AusHealth CureCell Award winner Kelsy Prest – developing a ‘claw’ to isolate and study blood cancer cells that evade chemo and targeted drugs
In July, 65 PhD students submitted single-page synopses on their research into cell or biological therapies. In this series of posts we talk with the seven award winners about their ground-breaking science, their lives as researchers and how they’ll spend their $10,000 prize…
Winner: Kelsy Prest
Institution: University of Melbourne
Award: AusHealth CureCell Award, 2025
Research project: The Clone Claw: A Novel Platform for Precise Isolation and Molecular Profiling of Rare MRD-Resistant Clones Driving Acute Myeloid Leukaemia Relapse
Congratulations Kelsy! How did it feel to win an AusHealth CureCell Award?
It was very exciting! I’d been in a bit of a slump, working through countless experiments that often spilled into my evenings and weekends, so receiving the award gave me fresh motivation and renewed energy to keep pushing forward.
How did you find the application process?
It was straightforward and easy. A friend, who is also doing a PhD, initially sent the Awards information to me and said my work could be a good fit.
How do you explain your PhD project to someone without a scientific background?.
My poor family, who aren’t scientists, have had to sit through more than a few of my research talks! My mum has even fallen asleep during one or two of them, so, I’ve had to learn how to explain my work in a way that’s a bit more engaging…
My project focuses on blood cancer. Many patients initially respond well to treatment and go into remission – no detectable cancer cells in their blood. But then, 12 to 18 months later, the cancer unexpectedly returns. This is puzzling, because all the standard tests indicate that the cancer is gone.
With deeper analysis, however, we’ve discovered a tiny, rare population of cancer cells that somehow survive treatment and trigger the cancer’s return. The problem is these cells are so rare and difficult to access that they’re extremely hard to study. My project aims to develop a tool to isolate and study these resistant cells, so we can understand why they survive chemotherapy and targeted therapies, and ultimately, how to stop the cancer from coming back.
What have you learned from doing a PhD?
I’ve learned a great deal about resilience and patience. I’ve never been afraid of hard work: I enjoy challenging myself, especially through endurance sports, but my PhD has definitely been the toughest test I’ve faced so far.
It teaches you to navigate rejection, setbacks and failure, and to keep moving forward. It’s a constant lesson in perseverance, adaptability, and finding motivation even when things don’t go as planned.
And I think what also makes it extremely hard — which is why I’m so grateful for this award — is just that lack of money. Living on less than minimum wage is a constant struggle. We can’t even afford a coffee every day. It’s a little treat I save for the weekends!
How will the award money help?
I’ll use some for living expenses, but after this PhD I’d love to do a postdoctorate in Europe. I’m planning to attend a conference there next year and explore opportunities at a few laboratories. This will help me decide where to continue my work after my PhD.
Is commercialisation a strong focus of your work?
Yes, there is potential for commercialisation. The tool I’ve developed to isolate rare cells is not just for blood cancer, it can be used for other diseases as well. While the focus now is on optimising it for blood cancer, there’s definitely potential for broader application. The last two years have entailed a lot of troubleshooting but now I’ve got the ball rolling and we’re starting to see some exciting results.
Applications for the next AusHealth CureCell Awards will begin in June 2026.
For more information, visit CureCell.org