Trainee of the Month – Ana Portillo

Ana is a PhD student in the Ashkar Lab. Her research focuses on developing innate cell-based adoptive cell therapies (ACT), including Natural Killer cells and gamma-delta T cells, to treat solid tumours. She became passionate about cancer research due to her undergraduate at Mac and her passion for helping others. Ana is active in extra-curricular activities through the Graduate Student Association and enjoys backpacking.

Her primary research on chimeric antigen expressing-NK cells features in a Brighter World article.

1. What is your current research focus?

My current research focuses on the development of innate cell-based adoptive cell therapies (ACT), including Natural Killer cells and gamma-delta T cells, for the treatment of hard-to-treat solid tumours such as triple-negative breast cancer. While these therapies have been beneficial for blood cancers, the solid tumour poses additional barriers which impair the efficient trafficking of cell therapies to the tumour site. Thus, I am also looking to combine Natural Killer cell- and gamma-delta T cell-based ACT with other treatment modalities, such as oncolytic viruses, to overcome this challenge and enhance their efficacy for solid tumors.

2. What made you interested in pursuing cancer research?

I first fell in love with immunology research after taking undergraduate courses at McMaster and this interest was solidified through my undergraduate research experiences at the McMaster Platelet Immunology Laboratory and STEMCELL Technologies. At the same time, I have always had a passion for helping others. Working in cancer research, and specifically in the development of novel adoptive cell therapies in Dr. Ali Ashkar’s lab, allows me to combine these two passions by contributing to translational research that will hopefully improve patient health outcomes.

3. What are your interests outside the CDCR and the lab?

Outside of the CDCR and the lab, I enjoy being involved in different initiatives that support the social and academic experiences of the wider student community at McMaster and beyond. I am the current Vice President External at the McMaster Graduate Student Association and have had a leading role in supporting national research networks such as the Canadian Natural Killer Cell Consortium. Outside of my academic interests, I enjoy spending time outdoors and particularly love backpacking adventures in the backcountry.