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Examining ‘serial killer’ cells and their behaviour will be at the centre of leading Australian Immunologist, Dr Misty Jenkins’, plenary talk – Understanding Serial Killers: Investigating the Function of Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes using Microscopy’ at IMC19 in Sydney next month.

Approximately 1,600 Australians are diagnosed with brain cancer each year. Dr Misty Jenkins, NHMRC RD Wright Fellow and Laboratory Head at Walter Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, is seeking to change that, and will share how microscopy is directing her research into fighting brain cancer.

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Ahead of the IMC19 Congress, Dr Jenkins shares how her research is using imaging to understand how killer T-cells in the immune system could be modified to develop a cure for brain cancer.

“T-cells are like the snipers of the immune system, they take out very specific targets and throw grenades at them to make them blow up. These cells are genetically designed to kill cancer cells, and we image this process to uncover new insights into the behaviour of these engineered killers,” said Dr Jenkins.

With a series of accolades including the L’Oréal for Women in Science Fellowship (2013) and the Westpac/Australian Financial Review Top100 Women of Influence Award (2016), Ballarat-born Dr Jenkins is a testament to the high calibre of scientists that will be representing Australia at the Congress.

“It is such an exciting time for science, and this is our chance to show the world the great work we are doing on our own shores. But it is also a rare and unique opportunity to collaborate with, learn from and share the stage with renowned scientists from across the globe,” said Dr Jenkins.

Dr Jenkins will be joined by the world’s most prominent plenary speakers including:

  • Nobel Laureate Professor Dan Shechtman, from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, presenting on The Discovery of Quasi-Periodic Materials – The Role of TEM
  • Associate Professor Jennifer Dionne, from Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford, USA, who recently featured on Oprah Winfrey’s list of “50 things that will make you say ‘Wow’!” with The Light Years: Combined optical and environmental electron microscopy to visualise photonic processes with atomic-scale resolution
  • Professor Zhiwei Shan, from Xi’an Jiaotong University, China, who has published over 70 prestigious papers and presented more than 130 invited talks discussing Mechanical Testing Laboratory Inside TEM

The 19th International Microscopy Congress (IMC19)9-14 September, at ICC Sydney, will centre around the theme, Microscopy: Bridging the Sciences, promoting collaboration across the primary streams of Frontier Issues; Instrumentation and Techniques; Physical and Life Sciences.