St Catharine’s is preparing to welcome Nisita Dutta as a postgraduate student when she takes up her Gates Cambridge Scholarship in Michaelmas Term 2022. Her PhD will involve creating novel nanobody-drug conjugates to treat pancreatic cancer in an international collaboration between the University of Cambridge and the United States’ National Institutes of Health.
She explains, “While the incidence of pancreatic cancer has steadily increased in recent years, survival rates remain dramatically low: only one in every ten patients is expected to survive five years after diagnosis. One reason for this is the dense stroma and limited vascular environment of pancreatic tumours, which makes it difficult for conventional drugs to penetrate them. If we can use nanobody-drug conjugates to overcome this challenge, it could be a real game-changer.
“Cancer research enables me to combine my academic expertise with personal interests. My family was affected by cancer when I was in high school and my interest was solidified when I volunteered for the Johns Hopkins chapter of Camp Kesem (a free, week-long overnight summer camp designed to support children impacted by a parent’s cancer) – it was so moving to hear about the experiences that these kids faced at such a young age.”
Nisita Dutta (second from left) with other counsellors and children at Camp Kesem
Before applying to the University of Cambridge’s Department of Chemistry, Nisita completed her undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Johns Hopkins University and started medical school through the University of Maryland Medical Scientist Training Programme:
“I applied to continue my studies at Cambridge because I was excited by the innovative research happening at the University, particularly at the interface between basic science and translational or even clinical fields. As an engineer by background, I am looking forward to expanding my basic science skills and playing my part in this interdisciplinary approach to research.”
Four Gates Cambridge Scholars are currently part of the St Catharine’s community: Robert Henderson (a Psychology PhD student), Dorian Minors (a Biological Sciences PhD student), Felix von Horstig (a Physics and Materials Science PhD student) and Barbara Neto-Bradley (a Plant Sciences PhD student). Nisita is also looking forward to getting involved in extra-curricular activities when she arrives at St Catharine’s this autumn:
“I’m an outdoors person and like to compete in triathlons, so I’m particularly keen to explore the bike routes and open swimming areas in Cambridge. As music director of the a capella group at my current university, I’m passionate about singing and I hope to get involved in the College choir too.”
