TAKING a closer look at a rare, cancer-like condition, Jenee Mitchell has found a hyperactive protein initiating inflammation leading to scarring lesions in the body.
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What Dr Mitchell's work could unlock is the potential to adapt her findings in treating other cancers and inflammatory conditions that create tissue damage.
Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute honourary director George Kannourakis said these Treg cells were generally useful in small numbers in the body's immune response to cancer. It was when they showed up in large number that it meant trouble.
These immune cells carry a protein that can create scar tissue or lesions. Professor Kannourakis said when this occurred on vital organs, it created major damage.
Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis has long been the focus for Dr Mitchell, who completed her PhD via FECRI last year.
Dr Mitchell's latest findings studying how immune cells could be involved in developing LCH form the tail-end of this work, now as a post-doctoral research fellow at FECRI.
LCH is a rare cancer commonly found in children that can also appear in adults.
Dr Mitchell's findings have been published in prestigious journal Clinical Immunology with FECRI's Professor Stuart Berzins and Jason Kelly in collaboration with Professor Jan-Inge Henter from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and Dr Daniel Pellicci from Murdoch Children's Research Institute.
The chance to remain working in Ballarat with leading international researchers has been an honour for Dr Mitchell, whose family is based in this city.
Dr Mitchell said there was always more work to be done but in better understanding the basic biology of LCH, it has highlighted the potential importance of the Treg cells.
Professor Kannourakis has extensive experience treating LCH patients as an oncologist and haematologist. He said this study was a promising lead.
From this point, Professor Kannourakis said in finding ways to block Tregs and the protein causing lesion problems there is the potential to better manage other inflammatory conditions like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis or infections cased by inflammations.
He said even the effects of COVID-19 could be managed better for the inflammation and scarring the virus causes on the lungs and blood vessels, which can lead to clots.
Professor Kannourakis said this study Dr Mitchell was also a great example of a young woman pursuing an internationally-recognised science career from a regional base. FECRI is Australia's only regional cancer research institute and relies solely on community support.
FECRI has eight PhD students from Federation University and 13 senior scientific staff. Other key projects being conducted at the Institute are: ovarian cancer, breast cancer, immunology, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and renal cancer.
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