About me

I completed a Bachelor of Biomedical Science at the University of Technology Sydney before deciding to start an honours project at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research under the supervision of Professor Brian Oliver. My honours project intended to determine inflammatory and cytotoxic effects of electronic cigarettes in airway smooth muscle cells. After a successful year during honours I was offered the opportunity to extend my time in the Cell biology group with a more in depth PhD project looking into E-cigarettes and other emerging tobacco products effects on lung cells.

My Project
As mentioned previously my project intends to determine the effects of electronic cigarettes and other emerging tobacco products on lung cells. E-cigarettes have only been available to consumers for around a decade, so very little is known about the harms that may come from their use. It is well documented that traditional tobacco cigarette smoking results in chronic bronchitis, airway remodelling and emphysema in susceptible patients but it is too soon to tell the harms occurring from E-cigarette use. I am using a range of cell and molecular biology techniques to determine the inflammatory and fibrotic changes that occur from E-cigarette exposure and how exposure might alter the effectiveness of common pharmaceutical drugs used by long term smokers.