Nancy Zaarour

After completing my PhD training in Biochemistry and Cell biology at the University of Paris, I joined the Mediterranean centre for molecular medicine to work on potentiating the action of insulin using small molecules compounds to treat type 2 diabetes. I then moved to the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) to study the impact of oxidation stress and ionising radiation on the nuclear architecture and genomic stability, including senescence and cancer. Afterwards, I undertook an immuno-oncology study at the Centre of Immunology in Marseille, to investigate the impact of epigenetic factors on V(D)J rearrangement of T-cell receptor in T cell differentiation and leukemogenesis with funding from The National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) and The French National Centre for Scientific Research. In 2020, I moved to the NDORMS in Oxford to join Professor Paul Bowness group as postdoc in translational immunology, my research focused on drug discovery and development aiming to identify and validate new targets in Spondylarthritis patients. Most recently, I joined the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, (Women’s Reproductive health at University of Oxford) as a Postdoc in 2021, supported by funding from Ovarian cancer action OCA to work with Professor Ahmed Ahmed on enhancing T cell immune response to Ovarian cancer with the aim to identify and develop preventive therapeutic strategies. This work was recognised recently by an award of 5-year Elman Poole Non-Stipendiary Junior Research fellowship from Lincoln College.

Understanding the immunology of the tissue of origin in cancer is instrumental and for High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer it means focusing on the fallopian tube. Therefore, our work aims to better understand T cell response in the fallopian tube to tumour and to identify and characterise specific T cells populations with potential to recognise and prevent ovarian cancer. I am particularly interested in developing and applying ex vivo approaches to identify tumor-targeting T cells and to study the crosstalk between T cells and malignant cells. The overall goal of this research is to translate our finding into designing and developing immunopreventive strategies for patients suffering from ovarian cancer. Recently, we have received funding from Cancer Research UK to undertake preclinical testing and evaluating both immunogenicity and antitumor efficacy of a newly designed multipeptide preventive vaccine for ovarian cancer.

I hold a postgraduate certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (PGCert Teaching and Learning for HE from University of Oxford). I am interested in teaching and currently supervising DPhil (PhD) student on projects which focus on translational cancer immunology. 

I am also happy for potential students to get in touch to discuss other project ideas.