
Le Phuong Uyen Pham
Higher Degree by Research Candidate
School of Biomedicine
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
My research investigates the significance of maternal immune system in assisting pregnancy success and the underlying mechanisms by which the female reproductive system discern each reproductive opportunity.
Pregnancy is physiologically and mentally expensive to the mother. The female immune system plays a central role in initiating and maintaining a healthy pregnancy throughout gestation. A population of immune cells called T cells are the key player in recognizing 'self' versus 'non-self' antigens in the seminal fluid and on the conceptus. A disrupted balance in T cells subsets is associated with implantation failure, fetal growth restriction and on set of others pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia.
In mammals, female sexual selection is thought to only occur prior to conception, little is known about the capability of the female to exert their hidden selective mechanism after mating. This phenomenon is referred as 'cryptic female choice', a hidden mechanism by which the female selectively choose to invest or discard each pregnancy opportunity. While there are evidence supporting cryptic female choice, there has not been formally investigated scientifically. Our research aims to identify the role of the female T cells immune response in facilitating cryptic female choice and whether the genetic compatibility between mating partner is the contributing factor to the discrimination of the female immune response.
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Appointments
Date Position Institution name 2023 - 2024 Research Officer University of Adelaide 2022 - 2023 Summer Research Internship University of Adelaide -
Awards and Achievements
Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount 2024 Award RRI sponsored regisstration for 2024 ESA-SRB-ANZBMS conference University of Adelaide Australia 475 2022 Award Faculty of Sciences Outstanding Academic Achievement Award University of Adelaide Australia - 2022 Scholarship Adelaide Summer Research Scholarship University of Adelaide Australia 1200 2021 Award Faculty of Sciences Outstanding Academic Achievement Award University of Adelaide Australia - -
Language Competencies
Language Competency English Can read, write and speak Vietnamese Can read, write and speak -
Education
Date Institution name Country Title 2024 University of Adelaide Australia Doctor of Philosophy 2023 - 2023 University of Adelaide Australia Bachelor of Science (Honours) 2020 - 2022 University of Adelaide Australia Bachelor of Science (Biotechnology) -
Certifications
Date Title Institution name Country 2023 Rodent Anaesthesia Competency University of Adelaide Australia 2023 Rodent Injection and Blood Collection Competency University of Adelaide Australia 2023 ANZCCART ComPass Animal Welfare Training University of Adelaide Australia -
Research Interests
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Memberships
Date Role Membership Country 2024 - ongoing Member Society for Reproductive Biology (SRB) Australia 2024 - ongoing Member Australian and New Zealand Immunology (ASI) Australia 2024 - ongoing Member Healthy Development Adelaide Australia -
Community Engagement
Date Title Engagement Type Institution Country 2024 - 2024 ESA-SRB-ANZBMS 2024 in conjunction with ENSA Scientific Community Engagement University of Adelaide Australia 2024 - 2024 ESA-SRB-ANZBMS 2024 in conjunction with ENSA Scientific Community Engagement University of Adelaide Australia -
Event Participation
Date Event Name Event Type Institution Country 2024 - 2024 2024 Robinson Research Institute symposium Symposium University of Adelaide Australia 2023 - 2023 2023 Robinson Research Institute symposium Symposium University of Adelaide Australia -
Presentation
Date Topic Presented at Institution Country 2024 - 2024 ESA-SRB-ANZBMS 2024 in conjunction with ENSA ESA-SRB-ANZBMS 2024 in conjunction with ENSA University of Adelaide Australia 2024 - 2024 63rd ASMR National Scientific Conference Exploring Multidisciplinary Frontiers 63rd ASMR National Scientific Conference Exploring Multidisciplinary Frontiers University of Adelaide Australia 2024 - 2024 HDA Research Afternoon and Oration 2024 HDA Research Afternoon and Oration 2024 University of Adelaide Australia 2024 - 2024 Adelaide Immunology Retreat (AIR-19) 2024 AIR-19 Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology (ASI) University of Adelaide Australia
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