Professor Sherene Loi is a breast medical oncologist and clinician scientist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, where she leads a research program integrating tumour immunology, genomics and clinical trials to improve breast cancer outcomes. Her internationally recognised work has defined how immune cells within breast tumours and normal breast tissue influence cancer risk, prognosis and treatment response. Professor Loi is the recipient of the NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Grant Award for leadership in Clinical Medicine and Science for her research into breast cancer immunology and prevention.
As a breast medical oncologist, I spend my days with patients whose lives have been disrupted by cancer.
Breast cancer is the biggest killer of Australian women under the age of 60 years and the incidence is rising. That experience keeps my research very real and also keeps the urgency clear.
We have made huge progress in breast cancer, but too many people still relapse, and too many treatments still carry avoidable toxicity.
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A central question is why some breast cancers show meaningful responses to immunotherapy while others do not, and how we can increase benefit without increasing harm. My research focuses on the immune system in breast tissue and in breast cancer. We are especially interested in T cells that live within normal cancer unaffected tissues and tumours, because these cells can reflect long term immune memory and, potentially, ongoing immune surveillance.
Understanding how these immune cells behave in normal breast tissue and how they change during cancer development may open new opportunities for prevention as well as treatment.
My lab has recently published the importance of reproductive history in permanently reshaping the immune system of mothers to protect against breast cancer. This opens a whole new area of research for preventing and treating breast cancer.
I work on clinical trials in parallel, as that is the only way to advance new treatments and biomarkers, because better treatment is not only about new drugs, but also about choosing better.
I have been fortunate to be involved in many practice changing clinical trials in the last 10 years and have seen immunotherapy incorporated into the treatment of triple negative breast cancer and now reimbursed by Medicare for all Australian women.
I am honored to receive the NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Grant Award. It recognises the importance of investigator led science and the value of connecting discovery research to patient care. It also reflects the effort of a large group of people, including my team, my mentors, collaborators, and my funders, and the patients who generously contribute to the research.
What drives my success is multidisciplinary teamwork and curiosity. We ask questions that come from, and matter to patients, we invest in high quality clinical cohorts and biospecimens, and we build collaborations across pathology, immunology, genomics, and clinical trials.
For early career researchers, my advice is simple: choose a problem that you can stay committed to over years, be driven by curiosity and do not hesitate to involve multiple specialties and disciplines around the globe. Seek mentors who are the best in what you hope to achieve and will give you honest feedback.
I hope my research helps more people live longer and better lives after breast cancer. I hope that it contributes to a healthier Australia and world by reducing the burden of cancer through smarter treatment and, one day, better prevention.