Dr Amy Winship
Cancer therapies, like chemotherapy, can cause devastating side-effects for young female survivors, such as infertility and early menopause.
Dr Amy Winship has won an Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS) Young Tall Poppy award for her research into how immunotherapies, which are revolutionising cancer therapy, may affect fertility. She is one of 13 early career researchers this year in Victoria to win a Tall Poppy award.
Currently, Dr Winship is an ARC DECRA Fellow and Group Leader in Associate Professor Karla Hutt’s Ovarian Biology research group in the Development and Stem Cells Program at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI).
Dr Winship explained how immunotherapies activate the patient’s immune system to target and kill tumour cells - but there’s a caveat.
“Because the immunotherapies are so effective, patients are receiving these drugs before the full spectrum of side-effects have been tested,” Dr Winship said.
Women are often excluded from clinical trials of new cancer therapies. Therefore, the impacts of immunotherapies on the female reproductive system are largely unknown.
“Our team’s research has begun to address this crucial knowledge gap," Dr Winship said.
“Our recent data showed for the first time that the inflammation caused by immunotherapy is damaging enough to kill the eggs stored within the ovary in animal models. This suggests immunotherapies may have potential impacts on fertility, and also on the hormone production necessary to support overall health in girls and women.”
These findings have uncovered entirely new interactions between the immune system and the ovary, which were previously unknown.
“Our current studies are testing the long-term impacts of immunotherapies on hormone levels and pregnancy. At the same time, our team are testing multiple different protection strategies, including tests of an existing drug that is already approved to treat inflammation,” said Dr Winship.
Dr Winship has also been extremely active and successful in community education and awareness initiatives. She was a co-developer of a hands-on educational program for polycystic ovarian syndrome for John Monash Science School students, which has received extremely positive feedback. The program was launched in 2021 and has been run annually since. In 2022, the team received a Monash BDI Outstanding Achievement Award for Science Communication and Community Engagement.
She is not afraid of a complex challenge in communicating science. Dr Winship was Public Affairs Committee representative for the United States Society for Study of Reproduction. She said, “During this time our committee generated fact sheets and position statements on challenging topics. One example clearly conveys the importance of animal use for advancing medical research in relatable terms, to be accessed and used by members as an education tool for community and students.”
The Young Tall Poppy Science Award is presented to researchers who have between three and ten years of postdoctoral experience, and who combine world-class research with a passionate commitment to communicating science. Award winners spend a year sharing their knowledge with school students, teachers and the broader community through workshops, seminars and public lectures.
The 2023 Victorian Tall Poppy award ceremony takes place on 10 October 2023 at which time the Victorian Tall Poppy of the Year winner will be announced.
See more about Dr Winship’s research and the AIPS Tall Poppy awards.
About the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Committed to making the discoveries that will relieve the future burden of disease, the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) at Monash University brings together more than 120 internationally-renowned research teams. Spanning seven discovery programs across Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Development and Stem Cells, Infection, Immunity, Metabolism, Diabetes and Obesity, and Neuroscience, Monash BDI is one of the largest biomedical research institutes in Australia. Our researchers are supported by world-class technology and infrastructure, and partner with industry, clinicians and researchers internationally to enhance lives through discovery.
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2023-09-05 06:21:00Z
CBMilQFodHRwczovL3d3dy5tb25hc2guZWR1L2Rpc2NvdmVyeS1pbnN0aXR1dGUvbmV3cy1hbmQtZXZlbnRzL25ld3MvMjAyMy1hcnRpY2xlcy9pbW11bm90aGVyYXB5LXJlc2VhcmNoZXItcmVjb2duaXNlZC13aXRoLXlvdW5nLXRhbGwtcG9wcHktc2NpZW5jZS1hd2FyZNIBAA
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