Adaptate Biotherapeutics
Imperial College London

With current cancer therapies often failing to meet patients’ needs of efficiently and wholly eradicating cancerous tissue, there is high demand for novel approaches to tackle these issues. According to the NHS 1 in 2 people in the UK will develop some form of cancer in their lives, making it one of the most pressing health crises we face today. Shefali’s project will contribute to developing novel antibody-based cancer medicines designed to modulate γδ T-cells, a specific immune cell subset. An important class of these cells are predominantly situated in tissues and are an ideal target in order to eradicate challenging-to-treat solid tumours. Shefali’s project will involve antibody characterisation to rank their effectiveness as cancer therapeutics ahead of potential clinical development.

Shefali is an Associate Scientist at Adaptate Biotherapeutics where she has worked since January 2020. Her work includes the development and optimisation of complex cell-based assays, and the culturing of primary cells and cancer cell lines. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of York in Biomedical Sciences, where her dissertation focused was on prostate cancer cells and their treatment through enzyme inhibition. Shefali has previously worked as a teacher and has completed an industrial placement year at GlaxoSmithKline.