Dr. Moles' research focuses on developing a new RNA-based therapy to treat aggressive brain cancers called high-grade gliomas (HGGs). These cancers are difficult to treat due to their rapid growth and the challenges of delivering current treatments to the brain. Dr. Moles aims to use cutting-edge mRNA technology to create specialised immune cells (CAR T cells) inside the body to target and destroy cancer cells. This approach could offer the potential for a more efficient, better tolerated, and cost-effective treatment option for patients, with the aim of improving survival and quality of life.

Dr Lauren Holz is a liver immunology specialist at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity. Dr Holz has performed key studies vital to the identification of liver tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM cells) and identified the factors necessary for TRM cells to seed the liver. Building on this critical data, she has focused on developing novel vaccine strategies to target the liver stage of malaria, a disease that affects millions of people each year. In the past four years, she has developed and patented two novel vaccine platforms, the most recent of which is an mRNA vaccine. This unique vaccine formulation is the first mRNA vaccine shown to generate tissue-resident memory T cells. Dr Lauren Holz’s research into developing the first mRNA-based malaria vaccine has the potential, if proven effective, to address a health issue of extreme global importance.