Disease Prevention Lies under the Surface

Immunity is a marvellously intricate and precisely controlled defense mechanism that has evolved to protect our bodies from intruders and environmental hazards. The innate immune system relies on pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) to detect specific molecules produced by harmful microorganisms or internal damage to trigger an immune response.

Dr Nadya Panagides is a biomedical scientist with expertise in venomics and cancer immunology. Her PhD research focused on discovering therapeutic antibodies against complex membrane proteins using phage display biopanning methods.

Despite the national prevention strategy spanning across the last 40 years, non-melanoma skin cancer is still rising. Evidence suggests that pathogenic bacteria colonising sun damaged skin are causing DNA damage that promotes skin cancer. What role do our skin microbes play and how can we utilise them for future therapies?

Jacoba Bromfield is a final year PhD candidate in Professor Ian Frazer's lab at the University of Queensland, investigating the role of bacterially induced inflammation in skin cancer progression.