Chelisa Cardinez

Dr Chelisa Cardinez is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Division of Genome Sciences and Cancer within the John Curtin School of Medical Research at ANU. Her research focuses on immunology, cancer immunology, and genetic disorders, with emphasis on mechanisms underlying immunodeficiencies and T-cell biology. She holds a BMedSci (Honours) degree and is registered to supervise research students.

Her work combines molecular genetics (CRISPR/Cas9) and immunological approaches to study human immune deficiencies. Key projects include investigating gain-of-function mutations in IKBKB causing combined immunodeficiency and exploring CTLA4's role in T-cell cytotoxicity regulation. She collaborates with the Burr Group in cancer immunology and epigenetics.

Current research highlights include a Tour De Cure-funded project (2023-2024) investigating MHC class II expression modulation to enhance anti-tumour immunity in melanoma. Her contributions bridge basic immunology research with translational applications in cancer therapy and genetic disease modeling.