Jessica Murray

Jessica is excited to explore tumour cell spreading in melanoma at Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute. The aggressive malignant nature of melanoma is what contributes to this being a major cause of skin cancer associated deaths. As a PhD student in the Melanoma and Molecular Immunology Laboratory, Jessica will be investigating a less well understood form of cancer spread, termed Extravascular Migratory Metastasis (EVMM). EVMM has been identified to occur in melanoma, however also in other cancers associated with poor prognosis. These include glioma, pancreatic cancer and ovarian cancer. More specifically, these studies will focus on the biomolecular interactions that occur during EVMM. Findings from this research may provide an avenue for future development of effective anti-cancer therapeutics for a range of cancers with poor prognosis.