Pilar Blancafort

Pilar Blancafort is an Associate Professor at The University of Western Australia (UWA), holding positions in the School of Human Sciences and UWA Medical School. She is affiliated with the UWA Centre for Medical Research and collaborates with the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research. Her research focuses on epigenetic manipulation in cancer models, particularly breast and ovarian cancers, leveraging CRISPR/Cas9 and genome engineering technologies to develop precision medicine tools. She has co-led projects such as the Lionheart FX Automated High-Content Microscope initiative and actively investigates therapeutic reprogramming of cellular signaling pathways to improve cancer treatment outcomes.

Blancafort’s research expertise includes genome engineering, cancer epigenetics, and women’s cancers. She collaborates internationally and has contributed to over 70 publications, 14 datasets, and 43 grants. Her work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing global health and innovation in medical research. Key areas of exploration involve reactivating tumor suppressors, silencing oncogenic drivers, and enhancing immune responses through CRISPR-based systems. Her studies on the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway and novel oncogenes further underscore her commitment to advancing targeted therapies.

Blancafort has supervised 11 students and leads multiple grants, including projects on metastatic breast cancer therapies and ovarian cancer reprogramming. Her lab at the UWA Centre for Medical Research explores translational strategies for epigenome editing in cancer, with a focus on clinical applicability. Recent work highlights lipid nanoparticle delivery systems for CRISPR/dCas9 and synthetic epigenetic approaches to reverse mesenchymal-epithelial transitions in breast cancer.