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Current treatments offer little hope: chemotherapy is harsh, immunotherapy ineffective and high risk, and the tumours are inoperable in more than 80% of patients. 

The team inside the Molecular Horizons' Targeted Cancer Therapeutics Research Laboratory – led by and including PhD researcher Elahe Minaei – is working to change the tide and solve one of the most urgent problems in modern medicine.

The problem with current treatments for pancreatic cancer 

“Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal solid malignancies,” says Associate Professor Vine-Perrow. “And we haven’t seen the development of any new treatments or anything significantly improving patient outcomes in the last 40 years.” 

While immunotherapy has revolutionised treatment of melanoma and lung cancer in recent years, it’s been ineffective in pancreatic cancer because of its unique biology: dense connective tissue that blocks drug penetration and profound immune suppression. Elahe explains that our immune system is like an army: “In leukemia, the army has already started the fight against the cancer, but they've got to the point where they're exhausted and outnumbered and they're sending give up signals. Immunotherapy blocks those signals and reinvigorates the immune system, just like energy drinks packaged in the form of antibodies. 

“In pancreatic cancer, the immune army hasn't noticed the cancer cells because they're too similar to the body's own cells. In this scenario, immunotherapy would need to inform and weaponise the army and keep them energised. This requires a combination of treatments that can be too toxic if given through blood streams, because they raise a large army everywhere in the body, attacking everything, including healthy organs. This can be fatal.”

Associate Professor Kara Vine-Perrow. Photo credit: Michael Grey

The local solution taking treatment where it’s needed 

“What if we could harness the immune system where it’s needed and only raise an army around the tumour?” says Elahe, whose PhD research has focused on just that, working closely with the UOW team that has already made significant progress targeting inoperable pancreatic tumours.  

Developed at UOW, ResectAssist™ is a single-use, implantable and biodegradable device for inoperable locally advanced pancreatic cancer. It is designed to be inserted directly into pancreatic tumours, delivering high-dose chemotherapy in a way that is more tolerable, less severe and more effective for patients. 

“We've been developing an implantable device that can locally deliver chemotherapy and Elahe's project looks at how we can locally deliver immunotherapy,” says Associate Professor Vine-Perrow. “And with these two approaches we think we can significantly improve outcomes for patients, by restoring sensitivity of patients to these treatments.” 

Rather than seeing chemotherapy and immunotherapy as competing forces, Elahe’s research shows how they can be strategically integrated at the tumour site. The implants are designed to release drugs in phases, mimicking clinical regimens, while preserving gut microbiome health – a critical factor for overall immunity and treatment tolerance.  

This is not theoretical. In advanced preclinical trials in mouse models, Elahe’s implants slowed tumour growth, extended survival, and preserved microbial diversity in the gut compared to standard systemic therapy.  

Associate Professor Vine-Perrow’s team believe this revolutionary treatment will improve responses to therapy and enable tumours that were previously considered inoperable to be removed by surgery. Delivering better patient outcomes would place less pressure on the health system due to reduced hospital time or palliative care access.  

For patients, this could mean enhanced treatment tolerability and improved quality of life, and the possibility of extended survival, meaning more time to enjoy precious moments with family.

A compassion project 

As so many of us do, Elahe understands the wish for more time with family, explaining that it was the loss of her beloved auntie to breast cancer when Elahe was 14 that put her on the path to cancer research.  

“I remember feeling hopeless and helpless and not being able to do anything. That was when I decided what I want to do with my life – I wanted to find a way to help.” 

After completing her master’s degree in immunology in Iran, Elahe moved to ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵapp and joined ’s lab as a research assistant, where she fell in love with translational cancer research. 

“I began my PhD at UOW in 2022 under Associate Professor Kara Vine-Perrow, combining immunology, biomaterials, and microbiome science to develop targeted implantable therapies for pancreatic cancer.” 

“Elahe brings a lot of passion and a lot of drive to the project,” says Associate Professor Vine-Perrow. “But she's also very aware about the need to translate this from the bench to the bedside.” 

Perhaps it is this compassion for patients, her skills as a science communicator, and her willingness to engage with clinicians and undertake the industry training needed to make these treatments a reality, that see Elahe receiving continued recognition for her work.

PhD researcher Elahe Minaei. Photo credit: Martin Keyes

Recognising innovation, persistence and collaboration 

In 2024, she won the final and the People’s Choice Award of the UOW Three-Minute Thesis Competition, the , and a global Rising Researcher Award from US biotech company Promega. Now, she’s a finalist in the , which celebrates the contributions from universities around the country that are shaping our future through teaching, research and community service.  

Elahe’s category – The Problem Solver Award – recognises groundbreaking research work that will or has already transformed the lives of Australians for the better.  

“It feels surreal and energising all at once,” Elahe says of being made a finalist. “It’s deeply validating, not just for me, but for every researcher working behind the scenes to make cancer treatments kinder and smarter. Being recognised reminds me that our work matters beyond the data; it represents hope, innovation, and compassion coming together.” 

As her supervisor, Associate Professor Vine-Perrow says she is incredibly proud of Elahe, extending that sentiment to her entire team: “This is a wonderful recognition of the innovation, persistence and collaborative spirit in our lab. It reflects the commitment we have to advancing solutions in pancreatic cancer treatment and our dedication to translating research into meaningful, real-world outcomes.” 

From bench to bedside 

As her supervisor says, Elahe understands the importance of progressing this project to its next stages. That is Elahe’s focus when it comes to the Shaping Australia Awards.  

“Winning would amplify our mission and visibility, helping attract industry and clinical collaborators to move our implant therapy toward trials,” says Elahe. “It’s not just an award, it’s a platform to push this technology one step closer to real patients who need better, safer treatment options.” 

And there’s no slowing down in UOW’s Targeted Cancer Therapeutics Research Laboratory, where Elahe says, “We’ve recently advanced our human spatial transcriptomic analysis using the Xenium platform, uncovering how chemotherapy reshapes the immune landscape in pancreatic cancer. These insights are helping us design next-generation implant formulations that can better activate local immune responses while sparing healthy tissues.” 

“Our research has proven to be very effective in the lab and our goal is to take this into clinics where it can give pancreatic cancer patients more time, more quality of life and more hope.” 

You can for the Shaping Australia Awards 2025 People’s Choice Award until 19 January 2026.