Affiliation: University of Edinburgh, Centre for Inflammation Research

Abigail Elliot’s interest in cancer biology began during her undergraduate years, studying Cell Biology at The University of Manchester. It was also here that she was first introduced to the use of zebrafish as a model organism for cancer research, during a research placement within the lab of Dr. Adam Hurlstone, studying the role of PTPRK as a tumor suppressor in melanomagenesis. After exploring different experimental models and areas of research and completing an MSc in Cell Biology, she has returned to the zebrafish model to study cancer development. She commenced her doctoral studies in 2018 within the laboratory of Dr. Yi Feng at the University of Edinburgh, supported by the MRC Precision Medicine Doctoral Training Programme. Her research is focused upon the response of macrophages to Ras-induced tumor initiation. Within a range of transgenic zebrafish cancer models, macrophages have been shown to promote the clonal expansional of pre-neoplastic cells. Using a combination of single-cell transcriptomics, live imaging, and genetic manipulation, she aims to decipher molecular mechanisms governing the pro-tumor function of macrophages during tumor initiation.