Eunice specialises in molecular biology: applying mRNA technology in cancers
Eunice focuses on the design and development of mRNA-encoded antibodies that target intracellular cancer drivers, which have been deemed 'undruggable'. As evidenced in the success of mRNA COVID vaccines, synthetic mRNA is a powerful technology to allow intracellular expression of proteins. Extending this idea into cancer research, Eunice aims to design mRNA that encodes for antibodies, which can be expressed intracellularly to target aberrant proteins in cancer cells. Eunice's work will contribute to a new, effective treatment of cancer in the near future.
Eunice earned her bachelor's degree with first class honours in medical bioscience (2022) from Monash University, Malaysia. She focused on elucidating the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 proteins and the human heat shock proteins in her Honours thesis. With particular focus on molecular biology and virology, Eunice has published her work on prestigous journals, including Review in Medical Virology and Journal of Applied microbiology. She is a current PhD student in the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) under the supervision of Dr. Seth Cheetham, focusing on mRNA-based cancer therapy.
Key Publications
1. Gee YJ, Sea YL, Lal SK. Viral modulation of lipid rafts and their potential as putative antiviral targets. Rev Med Virol. 2023 Mar;33(2):e2413.
2. Sea YL, Gee YJ, Lal SK, Choo WS. Cannabis as antivirals. J Appl Microbiol. 2023 Jan 23;134(1):lxac036.