Olivia will focus on the development of a new circulating tumour DNA-based test for rhabdomyosarcoma. It is hoped that this test would enable more effective assessment of disease burden and response to treatment in rhabdomyosarcoma patients, which may ultimately help to improve patient outcome.
Olivia recently completed her PhD at the University of Western Australia in Perth, where she was investigating the potential of measuring circulating tumour DNA (trace amounts of tumour DNA which can be collected from blood) for the diagnosis and monitoring of breast cancer. During her studies she presented her research at a number of national and international conferences and was recognised for her work with several awards and scholarships.
Olivia is the second appointment that the ICR have made using funds raised by Alice’s Arc. Carolina Bernauer was hired earlier in the year as a Clinical Fellow. They are both part of the Sarcoma Molecular Pathology team headed by Professor Janet Shipley.
