Bridget is a rising senior at UCLA and is majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. She has conducted research in the lab of Dr. Caius Radu at UCLA since her sophomore year.
Bridget focuses on studying innate immune activation mechanisms in response to an immunotherapy platform consisting of RNA complexed in lipid nanoparticles (RNA-LNP). Immunotherapy utilizes the body’s own immune system to treat cancer and other immune system-related diseases. As a result, immunotherapy serves as a promising cancer treatment because it harnesses the host immune cells to recognize and target cancer cells. The Radu Lab has developed strategies for using RNA-LNP as a cancer vaccine strategy for targeting solid tumors that are often refractory to current standard-of-care treatments. Additionally, the Radu Lab also investigates the use of the RNA-LNP platform for combating the barrier of the hostile tumor microenvironment that suppresses innate immune activation in the setting of cancer.
Bridget contributes to the ongoing research direction by investigating pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) involved in sensing of the RNA-LNP platform. Her project is centered on measuring signals of RNA-LNP-induced immune activation in particular innate immune cell subsets to inform immunotherapy strategies in preclinical mouse models.
Bridget would like to thank the Radu Lab, especially Dr. Caius Radu, project scientist Dr. Khalid Rashid, and her graduate student mentor Hailey Lee, for their wonderful mentorship, patience, and constant support. She would also like to thank the Amgen Foundation for this unique opportunity to expand her skills in research and pursue her passion for research.