I undertook my postgraduate training at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in a group of Prof Dennis Lo. My PhD aimed to explore the use of circulating plasma DNA for non-invasive prenatal diagnostics in order to develop molecular strategies for the detection of fetal genetic abnormalities. Apart from designing non-invasive tools applicable for the clinical practice, my PhD training allowed me to study the underlying biology of circulating plasma nucleic acids in normal and pathological conditions. Methods such as whole-genome and targeted next-generation sequencing helped me to gain insight into genetic and epigenetic landscapes of circulating plasma DNA, which have been shown to share many similarities between the fetus and the tumor.

 

I joined the Rosenfeld Group as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in January 2017. My current research goals lie in refining and developing new non-invasive diagnostic approaches, which could be used to detect cancer in its early stages when the clinical interventions are associated with more favorable outcomes. In parallel with the desirable analytical improvements, I plan to apply these methodologies to harness the potential of circulating tumor nucleic acids found in the plasma and other body fluids for the management of cancer patients.

I love to spend my free time by travelling, hiking or swimming.