Stuti Saini

I am a PhD student, based at Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide pursuing my research with the Cystic Fibrosis Airway Research Group (CFARG). My research focuses on optimising stem cell therapy for Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and analyzing the role of disease-related processes like epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in reducing the efficacy of CF therapies.
Cystic fibrosis is a life-shortening genetic disorder affecting individuals worldwide. Present treatment options, though effective, fail to target all patients, resulting in the need for new therapies. Our group is already investigating the use of lentiviral gene-addition therapy for CF. My project is to explore the novel area of stem cell therapy for CF and optimise cell culture techniques for successful transplantation.
Despite their promising potential, certain underlying disease-related processes, like EMT, may reduce treatment efficacy. My project also focuses on further elucidating these mechanisms and finding possible ways to minimise their effect on current therapies and potential therapies.