Lara Robinson
DPhil, Centre for Human Genetics
Deep exploration of the pre-tumour microenvironment in colorectal polyps
My project aims to investigate the composition and cellular interactions of the pre-tumour microenvironment in intestinal polyps, with the goal of uncovering the mechanisms driving pre-cancer development through targeted manipulation of key cellular components in pre-clinical models. Using human tissue samples and state-of-the-art mouse models, we will integrate multi-omic techniques with advanced mathematical analysis to characterise cellular phenotypes within their native tissue context.
How could your research ultimately benefit patients?
Ultimately, we aim to identify targets for vaccination as part of the broader GO-PRECISE alliance. I have a strong family connection to colorectal cancer, so any advancement in early detection linked to my work would be hugely rewarding.
About Lara
As an undergraduate, I studied Biochemistry at the University of Bath, which included a year in industry. I worked in a diagnostics laboratory, which got me hooked on lab work, and I spent 3 months in a group at the WIMM in Oxford the following summer, supported by the Lister Institute for Preventative Medicine. This summer internship was my first exposure to academic research, and the context of cancer was something that really excited me. Following my final year at university, I applied for research assistant roles to gain further experience and subsequently spent two years working in Clinical Neurosciences here in Oxford, researching Alzheimer’s disease as well as migraine and orofacial pain. It was this role that introduced me to spatial transcriptomics and single cell studies – techniques which I continue to use into my DPhil.