Eva Shteinman

Can you summarise your latest research?

By focusing on the tumour-immune interaction in melanoma, my research aims to tackle two major questions:

1. How can we identify which early-stage melanoma patients will benefit the most from preventative immunotherapy treatment, and
2. How can we identify ahead of time whether a patient will respond to immunotherapy treatment?

My work utilises a combination of high-resolution imaging technologies and whole-genome-sequencing to characterise the biology of tumour and immune cells, as well as their interaction, with the aim of identifying clinically relevant markers of recurrence and response to immunotherapy.

How did you get into melanoma research?

After I completed my honours, I was fortunate enough to be offered a position in the Melanoma Translational Research Group (at The University of Sydney) as a research assistant. After working in this role for several years, learning about melanoma research in depth, developing a keen interest in the work my colleagues were doing, and seeing the real-world impact of this research on the lives of patients, I decided to pursue a PhD in this field with the same research group.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Being honoured with the Tour de Cure Postgraduate Research Scholarship.

What is your favourite part of your work?

I really enjoy identifying interesting patterns in my datasets, and then figuring out the best ways to present these patterns visually. I also definitely enjoy looking at the amazing fluorescent images that are produced by high-plex imaging technologies – samples can really look like galaxies of cells sometimes!

Do you have a hidden talent?

Sewing quilts and other handmade fabric things.

What’s a book you’ve enjoyed recently?

East of Eden – John Steinbeck.