Colleen S
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill)
Expertise
cancer immunology
Bio
Hello! My name is Colleen Steward, and I am a Microbiology and Immunology PhD candidate at UNC Chapel Hill. I work in a research lab that focuses on the immune system in pancreatic cancer. I’m involved in projects that look at immunotherapy applications and am also fascinated by the role B cells play in cancer. Beyond my love of science, I have a passion for teaching. I love sparking curiosity and helping others grow. Additionally, I enjoy being outside in my free time (running, hiking, biking…you name it, I’m probably up for it)! This weekend, I’m participating in a 200 mile relay race with a team of 12 other pancreatic cancer scientists from UNC!Project ideas
Current Immunotherapy Approaches
How can we unleash a patient’s own immune system to target and kill cancer cells? Immunotherapy is a hot topic and aims to alter the immune system to better recognize and attack cancer cells. There are numerous immunotherapies, including checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-T cells, and bispecific antibodies. In this project, we can focus on a certain type of immunotherapy or look at the various immunotherapies used in a specific cancer type.
Cancer Drug Discovery
Are you curious about how cancer treatments are developed? What steps are needed to go from a good idea to an FDA approved drug? How do you validate a molecule in animal models before giving it to humans? In this project, we can look at past and current examples to learn how targets are identified, validated, moved into clinical trials, and eventually approved.