ECU offers innovative and practical courses across a variety of disciplines and we have a vibrant research culture. ECU is a leader in developing alternative entry pathways to higher education.
We have three campuses in Western Australia. Joondalup and Mount Lawley in the Perth metropolitan area and our South West campus in Bunbury, 200km south of the Perth CBD.
ECU provides a variety of services and facilities that go beyond the classroom, with opportunities for personal development and social interaction for students and staff.
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At ECU we concentrate our research in areas of strength to deliver tangible outcomes.
There are several ways to get involved with research at ECU.
ECU has a lively research community that is committed to supporting research students.
Research Services provides comprehensive support services to researchers.
We value industry partnerships and offer access to world-class research across our nine ECU Strategic Research Institutes and Centres.
ECU links our stakeholders to our professional talent pool across a range of disciplines and research topics.
We collaborate with all types of businesses, including new start-ups, small to medium enterprises, not-for-profits, community organisations, government and large corporates in the resources sector.
ECU delivers training that can be tailored to industry needs.
Extra-curricular learning for childrenChildren's University Edith Cowan aims to inspire students between seven and fourteen to develop confidence and a love of learning through validated activities beyond the school curriculum.
The Inspiring Minds scholarship program are equity scholarships that give students an opportunity to access an education that may otherwise be out of reach.
EventsCatch up with fellow graduates at one of our regular alumni events.
We love to see our graduates back at ECU helping current students achieve their dreams.
Tell us what you've been up to since you graduated or stay in the alumni loop.
Take advantage of a range of career development or other alumni benefits.
Luisa Pinnel
Luisa Pinnel is a Masters by Research candidate and Research Assistant in the cancer program.
For over a decade, advanced melanoma patients have benefited from immunotherapy, however, while many patients experience a positive clinical response to immune checkpoint inhibitors, almost 50% of patients still succumb to the disease. Blood-based biomarkers such as T-Cell Receptor (TCR) Repertoire and Human Leucocyte Antigen (HLA) genotype are of interest because they can provide information relevant to the potential and pre-existing anti-tumour immune response. HLA molecules are critical for presenting tumour-derived neoepitopes and other cellular antigens to TCRs on T-cells to trigger signals to activate or inhibit T-cell proliferation and differentiation, producing an immune response when needed.
This study aims to evaluate the circulating TCR repertoire and HLA genotype as predictive biomarkers of response to immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment by evaluating the association between clinical benefit and survival outcomes relative to the two biomarkers. This project will be of significant value in increasing the knowledge around the value of the circulating TCR repertoire and HLA genotype as biomarkers to guide clinical decision-making to revolutionise and personalise immunotherapy.
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