Port Macquarie

• A medical science PhD research thesis has won the finals of the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT)© competition held at Charles Sturt University in Port Macquarie in August

A science PhD candidate exploring protein gene therapy to suppress cancer tumours won the recent Charles Sturt University finals of the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT)© competition held at the University in Port Macquarie.

Ms Sarah Esmaeili (pictured left), a PhD student in the Charles Sturt School of Dentistry and Medical Sciences in the Faculty of Science and Health, won the 3MT finals for her presentation ‘p53: A Target for Cancer Gene Therapy’.

The 3MT competition challenges university PhD students to present their research in just three minutes with a balance of technical depth and public accessibility while using only one projected PowerPoint graphic.

Winning the Charles Sturt 3MT finals means Ms Esmaeili will represent the University in the Asia-Pacific 3MT finals to be held online.

“Winning the Charles Sturt University 3MT competition is an incredible honour,” Ms Esmaeili said. “I’m thrilled to represent our University at the Asia-Pacific 3MT finals.

“I’m deeply passionate about my research and grateful for the opportunity to share it on a larger stage.”

Ms Esmaeili’s research thesis explores the ‘p53’ protein family, which includes p53, p63, and p73, which plays a pivotal role as transcription factors involved in regulating various cellular processes, particularly tumour suppression.

“My research aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the nuclear – as in cell nucleus – import mechanisms of the p53 protein family, which could potentially pave the way for the development of novel therapeutic strategies targeting nuclear import,” she said.

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