Roche Translational Cancer Research Fellowship
Since 2016, Roche has been partnering with the New Zealand Society for Oncology (NZSO) to award the Roche Translational Cancer Research Fellowship. Their generous contribution to this award is $40,000 in order to support translational cancer research to a fellowship winner.
Both Roche and NZSO recognise the importance of keeping up-to-date with international developments in cancer research and oncology clinical practice.
Translational research bridges the gap from basic science in the lab to clinical practice, in order to enhance human health and well-being. It’s sometimes referred to as bench to bedside to community. Research is most effective when clinicians and scientists work together and a key role of NZSO is to encourage collaboration between clinicians and scientists.
This award provides a unique opportunity for NZ cancer research teams to enable an integral team member (the Roche Fellow) and carry out novel, cutting-edge translational research, or access platforms and technology not available in NZ.
Congratulations to the 2025 award winner
Arielle Sulit
(University of Otago Christchurch)
Dr Sulit and her multidisciplinary team of experts in molecular biology, bioinformatics, oncology, Māori health, and translational cancer research have won the 2025 Roche Translational Cancer Research Fellowship (RTCRF) award.
Colon cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in Aotearoa New Zealand, with poorer survival for Māori. Immune checkpoint therapy is effective in only a small proportion of CRC patients, and mechanisms of resistance are poorly understood. Emerging evidence indicates tumour-resident microbes influence immune responses in the tumour microenvironment, which may directly affect response to immunotherapy.
The aim of their project is to spacially map microbial, immune, and gene expression features in CRC tumours and identify microbial-immune signatures associated with immunotherapy response or resistance.
Dr Sulit says that receiving the Roche Translational Cancer Research Fellowship as an early career researcher is a tremendous honour. It has always been my goal as a scientist to translate bench research to clinical bedside applications that will benefit patients, whānau, and our communities, and this fellowship is a big step in that direction. My team and I will use cutting-edge spatial technology to profile interactions of colorectal tumours and factors in its environment, such as immune cells and microbes, to understand how this affects response to immunotherapy, hopefully allowing for more effective treatment strategies in the clinic.