Kate currently works within the laboratory of Professor Hardev Pandha at the Postgraduate Medical School. Her role involves writing review articles and book chapters as well as helping the scientists to write and submit their original research papers. In addition to this she is responsible for administering the group's grant applications.

Kate studied Biochemistry at the University of Bristol and spent a year at Roche Pharmaceuticals as part of her industrial sandwich placement. Following this she went on to study for a PhD at the University of Oxford. Her thesis was entitled ‘Analysis and exploitation of hypoxia response elements for targeted gene therapy’ and part of her time was spent working in the biotechnology company Oxford BioMedica. After this she went on to do a postdoctoral fellowship at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research where she developed retrovial vectors to immortalise primary breast cells within the laboratory of Professor Parmjit Jat.

Having had her first child she decided she wanted to move away from the bench but stay in science and began working for Professor Pandha at St George’s, University of London as a science writer. When Professor Pandha gained his chair at the University of Surrey Kate moved with him to help set up his group.

Gene Therapy – In particular Viral Vectors

Cancer

Immunotherapy

Simpson GR, Relph KL, Harrington K, Melcher A, Pandha H. (2016) 'Cancer immunotherapy via combining oncolytic virotherapy with chemotherapy: recent advances'. Oncolytic Virotherapy, 2016 (5), pp. 1-13. doi: 10.2147/OV.S66083 Comins C, Simpson GR, Relph K, Harrington KJ, Melcher A, Pandha H. (2013) 'Reoviral Therapy for Cancer: Strategies for Improving Antitumor Efficacy Using Radio- and Chemotherapy'. , pp. 185-198. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-394295-1.00013-5 Michael A, Relph K, Annels N, Pandha H. (2013) 'Prostate cancer vaccines.'. Expert Rev Vaccines, England: 12 (3), pp. 253-262. doi: 10.1586/erv.13.27 Heinemann L, Simpson GR, Boxall A, Kottke T, Relph KL, Vile R, Melcher A, Prestwich R, Harrington KJ, Morgan R, Pandha HS. (2011) 'Synergistic effects of oncolytic reovirus and docetaxel chemotherapy in prostate cancer.'. BMC Cancer, England: 11 doi: 10.1186/1471-2407-11-221