Roger Li is a PhD Candidate at the University of Western Australia and the Institute for Respiratory Health. He is supervised by Prof Yuben Moodley, Dr Dino Tan and E/Prof Geoff Stewart
Roger was recently awarded a Travel Grant, by the CRE-PF’s researcher development program, CREATE. The CREATE Travel Grant helped fund a trip to the International Colloquium for Lung and Airway Fibrosis (ICLAF) 2024 in Athens and University College London (UCL).
Tell us about your recent CREATE Travel Grant and what you gained from your experiences overseas.
I won the travel award for my poster presentation, ‘Circulatory MMP7 is a predictive biomarker for progression in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis’, for ICLAF and for an oral presentation ‘The effect of antifibrotics on the circulatory biomarkers and the epigenome of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis’, at UCL.
Travelling to Athens where I presented my work on biomarkers, especially MMP7, predicting the progression of IPF and met the international pulmonary fibrosis research community was an amazing experience. Seeing the progress in IPF research and the new discoveries and techniques was very inspiring. The diversity in ideas and opinions made for very interesting talks and poster sessions.
Afterwards, I had the chance to present the progress of my PhD project so far to Professor Rachel Chambers’ group in London. Having a chance to present my research to a lab in a different country was a little bit daunting but very exciting. The Chambers’ lab has overlapping interest as they are very focused on lung fibroblast biology- although in a different set of pathways from my research. The presentation turned into a great exchange of ideas from both sides.
Why is this work important?
Finding circulatory and epigenetic markers predictive of IPF progression or antifibrotic effects would improve diagnostic accuracy and balance the efficacy of antifibrotics with their side effects improving patient outcomes and quality of life. Furthermore, the pathways and mechanisms underlying these markers could be critical to understanding the currently enigmatic IPF pathogenesis. Characterising the how and why of IPF is a vital step towards finding a permanent solution to this disease and change lives for the better.
What are the best bits about working in this area?
Research is just generally exciting work. Everything is new and unknown. Every day is a chance for a new discovery- big or small. The freedom and creativity involved is also an underrated aspect. I think science and research involve a lot more creativity than generally thought as the best ideas are often found outside the box. It also helps that I find genetics and epigenetics interesting!
At the same time as this, it’s great to be doing work that could potentially change people’s lives for the better especially with a disease as devastating as IPF. Knowing our discoveries are helping pave the way to such outcomes makes it even more worthwhile.
What advice would you offer early career researchers just starting out in the field?
Don’t be afraid of the unknown and take opportunities when you can, especially from things you aren’t sure about or don’t know much about. New ideas, experiences and networks could be around any corner and it will all help you on the journey. The whole thing can be a bit overwhelming (it still is at times!) but having good support and an open mind can make it a rewarding time.
And of course, have fun. Science being fun was the main reason I took a shot at research. And you learn so much along the way and not just about science. Even though research has its obvious ups and downs, enjoy the journey, celebrate the successes, and appreciate the fun you do have.