term career goal is to oversee immune cell therapy development for immuno-oncology clinical trials in academia or industry.

Outside of my research, I enjoy traveling to new places, eating delicious food, and spending time with my husband and 3 young/amazing/filthy children!