A life changing scholarship

The Ebsary PhD Scholarship was established by the JEM Research Foundation and the Ebsary family to help a deserving PhD candidate involved in stem cell research.

JEM was founded to support research directly associated with stem cells and as this field of research has become increasingly complex, JEM has extended the scope of its donations to organisations that promote the advancement of stem cell research.

“JEM believes that stem cell research holds a very important role in medical science and in the treatment and cures of many illnesses,” says Nicole Lupacchini, Director of JEM Research Foundation and a member of the Ebsary family.

Professor Christine Wells, Professor of Stem Cell Systems and Director of the University of Melbourne Centre for Stem Cell Systems, was supported during her career by JEM and suggested the Foundation establish the Ebsary Scholarship to honour the generosity and commitment to stem cell research of philanthropists, John and Betty Ebsary.

“We hope the scholarship achieves meaningful support in helping candidates to achieve their goals in stem cell research and in the immense healing possibility for the greater good of all,” says Mrs Ebsary.

“I believe that in offering this scholarship, JEM is bridging the gap enabling the best candidates to succeed in following their academic dreams, regardless of capacity to pay,” adds Mrs Lupacchini.

Here the 2023 Ebsary Scholarship recipient, Chalin Yang, describes her research and what led her to specialise in this particular field of science.

Chalin Yang, the 2023 recipient of the Ebsary Scholarship.

“I have been at the University of Melbourne for a long time. I completed my Bachelor of Science here and that’s when my interest in cell developmental biology began. Stem cells are very powerful but so much about them remains a mystery. They cause many diseases that we don’t fully understand and the signalling pathway that affects their behaviour is complex.

After my Bachelor degree I did my Masters in the same lab where I am now, the Gary Hime lab. Still focused on stem cell study, I identified a gene in the fruit fly that has an important role in regulating and maintaining stem cells in male reproductive tissues. Researchers also believe this gene may be a potential target for treating cancer, endometriosis, infertility and a rare disease called Seckel syndrome that causes dwarfism.

I use the fruit fly in my research because, although we look very different, 60 to 70 per cent of the genomes in humans and the fruit fly are actually similar. The ease of genetic manipulation, short life cycle and well-recognised stem cell populations of the fruit fly make it an ideal model for stem cell research.

My PhD will continue investigating the function of the gene I uncovered during my Masters and its network of signalling pathways. I also intend using the stem cell model of the fruit fly to dig deeper into a pathway called Wnt signalling pathway. By learning more about what and how the associated genes interacts with each other, hopefully my research can shed light on the molecular mechanism behind these human diseases.

I will also study a target gene of the Wnt signalling pathway shown to cause a rare genetic disease called Marfan syndrome. This disease occurs mostly in children of old fathers, where mutation of the gene occurs in stem cells and leads to defective sperm. The research could find a way to help select sperm from older fathers that has less risk of causing Marfan syndrome in the next generation.

The Ebsary PhD Scholarship covers my living costs for the four years of my PhD and receiving it has made such a difference to my future. I don’t have to worry about finding a part-time job to be able to study and it allows me to continue my research journey. It has also enabled me to meet the scholarship donors, to learn more about why they established this scholarship and to make some important connections.

A colleague told me about the Ebsary PhD Scholarship and recommended I apply. When I received an email congratulating me for being selected, I couldn’t quite believe it. At the time I was uncertain about my future. I had been working as a casual research assistant in a laboratory and my contract was about to expire. This has been life changing and I hope to seize the opportunity to discover something helpful that will expand our understanding of stem cells.”