Marina Rajic

Doctor of Philosophy, (Biochemistry)
Study Completed: 2020
College of Sciences

Citation

Thesis Title
Development and applications of filamentous phage-derived particles in immunotherapy and diagnostics

People’s immune responses against infectious agents and tumours are driven by a type of white blood cell, called a CTL. Ms Raji? researched their application for vaccines, as vaccines that induce antibody responses and are easy to design are not capable of eliminating tumours. Yet vaccines that induce CTL responses and are effective in eliminating tumours are challenging to develop. Ms Raji? developed a new type of bacteriophage-based vaccine as a proof-of-concept for inducing CTL response, and demonstrated stimulation of some components. Ms Raji? also developed new biological nanorods for use in diagnostic tests, and demonstrated the application of these nanorods in a sensitive and easy-to-use diagnostic test. Ms Raji?'s research provides useful insights for further improvements and applications of bacteriophage and biological nanoparticles in biomedicine.

Supervisors
Professor Jasna Rakonjac
Associate Professor Ian Hermans
Professor Kathryn Stowell