Elena Alberts

Pathway iCASE 0+4

Cohort 2018

0+4 iCASE Student

I completed my Biochemistry BSc at Leeds University before undertaking an MSc in Infection and Immunity at University College London (UCL). After spending a year as a research assistant working on immune profiling of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), I felt like I had obtained enough laboratory and research experience to apply for a PhD. 

I did do through the MRC DTP as I worked in a lab group that already had an MRC DTP funded student working on her PhD project, and this gave me an insight into the collaborative and diverse breadth of ongoing research that we were able to participate in. The structure and cohort system of the programme also includes many social and interactive events with other students. 

My PhD project is focused on the immune landscape of the premetastatic niche of the lymph nodes in triple negative breast cancer and I have been lucky enough to work with a broad range of different lab groups, as well as expand my current laboratory and analysis skills, including in vivo workThis has meant that I have been involved with and contributed to several published manuscripts. 

Publications 

Alberts, E. et al., (2021). Review on ‘Immune crosstalk between lymph nodes and breast carcinomas, with a focus on B cells’. Under review.