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Monday March 03, 2025

Congratulations to Charis Teh,
2024 ASI Margaret Baird Awardee

 

We warmly congratulate
Charis Teh
winner of the Margaret Baird Women in Immunology ASI Award

  

Cracking the code for cancer treatment is the ultimate goal. My team is getting closer to this by identifying the 'kill switch' that makes regulatory T (Treg) cells self-destruct and harnessing the knowledge for new Treg-based immunotherapies. 

My journey in immunology and cell death biology has taken me through world-renowned laboratories: I completed my PhD under Professors Christopher Goodnow and Anselm Enders at Australian National University (Canberra, Australia), followed by postdoctoral training with Professor Daniel Gray at Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) (Victoria, Australia) and Professor Garry Nolan at Stanford University. Along the way, I have built a multidisciplinary toolkit and established a strong network of clinical collaborators to shape and inform my research. I am an expert in single-cell mass cytometry (CyTOF) and pioneered its application to understanding cell death processes — technologies like this are paving the way for the future of precision medicine. To date, my work has been published in 35 peer-reviewed articles and supported by over $4 million in funding.

As a Victorian Cancer Agency Mid-Career Research Fellow, I lead a small team of two PhD students, an Honours student, and one research technician in the laboratory of Professor Daniel Gray at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. My team studies the ‘survival’ and ‘kill’ switches that control this balance in white blood cells. Recently, we have revealed key survival pathways in Tregs — immune cells that prevent autoimmune disease but can also suppress the body’s defences against infections and cancer. We discovered that blocking the Caspase 8 protein drives Treg cell death and boosts immunity against parasites and viruses. Even more exciting, we have found that an old drug, Emricasan, originally developed for liver disease, can target this pathway — opening the door to a novel immunotherapy approach. Now, we are investigating its potential to treat patients with advanced cancers where options are limited.

Beyond the lab, I’m a mum of two and a fierce advocate for gender and cultural diversity in STEM. I love bringing science to life for the next generation — running hands-on activities in local schools and hosting Scientific Discovery Tours at my institute. I am a passionate science communicator and determined to make STEM a more inclusive and inspiring space for everyone.

The WEHI team that studies the ‘survival’ and ‘kill’ switches that control this balance in white blood cells.
Photo credit: WEHI.

I am deeply grateful for the ASI Margaret Baird Lectureship Award, which gives me the opportunity to share my research on Treg cells and systems immunology across Australia and New Zealand. This award honours the legacy of Professor Margaret Baird, a pioneering immunologist whose fierce spirit and groundbreaking discoveries reshaped our understanding of immune regulation — from her work on MHC Class I in transplantation and transfusion to p53-mediated tumour suppression. In a male-dominated field, she carved a path with both scientific brilliance and an unwavering commitment to mentoring young women, all while balancing a loving family. Her legacy is one I aspire to, and I am humbled to follow in her footsteps by fostering collaboration and empowering the next generation of scientists. 

Inspiring women that I have worked with at the WEHI Immunology Retreat.

Author: Charis Teh

Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ASI