Advancing RNA therapy research<\/p>\n
Ms Wang\u2019s research focuses on developing RNA-based treatments for infectious diseases that currently have no cure. Her PhD project centres on HTLV-1, a virus that can cause aggressive cancer and neurological disease and for which there is currently no treatment, vaccine or cure.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat makes this area so exciting right now is that RNA therapies are opening an entirely new way to treat disease. It works by permanently silencing the virus \u2013 we call this \u2018block and lock\u2019 treatment,\u201d Ms Wang said.<\/p>\n
The research aims to block the virus at the promoter level, effectively shutting it down at its source. Researchers are also investigating ways to deliver therapies in simple and accessible forms, including as a nasal spray, to help reach communities most affected by the disease.<\/p>\n
Ms Wang said she was drawn to studying HTLV-1 because of the devastating impact the virus had on communities around the world and the fact it received relatively little attention.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was excited when I learnt that RNA interference therapies offer a completely different way to treat disease. It was a real paradigm shift, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought RNA into the spotlight and showcased the potential of rapidly developing RNA-based medicines,\u201d Ms Wang said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI realised this technology has the potential to transform how we treat infectious diseases. The idea that something so precise could be scaled and made accessible to communities worldwide makes it feel like we\u2019re at the beginning of a powerful new frontier in medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n
The importance of mentorship in science<\/p>\n
As she nears completion of her PhD, Ms Wang said access to experienced women mentors through the L\u2019Or\u00e9al-UNESCO For Women in Science PhD Mentoring Scheme would be invaluable in helping her navigate the next stage of her career.<\/p>\n
\u201cMedical research can feel overwhelming at times, so having mentors who’ve been through similar experiences provides long-term perspective and a foundation for self-confidence. It makes a big difference to have people who can support you, advocate for you, and help you think more strategically about your career,\u201d Ms Wang said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s really inspiring to see women leading in STEMM, especially in fields like infectious disease and therapeutics. It reinforces that those pathways are possible and that we should be taking leading development and translation of important medical advances.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Wang said she has benefited from strong mentorship throughout her research journey, particularly from her supervisor, Associate Professor Chantelle Ahlenstiel. She said experiences such as competing in the 3 Minute Thesis competition highlighted the importance of communicating complex science clearly and accessibly to create real-world impact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Advancing RNA therapy research Ms Wang\u2019s research focuses on developing RNA-based treatments for infectious diseases that currently have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21564,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12905],"tags":[16097,1034,2543,16098,1580,16099,16104,5130,16100,16101,16102,16103],"class_list":["post-21563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-loreal","tag-division-of-equity-diversity-inclusion","tag-education","tag-general","tag-healthy-lives","tag-loreal","tag-medicine-health","tag-networks-and-partnerships","tag-research","tag-sdg","tag-sdg3","tag-sdg4","tag-sdg5"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21563\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}