معرفی
Associate Professor Tracy Heng is an academic at Monash University, leading research on overcoming immunological barriers in stem cell therapies. She holds a PhD from Monash University and completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School. Her roles include Laboratory Head in the Department of Anatomy & Developmental Biology and Deputy Head of the Immunity Program at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute.
Education:
- PhD, Monash University (strategies to improve immune function in ageing)
- Postdoctoral training with Professors Harald von Boehmer, Christophe Benoist, and Diane Mathis (Harvard Medical School, Immunological Genome Project)
Research Interests: Understanding immune responses to stem cell transplantation, optimizing cell therapies, and addressing immunological challenges. Key areas include mesenchymal stromal cell apoptosis, lymphoid organ roles in therapy, and macrophage biology.
Recent Articles: Focus on apoptosis-driven therapeutic mechanisms, stromal cell interactions with lymph nodes, and cytokine effects on cell survival. Recent work highlights the critical role of apoptosis in therapeutic efficacy and the importance of secondary lymphoid organs in cell therapy.
Awards:
- 2015 Young Tall Poppy Science Award
- 2016 Metcalf Prize for Stem Cell Research
- 2016 NHMRC R.D. Wright Fellowship
- 2011 ARC Postdoctoral (Industry) Fellowship
Projects: Leading projects such as 'The mesenchymal stromal cell paradox' (2022–2025) and 'Surface coatings for directed differentiation of iPSCs to T-cells' (2023–2026). Collaborates on initiatives like the ARC Training Centre for Cell and Tissue Engineering Technologies.
Labs/Teams: Leads a research group focused on immunological barriers in stem cell therapies within the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute.
