Valerie Leung

Research interests:

I am currently a DPhil in Clinical Medicine student, supported by the Oxford-Croucher Scholarship. My research interests lie in advancing cancer immunotherapy by integrating both cytotoxic T lymphocyte-dependent and independent mechanisms to overcome the complex barriers imposed by the tumour microenvironment. My doctoral research focuses on the role of natural killer (NK) cells in the context of therapeutic cancer vaccines, with the goal of establishing an optimised vaccination strategy that synergistically harnesses both T cells and NK cells, which is crucial for addressing relapse and resistance in patients who do not fully benefit from current immunotherapies. In parallel, I am evaluating novel therapeutic EBV vaccines tailored for endemic Burkitt lymphoma, interrogating immune cell phenotypes and vaccine efficacy in vitro and in vivo to uncover new directions at the intersection of innate and adaptive anti-tumour immunity.

Background:

I completed my BSc in Biomedical Sciences at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where my year-long Capstone Research Project employed a multi-omics approach to investigate the role of circular RNAs in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, with a focus on epigenetic modification. I subsequently moved to Oxford to read for an MSc in Applied Cancer Science within the Department of Oncology, during which I began working with Dr Carol Leung, an experience that led directly to my current doctoral work.