Nush completed her PhD at UNSW in 2019 which focused on understanding and therapeutically targeting tumour-stromal interactions in pancreatic cancer. She then worked as part of the Medicine Research Infrastructure and Operational Services team across the Upper Campus Biomedical Precinct between 2020 and 2021. She was recruited to the Viral Pathogenesis and Vector Laboratory as part of the Immunovirology and Pathogenesis Program within The Kirby Institute in 2021, where she has been managing several projects on SARS-CoV-2 and Mpox.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr Anouschka Akerman
Bachelor of Science, First Class Honours (2014), UNSW
PhD in cancer therapeutics and stromal cell metabolism (2019), UNSW
Awards
School of Medical Science (SoMS) Award for Safety Culture (MEDRIOS Team) (2020)
Nomination for UNSW Dean’s Award for Outstanding PhD Theses (2019)
Translational Cancer Research Network, PhD Scholarship Top-up Award (2018 – 2019)
European Pancreas Club Jubilee Meeting Travel Scholarship (2018)
Postgraduate Research Student Support Scheme (2018)
Prince of Wales Clinical School Travel Award (2018)
Campion-Ma-Playoust Memorial Award (Best Oral Presentation) Australian Society for Medical Research National Scientific Conference (2017)
Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) Scholarship (2015 – 2018)
Grants
Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) grant (2023)
This grant was awarded to the Kirby Institute LEAF team to establish a soft plastics recycling stream within the PC2 laboratory.
Research activities
The focus of Nush's PhD (2015-2019) was understanding the metabolic changes that occur in pancreatic tumour cells and tumour-associated stromal cells, as these changes represent vulnerabilities that can be therapeutically targeted. Her PhD focused specifically on inhibiting various nutrient transporters, that are over-expressed in both cell types, using pharmacological inhibitors or gene therapy (nanoparticles coupled with siRNA).
In 2021, Nush joined the Viral Pathogenesis and Vector Lab (VPVL) within the Immunovirology and Pathogenesis Program (IVPP) where she is involved in:
- Collaborative testing of sera samples from convalescent or vaccinated donors
- Screening of new antiviral SARS-CoV-2 drugs
- Investigating SARS-CoV-2 viral tropism
- Establishing platforms for testing Mpox