A/Prof Lisa Ebert has spent over 25 years researching the immune system, cancer, and interactions between the two. She completed her PhD at the University of Adelaide in the field of T cell migration and chemokine biology, and undertook postdoctoral research positions at the University of Bern (Switzerland) and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (Melbourne). During this time, she developed a focus on understanding how the immune system interacts with cancer, and using this knowledge to develop and improve cancer immunotherapies. In 2011, she returned to Adelaide at the Centre for Cancer Biology – a unique alliance between the South Australian public health system and the University of South Australia – where she now leads the Cancer Immunotherapy research group.

A/Prof Ebert’s current research is focussed on developing innovative immune-based therapies for brain cancer, including CAR-T cells and bi-specific T cell engagers; and identifying factors that determine the success of checkpoint blockade immunotherapy in melanoma patients. These studies are conducted at the interface between laboratory and clinic, with close ties to the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Her research is currently funded by the NHMRC, Cancer Australia and several philanthropic organisations. She has >50 peer-reviewed publications in the immunology and oncology space, which have received >3,700 citations, and a h-index of 31.