PhD Top-Up Scholarships
Every year, the Jreissati Pancreatic Centre at Epworth awards three PhD top-up scholarships to support outstanding individuals pursuing a doctoral degree in Victoria with a specific focus on pancreatic cancer research. These scholarships are intended to supplement existing funding and provide additional financial support to selected candidates. Each scholarship comprises $10,000 AUD per year for a maximum of three years.
We welcome applications at various stages of investigation, encompassing all areas of pancreatic cancer research:
- fundamental/basic research
- diagnostic advancements
- innovative treatment strategies
- translational studies
- initiatives related to cancer survivorship.
2026 scholarship recipients
Alessia Airaghi
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Project title: Engineering B cells to reprogram the PDAC immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment.
Summary: : Pancreatic cancer is difficult to treat because the tumour prevents immune cells from entering and creates signals that suppress the body’s defence system. T cells, which normally recognise and kill abnormal cells, struggle to function in this environment, and engineered T cell therapies have had limited success in pancreatic cancer. This project aims to improve these therapies by adding engineered B cells, which naturally produce large amounts of proteins. These B cells will be modified to release molecules that break down the tumour’s physical barrier and convert suppressive signals into signals that stimulate the immune response. This combined approach is designed to help T cells enter the tumour and attack it more effectively.
Dr Ashray Rajagopalan
Monash University
Project title: PREdicting Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma treatment REsponse using TRAnscriptomic Pattern analysis (PREPARE-TRAP).
Summary: : Pancreatic cancer is difficult to treat because tumours respond differently to chemotherapy; however, treatment is usually chosen based on age and general health rather than tumour biology. This study aims to improve chemotherapy selection by analysing gene patterns within pancreatic tumours. For patients who have had surgery, we will examine stored tumour samples to see whether specific gene signatures can predict which chemotherapy worked best. For patients with cancer that cannot be removed surgically, we will analyse biopsy samples taken by endoscopic ultrasound to determine whether the same approach can guide treatment choices in advanced disease. The goal is to match each patient to the chemotherapy most likely to benefit them, improving outcomes and reducing unnecessary side effects.
Sree Priyanka Jeevanandan
Monash University
Project title: Engineering the immunosuppressive microenvironment of pancreatic cancer to test and improve anti-cancer therapy response.
Summary: : This project investigates how immune cells influence the growth of pancreatic cancer and why current treatments have limited efficacy. In the laboratory, we engineer “mini-tumours” that mimic conditions in the human body and allow us to study how cancer cells interact with immune cells and their surrounding environment. We use analytical and imaging techniques to examine how different immune cell types support or restrict cancer cell growth. We aim to test how immunotherapy, which boosts the immune response, works in combination with drugs that slow down or stop cancer cell growth. This research will provide evidence why some treatments fail and for more effective therapies for people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Tawany De Carvalho Gil
La Trobe University
Project title: Novel Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers in Pancreatic Cancer.
Summary: : Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, and current tests cannot detect the disease early or reliably predict prognosis. This project investigates whether antibodies produced by B cells can serve as new biomarkers for pancreatic cancer. Tumour-specific antibodies can appear in the blood even in early disease and are stable over time, making them promising candidates for detection and monitoring. Using advanced protein microarray technology, we will profile antibody patterns in patients to identify signatures linked to disease presence and progression. The aim is to develop a minimally invasive test that improves early detection and helps guide treatment decisions.
2025 scholarship recipients
Purva Trivedi
The Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute
Project title: Understanding how myeloid HCK activity corrupts the tumour microenvironment.
Summary: : My PhD project is focused understanding the role of an enzyme called Hematopoietic Cell Kinase (HCK) and its impact on immune cells within pancreatic cancer tumour microenvironment. By blocking HCK, we can potentially transform cancer-promoting immune cells into types that attack cancer. This research could lead to targeted therapies that improve the effectiveness of current treatments like chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
Kate Connell
La Trobe University
Project title: Exploring the management of nutrition impact symptoms associated with advanced pancreatic cancer and its treatment.
Summary: : My project will examine how nutrition impact symptoms affect patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, the barriers to prescribing PERT (a treatment that is routinely needed, but often missed), and the potential for improved access to PERT through dietitian prescribing. The findings may enhance nutrition, quality of life, and survival in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.
Phoebe Dunbar
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Project title: CRISPR/Cas9 mediated generation of armoured TCR-T cells in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Summary: : Approximately 40% of pancreatic cancers are caused by a specific mutation in the KRAS gene, which presents itself on the cancer cell as a neoantigen. My project aims to engineer T cells that specifically target this neoantigen to eliminate cancer without damaging healthy tissues. In addition, my project uses CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to deliver anti-cancer factors directly to the tumour. This provides a safer and more effective treatment for pancreatic cancer patients.
Saeed Aslani
Monash University
Project title: : Assessing the potential of mutant KRAS ctDNA in determining chemotherapy response in pancreatic cancer patients.
Summary: : My PhD focuses on assessing the effectiveness of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) as an early indicator of how pancreatic cancer responds to chemotherapy. This research will monitor changes in ctDNA levels to potentially detect treatment effects before they are visible on CT scans. By analysing these levels, the study seeks to determine their utility as a predictive tool for assessing treatment response.
2024 scholarship recipients
Sakshi Arora
The Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute
Project title: Investigating the role of EphA3 and ADAM10 as novel therapeutic targets in pancreatic cancer progression
Summary: We are investigating two proteins (called EphA3 and ADAM10) that we found to be increased in pancreatic cancers and associated with poor patient outcomes. Our preliminary research showed that reducing levels of these proteins in pancreatic cancer cells or the surrounding tumour microenvironment inhibits pancreatic cancer growth. We will now use antibodies that we developed to specifically bind these proteins, as tumour selective drugs, to determine if they could be effective in blocking tumour growth, as a basis for new anti-cancer therapies.
Arian Ansardamavandi
The University of Melbourne
Project title: Role of P21activated kinase (PAKs) in vascular normalisation and tumour immune response
Summary: Solid cancers are known to develop dysfunctional blood vessels. Additionally, approximately 90% of pancreatic cancers are caused by genetic aberrations, including mutations in the KRAS gene. KRAS activates the P21-activated kinase (PAK) cascade which plays a pivotal role in promoting cancer growth and effectiveness of chemotherapy. Utilising mouse models of pancreatic cancer, we will investigate PAK’s effects on tumour vessels and modulating fibrosis (scar tissue) within pancreatic cancer.
Clara Kosasih
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
Project title: Targeting cytokine receptor signalling as a new treatment
Summary: Cytokines are small proteins that enable cells within our body to communicate. We have shown pancreatic cancer has elevated levels of a cytokine that unexpectedly interacts with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). This is important, as drugs that target EGFR are available to pancreatic cancer patients; however, pancreatic tumours seem to be resistant. We will utilise our patient-derived pancreatic cancer models to explore these interactions and design combination treatment strategies to overcome resistance.