My name is Kate Friesen, and I am a current fourth year Clarendon Scholar and Canadian Centennial Scholarship Award recipient at Christ Church, reading for a DPhil in Oncology.

Prior to commencing my postgraduate studies, I earned an Honours Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Immunology from the University of Toronto. Additionally, I completed several research internships studying Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer in Melbourne, Australia.

During my time as an undergraduate, I observed firsthand the debilitating side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy on my family members, and I felt there must be a better way to target cancer specifically. Therefore, I have focused my DPhil project on developing targeted cancer therapies by engineering novel oncolytic viruses to target tumours that are unresponsive to other systemic treatments. Oncolytic viruses selectively replicate in and kill cancer cells and can be used as a gene delivery vector for selective expression of therapeutics in the tumour microenvironment, thereby avoiding off-target effects of other systemic treatments. One current barrier of oncolytic virus-mediated therapy is the limited spread of viruses through solid tumours.

I have worked to overcome this challenge by engineering an exosome targeting system whereby exosomes produced by virus-infected cells carry biological cargo/therapeutics to surrounding tumour cells (exosomes are naturally occurring lipid-coated nanoparticles that transport cargo between cells). Specific cargo can induce cell death and encourage viral spread throughout the tumour and/or activate the immune system.

In addition to my academic studies, I participate actively in extracurricular activities at Christ Church and in the wider Oxford community. I learned to row at The House in 2021 and went on to be Women’s Captain and row in the 2023 and 2024 Summer VIIIs Women’s Headship crews. Additionally, I rowed in Osiris for Oxford University Women’s Boat Club, competed for Oxford University Competitive Dance, was a welfare officer for the GCR community, social secretary for the Clarendon Council, and lectured for Oxford access programmes.

My time at Christ Church has been transformative, offering me not just an exceptional academic environment but also a vibrant community where I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy the camaraderie over pub trips, paint nights, and formal dinners. The strong sense of community at Christ Church has made the approaching conclusion of my DPhil bittersweet. I have made long lasting friends and memories in the GCR, and I am incredibly grateful to be a member of The House!