Sarah Sasson
Dr Sarah Sasson is a Post-doctoral Clinical Research Fellow in the Translational Gastroenterology Unit (Nuffield Department of Medicine). She discusses her project and benefits she has drawn from her experience as an Oxford-Celgene Fellow.
What is your research background?
I am an Australian Immunologist and clinical-academic, now working in the Translational Gastroenterology Unit (TGU), Nuffield Department of Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital.
What are you researching now?
My project involves characterising the nature of T-cell checkpoint inhibitor-associated colitis. Up to 44% of oncology patients receiving Ipilimumab and Nivolumab develop diarrhoea with 13% having confirmed colitis. We aim to delineate the pathophysiology and risk factors of this entity in the hope of improving patient outcomes and identifying targets for novel therapeutics.
What has your experience of this Fellowship been like?
The Oxford-Celgene Fellowship program has been a remarkable opportunity for me, one for which I’ve moved from Sydney, Australia to pursue. The Fellowship provides funding for cutting edge techniques including single cell genomic analysis. Additionally, the travel allowance facilitates attendance at local and international conferences and to the Celgene headquarters.
What are your aspirations for the future?
One of the things I hope to gain from my time here is the involvement with a broad network of scientists and clinicians, who I can learn from and collaborate with into the future.