Kat Hutchinson

Profile

My research career to date has been in cancer biology. My first introduction to research occurred at the age of 16 when I was awarded a Nuffield Bursary to undertake a 6-week research project at the Radiobiology Research Institute in Oxford. This was an amazing opportunity which led me away from my planned applications for medicine and instead start a scientific research career. I completed my undergraduate degree in 2014 at Cardiff University in Biology, which provided me with a strong background in the biological sciences with my final dissertation focusing on using 3D models of breast cancer to test a novel agent with the aim of increasing TRAIL-mediated apoptosis. I then was awarded a Gray Scholarship from The Department of Oncology at the University of Oxford to complete my MSc in Radiation Biology, for which I was awarded a Distinction. My MSc thesis looked into increasing the chemo- and radiosensitivity of Ewing Sarcoma with a combination of a novel drug with temozolomide. I then went on to start my PhD with the Translation Medicine Research group with my project investigating the coagulation FXIII and ovarian cancer, for which I am in receipt of a LIBACS Studentship. I have thoroughly enjoyed my cancer research career to date and look forward to seeing where it will take me next.

Research interests

My current research interests are exploring the coagulation factor FXIII in ovarian cancer, and investigating therapeutic response. I am working with patient prognostic factor and survival data and clinical samples to address my hypotheses and using a variety of molecular and cell biology techniques. My previous work has been in radiation biology, using clonogenic survival assays to address whether a novel agent can increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. I have also worked in breast cancer, using a 3D breast cancer model to investigate the efficacy of a new agent for TRAIL-mediated apoptosis. 

Qualifications

• MSc Radiation Biology (Distinction), Oxford
• BSc Biology (Hons), Cardiff

Research groups and institutes

• Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's
• Translational and clinical research